Medieval Christmas Feasts - The Boar's Head

[@TastingHistory]

Thanks Bright Cellars for sponsoring this video and for the limited-time offer! Click here bit.ly/BrightCellarsTastingDec and use code TASTING15 for 15% off their hosting and gifting-ready wine bundles! Christes Mæsse Sweatshirt / T-shirt - crowdmade.com/products/tasting-history-with-max-miller-limited-edition-merrie-christes-maesee-sweater

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your content max! You're the Best 🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤

[@beepboop204]

i remember watching "Manor House" on PBS and the staff put a bunch of work into the boars head, but when the Lord and Lady saw the head plunked down in front of them, and the butler started to cut the tender cheek meat, the Lord and Lady had to nope out and left without eating 👀

[@TastingHistory]

@@beepboop204 I love that show

[@thedirtprincess3293]

​​@@TastingHistory Max was the meat dry? Ive never had wild boar and wondered if it was dry when roasted, the way venison or even pork loin can be if you're not careful. The sauce looks amazing and i want to try it over a pork shoulder.

[@irresponsiblyblue1411]

Interesting. I was reading a very creative recipe for boar's head in a 1888 cookbook just yesterday.

[@kayleeriley3591]

Hi Max, I just wanted to say that I am blind and you are so good at presenting the show that I don’t feel like I miss out on any details. I have also been struggling with an eating disorder relapse and you show helps me feel more comfortable with food again so thank you for that and You always make me smile. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

[@daemon2426]

You're doing a good job. I believe in you. You can do this; and you deserve joy. Happy Holidays, dear. 🎉

[@tait2217]

you're doing so good! i used to have an ED too, it's a long and tiring journey, but one day you'll look back and realize how far you've come, and you'll be so, so okay

[@jexx30]

I'm proud of you. ED relapse sucks, but you are working through it. You have a community here in the Tasting History comments that is rooting for you. Take care of yourself, you are worth it.

[@Firedog_Alpha]

YOU GOT THIS!

[@julscatten2640]

He’s so accessible! I’m autistic and can only tolerate some channels bc of the presenters - he’s one of the few. And although I do have sight, I tend to listen to the show while I work on Tuesday mornings and then again later when I’m playing video games. Very easy listening.

[@anniebananie3421]

We are a community of Catholic nuns, and I have to tell you the story of our Christmas dinner. We had been gifted with a nice Christmas ham a couple of months ago, and were looking forward to a ham dinner on Christmas. Then a few weeks ago, a freak freezer incident thawed and destroyed our ham, leaving us bereft, grieving, and at a loss as to what to do to celebrate this most holy day of the year. We found this video, and decided to give this recipe a try - using a pork shoulder that we had procured (on sale!!). Our dinner was a glorious triumph, and we decided that we would like to make this recipe every year from now on! As an aside, the Boar's Head Carol is a favorite of mine, since I was in a madrigal group back in high school!

[@axiomist4488]

What a lovely story. Read mine above at "axiomist" .

[@lilac_hem]

oh what a joy to have found this comment !! many blessings to you and your sisters !! i am so glad that all worked out well in the end. ((':

[@The_Kentuckian]

I can just imagine the scene of Max walking into a butcher shop, asking for boar's head & the clerk starts reaching for the fancy deli meats, and Max reiterates, "No, A boar's head."

[@sailorknightwing]

I feel like all the local butchers know him and his shenanigans by now lol

[@jennypaxton8159]

I can only imagine all the local butchers recognize him by now, and know that they’re in for something unexpected!

[@TheoRae8289]

That brand came to my mind too 😂

[@ladyalexander1897]

He could have bought a pigs 🐷 head no excuse!!

[@mad8598]

He would have been able to get a pig’s head pretty easily…

[@GyroCannon]

One thing that separated good content creators from great content creators is the consistent addition of subtitles and I greatly appreciate you for including them!

[@TastingHistory]

You're welcome! Jose spends his Sunday nights updating them

[@peasant8246]

Indeed, well done Max!

[@jennypaxton8159]

Plus we sometimes get delightful little bonus commentary like [Chomp] Hmm. Hm! [Hums happily] Or [chewing intensifies]

[@SPierre-dm4wo]

​@@jennypaxton8159 Not to mention the time we had Max smoothly trying to take credit for growing the rue(?) in that episode's recipe while José's subtitles were going "Yeah my husband talks a good game but just FYI, actually *I'm* the one who grew that."

[@EmilySmirleGURPS]

​@@TastingHistoryplease pass along my thanks to him for his excellent work!

[@wynjones2877]

Years ago I was a member of a Medieval re-inactment group and we hosted a winter feast. I made a cake in the shape of a boar's head, so I was thrilled to hear you mention that as an option. I researched, not as extensively as Max, and decided on a Victorian recipe called "Lady Baltimore Cake". The snout was a cupcake, it was iced in grey piping to look like fur, and had felt ears and clay tusks. And the Queen at the feast declared that it was too perfect to touch. The clean-up crew ate it the next morning.

[@johnmiller8975]

That is really neat will look this up for sure

[@elvisneedsboatsbennett2455]

I was in college for music performance and every Christmas we had a dinner where we walked around in period costumes and sang madrigals. I now hate madrigals.

[@aceundead4750]

The cleaning crew probably thoroughly enjoyed getting a cake, i bet you made their day a lot better.

[@steveturner6862]

Grey piping sounds like the bleeding armadillo groom's cake from "Steel Magnolias".

[@wynjones2877]

@@steveturner6862 - it was fur. Unlike the cake I made for Easter one year that was a Peep chick mold done as a zombie. (White cake, hollowed out and filled with cherry pie filling, then iced with white butter cream and pus green & blood streaks.) I am that weirdo. My favorite thing to take to a Halloween party is deviled eggs that are cracked halfway through boiling and then dyed red so they look liked blood-shot eyes. I garnish them with olive slices to look like pupils. Yeah - I am that person.

[@jennypaxton8159]

I do love the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it illustration of an industrious cat working hard at the butter churn! Cats doing human jobs in Medieval illustrations are such fun.

[@Georgie94]

Same here! I love bunnies and medieval illustrations of rabbits fighting humans and riding dogs or snails honestly always makes me laugh

[@jennypaxton8159]

@@Georgie94 I feel like the recurring “knights battling snails” theme has got to be an example of a Medieval meme of some sort.

[@CrizzyEyes]

@@jennypaxton8159 There's theories abound of monks sharing some private joke at another group's expense for that.

[@mattia_carciola]

After all, from the ancient Egyptians to us all now... We just all love cats

[@caturdaynite7217]

Cats don't do the "W" word.

[@nikkikeus1592]

Milo and Ollie are what made this episode complete. So cute!!!

[@HLR4th]

Countdown to Milo and Ollie climbing the Christmas Tree…

[@laraq07]

What happened to Jaime and Cersei?

[@catc8927]

⁠@@laraq07Jaime passed away unexpectedly 3 months ago. Max made a community post about it at the time. Cersei’s still around and adjusting to having these kittens in the house, per Instagram comments.

[@LLBP.]

Yes a surprise ending . 😻😻

[@darlenefraser3022]

@@catc8927thank you for the catch-up! I was wondering, too

[@mickeymouse-nr8ns]

I want to thank Jose because the subtitles are a lifesaver, no I am not hearing impaired. But I am usually up in the middle of the night watching these videos or sometimes I'm watching them while I'm trying to put my toddler to sleep, and I rely on the subtitles so that I don't disturb the other people in my house that are trying to rest. This show really helps me with my anxiety, particularly when I have insomnia. I find Max to be quite soothing. He is funny and sweet and interesting and he helps me so much. Who knew a show about historical recipes (receipts) would reach so many people? I am so happy to witnesses both of your success. I wish you the best!!

[@jonesnori]

Yes, thank you, José!

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

Don't think of it as insomnia. You are just creative at different times to boring people! I have always been a night person. As a baby I drove my parents to despair apparently. My clock just ticks differently to other people's. I am lucky enough to have no commitments ,so I can eat, sleep and do pretty much as I like. The winter always messes me around, because it is dark too soon. So I am asleep at 7pm and awake at 2am! I ate my evening meal at 2.30am last night. I don't see it as anything to worry about. I am at my most creative at night. It Is a problem when you have to fit into the the timescales of the Borings! But don't make it an issue. It is not an 'illmess' it is a gift! I can flip between daylight and night, they can't! If I have to be somewhere at 10am I will be there. Not happy, but there. But when they are all tucked up in bed, I will be wide awake and firing on all cylinders. Think how to use it, not that it is something 'wrong' with you. Apparently there is new evidence to suggest that the people of the Middle Ages and Medieval had Completely different sleep a pattern. They slept twice. with an active period in between. Just like us so called 'insomniacs!' The Modern sleep pattern is wrong ,because it does not fit the natural cycle . It only happened with the Industrial Revolution. They needed people awake during Daylight to maximise work and save on lighting, so it morphed into what we have now. It is Them who are out of sync, not Us. Remember that.

[@SarafinaSummers]

I also listen to the show when I’m trying to fall asleep. So… It’s not just me?

[@SarafinaSummers]

@@hogwashmcturnip8930 I am completely blind, so cannot see light at all. When I do not have melatonin, my sleep patterns, get all messed up, similar to how they are now. I sleep for about four hours in the middle of the day, then, from about 8 PM, until 3 AM.

[@kaitlyn__L]

⁠@@SarafinaSummershe goes in my sleep playlist too 👍 It features a lot of other spoken word type channels (mainly about history, cooking, and tinkering with various things) which use minimal music, and I put it on at a low volume… much like my grandparents used to do with various talk radio/spoken word stations (like BBC Radio 4!)

[@b.c4440]

I just realized that if you think of the 12 days of Christmas in the context of medieval Christmas it actually makes perfect sense and is legit kinda romantic. Like this guy throws you the party of the century and gets you jewelry? Total keeper.

[@slwrabbits]

And several different kinds of birds in varying amounts. That's a little less romantic.

[@squiddwizzard8850]

The 5 gold rings actually refers to ring neck pheasants. 1-7 is all birds. It's mostly birds.

[@slwrabbits]

@@squiddwizzard8850 oh my god it's birds all the way down WHY DO THEY KEEP FOLLOWING ME

[@violetskies14]

@@squiddwizzard8850 I'm gonna be honest, I don't even like men like that but I am a bird enthusiast and that many birds would probably woo me. I wouldn't have much time for the guy though what with all the birds to take care of.

[@thenovicenovelist]

Your comment is now making me rethink the Hillbilly 12 Days of Christmas by Jeff Foxworthy 😆

[@kimvibk9242]

Here in Denmark we have a tradition akin to 'King of the Bean' - we put a whole almond in the rice pudding (ris a l'amande), and whoever finds it receives a gift. The gift is called 'mandelgave' after the Danish word for almond, and children of all ages around the dinner table are competing to eat as much rice pudding as possible to get the almond.

[@taistelusammakko5088]

This is common in all nordic countries

[@HerLadyship1800]

Every Winter my high school music department would put on a Madrigal Feast and it would include an actual (cooked) pig's head that would be carried out for The Boar's Head song.

[@doricdream498]

Sounds about right for a high school music department lol

[@Coentjemons]

Sounds like an awesome high school.

[@silverwolfe3636]

Hold up. Did we go to the same high school? Was the mascot the Falcons?

[@ericthompson3982]

That sounds like my kind of music department, not gonna lie.

[@iguanamaria]

Caput apri defero, reddens laudes domino!

[@mounamounayer4818]

There once was a man named Max Miller Who hosted a grand feast, not a bore He roasted a boar, set the table with flair Even served a medieval black sauce, quite rare And everyone hailed him as the real Christmas thriller🎉 another fab episode Max. Merry Xmas from Lebanon 🥳

[@jodimerusi3250]

I love the limerick!

[@mounamounayer4818]

@@jodimerusi3250 🙏

[@schwermetall666]

With Hey!

[@StonedtotheBones13]

Another fab episode from Max Miller?

[@uberyoutuber3892]

If you’re making this for a holiday dinner you may want to cook it to 195F to avoid leaning on the overcooked side. When huge cuts of meat like this rest the temperature can still increase another 5 degrees. May not seem like too much, but it’s the difference between perfectly cooked and overcooked. I’ve done many cookoffs with briskets and shoulders and 195 is always my mark. Resting is important, DO NOT skip this step…EVER!

[@terminallumbago6465]

I know someone who lets it rest for hours. It’s a running joke in our group because the time it needs to rest is never the same each time.

[@christaverduren690]

I do this with a large turkey. I cook it to 161 and let it rest and it always goes to 165, but never overdone! (I'll give Alton Brown full credit for that from about 20 years ago)

[@tjlovesrachel]

@@christaverduren690love good eats

[@christaverduren690]

@@tjlovesrachel yes!!!!!!!

[@taoailu1100]

Hi Max! The "King of the Bean" tradition lives on in a particular way in the Nordic countries too (and I'm sure elsewhere, in this form) by way of the Almond in the Porridge. An almond is placed into the family pot of rice porridge, traditionally eaten for breakfast or lunch on the 24th of December, and whomever finds the almond in their portion is given a little prize, traditionally a marzipan pig. It's quite fun! :D

[@Narnendil]

In my family you get to do the dishes instead, so not a prize you want haha. (From Uppland, Sweden.)

[@martamosquera4298]

The bean in Spain goes into a sweet bread with candied fruits resembling a crown (roscón de Reyes) which we eat for breakfast on Three Wise Men’s morning (6jan). In some regions there are two different “beans” so one finder would be king and the other washes the dishes 😊

[@denniss5512]

I just this last week got the book for my Mom. She is in her upper 80's and unfortunately doesn't do computers or youtube. She is a retired teacher and librarian and she raves about your book. I am hoping she tries out some of the recipes as she is an accomplished cook. I need to get my own copy now.

[@davidrumbol5618]

God bless her. My mother passed away just after Thanksgiving. She was 88 and her name was Ollie. It just reminded me of her.

[@JamieDNGN]

In Poland we have a tradition of 12 christmas eve dishes, which curiously includes fish: - Red barszcz with uszka (barszcz is the polish spelling of borscht, uszka [little ears] is a kind of very small pierogi); symbolises long life and beauty (the latter possibly connected to the old polish word kraśny/krasny which meant 'red, brightly coloured', and also 'pretty') - Fish in jelly (fish is the symbol of Jesus Christ and of return to life - carp is nowadays considered traditional, but that wasn't always the case) - Herring in oil or in sour cream (folk tradition says it's a symbol of fasting and renunciation) - Fried carp (it's considered traditional, but in reality it has become "the king of the eve's table" due to its availability and cheapness in post-war poverty. By the time we got better, people have already gotten used to carp on the christmas dinner table) - Christmas Eve Bigos (also called Xmas Eve Cabbage; cabbage symbolises vitality, health, and opulence. Fermented cabbage [like german sauerkraut] is considered to symbolise rebirth, and the peas and mushrooms added to it are meant to bring luck, abundance, and protection from disease) - Greek-style Fish (it's actually a very polish thing, although inspired by greek psari plaki. It's basically bits of fish in a vegetable sauce) - Kutia (Wheat, dried fruit, nuts, honey, and poppyseed mixed together; opulence, fertility, luck etc) - Noodles with poppy (poppy in folk tradition is considered magical, and that it allows for contact with the dead, as well as that it brings fertility. Poppy is very heavily associated with christmas here, and poppyseed swiss roll is the must-have dessert on the table) - Cabbage and Mushroom Pierogi (same symbolism as the bigos; I personally have never been a fan - I much more prefer the Ruthenian Pierogi (Pierogi Ruskie)) - Prune Kompot (Kompot is a drink/dessert of stewed fruit - never been much of a fan of it either, it always tasted watery to me and I really dislike watered down fruit flavours) - makiełki or makówki (mostly a silesian (along the polish-czechian border) thing, once again, poppy stuff) - mushroom soup On another note, in Poland we have two pretty unique, or at least limited to the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and former Czechoslovakia, traditions: sharing 'opłatek', and setting an additional plate on the table. Opłatek is essentially a very thin, very snappy bit of bread, usually with nativity scenes imprinted in them (usually sold by people from the local churches going door-to-door). Everyone has their own or at least their own bit of it, and we go around, each reveller breaks off a small bit of another's opłatek while wishing them things for the coming year (and often getting the answer "nawzajem", roughly meaning "right back atcha, ditto, and vice versa, you too"), and then they go to another until everyone has shared with each other. Tradition has it that animals who were given a bit of opłatek will talk when it's midnight (when everyone will be at the church for "Pasterka" [shepherds' mass, in reference to the shepherds being first to meet baby Jesus]) and the additional plate thing is for any sudden guests - be it a person in need, a family member who said they won't be able to come etc. Edit: @icedcat4021 has kindly informed me that Opłatek and the extra plate are not limited to Poland, Lithuania, and part of Ukraine! I have edited the part appropriately. I apologise for my ignorance regarding the boundary of these traditions.

[@1One2Three5Eight13]

Here in Canada I'm used to them being referred to as the 12 meatless dishes, hence why there'd be fish. There's also a selection, and different families will have different ones that they make. (I came down to the comments to make mention of the fact that that tradition persists to this day.) One of these years I'm going to make kutia. My favourite, however, is sauerkraut and peas. I make it year-round.

[@icedcat4021]

Of course it's a Pole taking sole ownership of Western Slavic traditions. "Oplatek" - we call them oplátky - are everywhere in Slovakia too. Pretty sure the "setting the table for an extra person" thing is in both Czechia and Slovakia.

[@beth12svist]

​@@icedcat4021 Thanks for confirming the extra plate for me. I was thinking "is it a Czech tradition, or is it just my family being weird and for some reason deciding to leave out a plate for Elijah even though we're not Jewish?" Turns out it's both, it's my family doing a teaditional Czech thing but for some weird reason specific for us adopting the Jewish term for it. 😂 (Apparently it's actually supposed to be a _cup_ for Elijah. And of course on Passover.)

[@JamieDNGN]

@@icedcat4021 Sorry that I made it sound like I think it's an exclusively Polish tradition! I wasn't aware Czechs and Slovaks also did this. I always heard it was a thing in former Poland-Lithuania, but never Czech or Slovak. I tried phrasing my mentioned in a way that wouldn't imply exclusivity, but clearly I failed ^^'. Once again, I'm sorry, and thank you for adding on to this!

[@DT-wp4hk]

Pivo. Dobre.

[@MamaBear3015]

Back when I was about 6 or 7 years old (early 80's) my parents took us to a holiday feast where a pig's head was the centerpiece. I remember my dad poking out one of the eyeballs with a fork, placing it on a tortilla and added a couple scoops of salsa, he rolled up that eyeball taco and took a big, squishy bite. It gave me the heebie-jeebies, but my dad looked like he was in taco heaven!

[@ramonpizarro]

Hmmm, I've been to a taco stall that did that with cow heads as well. The tongue was exquisite

[@torreykat]

​@@ramonpizarro lengua is life ❤

[@MamaBear3015]

Tacos de lengua are my favorite, but tacos de ojo, not so much..

[@ramonpizarro]

@@torreykat Muchos no saben que es un corte especial

[@ramonpizarro]

@@MamaBear3015 Jajaja estoy de acuerdo

[@ildzzux]

In Latvia, it is still traditional to cook a pig's head. A tradition that has sort of become more like a novelty, but is still around here and there

[@sparagnino]

Also in center/southern Italy

[@revinhatol]

And don't forget the Philippines!

[@terminatort-1006]

Sveiks!!!!! Great pig heads at Riga's Central Tirgus.

[@thomaswalsh4552]

“Basting your boar” sounds like a euphemism

[@ladysoapmaker]

I'm a member of the Society of Creative Anachronism and one of the 12th Night feasts I went to, the cook made a boars head as the main dish. She got a pig's head from a local grocery store. If I remember correctly she made fake tusks from marzipan. Occasionally they have them in the store but you can order them if need be. The kittens are adorable.

[@kieramaccourt8717]

Good meet fellow SCA family!

[@restezlameme]

What is this society and how do I join their awesome parties??

[@alliewhitlock621]

I'm an Art Historian and I specialize in Celtic Medieval Art and I have been shouting from the rooftops about the whole X-mas/Christmas thing for years. So thank you for covering that. Also I got to attend a madrigal feast when I was younger. My mother was part of the choir that sang the boar's head song. It was amazing and probably part of the reason why I love Christmas time so much.

[@thenovicenovelist]

I live in a rural, southern Appalachian area and I work with a guy who is a preacher. Every year before Christmas, he gets on the air and reminds people that the X in X-mas represents Christ, so it's not taking Christ out of Christmas. And, every year, I have to deal with at least one listener calling me and telling me that the guy--who literally has a Master's Degree in Theology and has been preaching for decades--is wrong 🙄. Also, it's interesting to see how rural Christians have changed when it comes to Christmas. For years, most were on the bandwagon of "X-Mas is taking Christ out of Christmas and Happy Holidays is offensive." Now you have the majority ofpeople in that camp, but there's a growing number of rural Christians who are now saying Christmas should be banned entirely because it's a Pagan/Satanic holiday. I'm Agnostic Pagan, so if things keep trending and they get rid of Christmas, I may have to high-tail it out of here before the witch burning starts 😂.

[@crow-jane]

@@thenovicenovelistWar on Christmas indeed. Somewhere in hell, John Calvin is dancing in unfettered glee.

[@georgearrivals]

@@thenovicenovelistProtestants are an embarrassment to all of humanity.

[@katienichols3825]

I knew I would find your comment, professor!! How delighted you must have been for the X-mas explanation! Merry Christmas! For anyone who would like some clarification- Tasting History was a favorite topic of discussion all through last semester's art history class. 😊

[@alliewhitlock621]

@@katienichols3825 😅 Would it surprise you that I was shouting "Yes! Thank you!" as he said it?

[@brendanhoffmann8402]

Here in Australia our traditional Christmas meat is often cold seafood! (Given that it is usually very hot around Xmas here) I've started buying a lobster each year to share with my family. I'm generally too poor to buy Xmas presents for most people so it's my gift. This year I got a 1.3kg lobster (spiny lobster). It's in my freezer now.

[@TraciPeteyforlife]

I wish you a wonderful feast.

[@hanzquejano7112]

So, what do people with seafood allergy eat for Christmas?

[@bigred9428]

@@hanzquejano7112, Cockentrice.

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

@@hanzquejano7112 Can't speak for everyone, but the shellfish-repelled in our family make do with cold ham or chicken, usually {after crying at the $60+* we paid for it at the damn checkout...} * Almost AU$62 was the price we saw two days ago for a ham

[@Acminy]

We do a baked ham, pulled beef and prawns for proteins. I'm in QLD

[@ZnakeTech]

"King of the bean" actually sounds very similar to something we still do in Denmark, traditionally dessert on Christmas Eve will be rice pudding, with lots of chopped almonds in it - but then there will also be one whole almond mixed in, and whoever gets that, wins a prize.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Smart. It also saved the winner a broken tooth from biting into a little Jesus action figure🤣

[@ZnakeTech]

@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 True - but the downside is sometimes somebody ends up just eating it without noticing. But the "prize" is usually something that's meant to be shared, at least in my family, so could be a some candy, a box of chcoclate, a board game to play later in the evening, or of there are no kids present maybe a bottle of something alcoholic, so we usually just end up sharing it anyway. But sometimes people get really competitive, and you end up having to do a raffle for it, or just have to say we will save it for next year.

[@juzzadood4419]

We also have that in Norway, but only a single almond in rice porridge. "Winner" gets a marzipan. That smug look on the face of the one who suddenly bites into an almond is unmistakable 🤣

[@Wesuwius]

Same at the northern Finland. Well have not seen that tradition in years, but used to be every christmas.

[@paulihyttinen1063]

@@Wesuwiusyup, was deffinately still a thing at least in northern finland in the late 90’s. I think familes with smaller kids still do it.

[@yasaminwhy8212]

As a native Herefordian, thank you for actually looking the name up and pronouncing it correctly! So proud when my backwards backwater gets a mention 😂 And big kudos to you for even trying to get a boar's head. If nothing else, you brightened some butcher's day up no end!

[@SamSnoekBrown]

So, I made this, but instead of pork roast, I used Quorn meatless roast (which can take just about ANY sauce)-and it was HEAVENLY. I've never had anything like it. The sweetness, the spices, the layers of flavor, the burst of those hot grapes . . . And in case anyone's wondering, a little of the black sauce drifting into your mashed potatoes is a good thing! And mopping up the remains with a dinner roll? YUM! I'm already fattening up like a medieval lord. LOVED this recipe, and it's going to be a regular Christmas go-to from now on.

[@organicgroove23]

Those orange tabbys have so much personality. That's gotta be super fun. Enjoy the Holidays everyone.

[@peabody1976]

"As we go medieval on Christmas".... I nearly spit out my hot chocolate. LOL This is a Christmas ham gone hog wild! And it looks so very good, Max!

[@LoboLady2007]

Now this is a HOOT 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂!!!!!

[@lynwood5991]

Hooty hoot!!

[@LPdedicated]

When my dad first celebrated Christmas with mom's family he smelled something good cooking in a huge pot. He lifted the lid and was greeted by a whole pig's head and two feet and (reportedly) yelled, dropped the lid then laughed. My aunt was making "sylte" (head cheese, pork jelly) from an old family recipe. We still eat it every year, and even if both my dad and mom are gone that story still makes me giggle.

[@auntiex5343]

I love head cheese, but I’ve never had the urge to make it myself. 😂

[@jeannerogers7085]

My Oma made head cheese, a favorite of my Dad's. My immigrant grandparents got a whole hog every year and butchered it themselves - made hams, bacon, etc. etc., did not waste a bit of it.

[@s.alpinus8395]

Make my own sylte now. Beats the hell out of anything store bought, and I get free range ecological pig heads too, so tastes even better then! 😊

[@bigred9428]

In NY, the supermarkets from time to time have a whole pig's head in the fall, and goat's or sheep's head in the spring.

[@desormais22]

Though not specific to this video, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your channel for its content but more than that, how respectful you (and Jose!!!) are when talking about different groups/ideologies that you may not agree with. It doesn’t go unnoticed, and really sets you apart! Y’all are gems!!!

[@stijn2472]

Milo and Ollie are SO CUTE! Thanks for sharing their presence with us!

[@AwkwardBirb]

Today’s episode not only gave me a great sauce recipe, I also now understand why “Boar’s Head” brand is named that way AND I got to see the ADORABLE new additions! Thank you ❤❤❤

[@ksenss2513]

In the frankonia region of Germany a special kind of gingerbread is used for sauces that are spiced like this one. Soßenlebkuchen😊. It's grated into whatever fluid you use - cream, wine, beer, and when soaked it is added to the sauce. It spices and thickens the sauce.

[@kilaliam671]

Hey there Max. I'm a big fan of the channel. I am also a professional cook. for your sauce you can actually toast your spices in the pan which helps give them a greater aroma as well as cook out the bitterness. Then add the flour and fat as per a regular roux, it will not interfere. Much love, and I thoroughly enjoy the pokemon

[@jakukuja7736]

Here in Czechia we have Carp with Potato salad as a Chrismas dinner. Nice to see from where this tradition comes for and even better to know the tables have turned on us

[@SethEdwards-m5n]

I speak on behalf of all food history connoisseurs when I say we DEMAND more Ollie and Milo content (No actual pressure, they're just so cute!)

[@Thatsmegigi]

Lucy Worsley did a wonderful special called The 12 days of Tudor Christmas. It features the boar’s head song!

[@lynnjones4609]

It's a different song to the one mentioned in this video though. You can hear that one on YT if you search the boar's head carol.

[@bigred9428]

I hated how she did not want to eat the good parts, and instead just about licked an ear and declared it horrible. I was shouting at the screen.

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

There was a Christmas special edition to the Tudor Farm series, with historian Ruth Goodman - the internet's favourite eccentric aunt... (there was also another series, Tales of the Green Valley, set in the 17th c- it had some fascinating Christmas tidbits, too- as well as some rather catchy Christmas-adjacent songs!) I'm pretty certain they're all still able to be watched on KZbin...

[@Horticarter41]

​@@OcarinaSapphr-I've watched all of those a good thousand times. They are crack for those with insomnia. I love them!

[@kathleenposton2334]

New furkids? You have a house full, son! A dear friend of mine said that he's found that four cats are kind of a metaphysical limit on the number of cats that any family can deal with and still keep your marble collection intact! More than four and they form a kind of closed society that tends to shut their humans out, except at feeding time, when, God help you, they reveal their true nature. Merry Christmas to you all!

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

Not true. I had 8,( and very briefly 11) 7 of them ex ferals, and at No point was I cut out, In fact on Winter's nights, having no heating, I would be in a sleeping bag with the lot of them piled on top of me. Where I went they followed. Depends on whether you actually Understand cats or not I guess. I see an awful lot of people who are Totally Clueless. I don't think Max and Jose are. So tell your 'dear friend 'I feel sorry for his felines. 'Furkids' says it all. They are Cats. They are not babies, dolls, ,things to be dressed up, declawed, imprisoned and all the other cruelties i see people bragging about inflicting on them online. I would ban most Americans from owning cats as they do not have any understanding of cats at all. If you want a 'furkid' buy a teddy bear. . Declawing is actually illegal in most civilised countries. Recognised as animal cruelty. I think Max and Jose know better and don't need your 'advice'

[@eliajoe22]

Unfortunately Jamie passed away :(

[@mayawynn3799]

@@eliajoe22 🫂

[@JenIsHungry]

​@@hogwashmcturnip8930 "imprisoned" cats are invasive species and they destroy the local ecosystem. I'm guessing you're European so I guess you wouldn't know what biodiversity is since it was all destroyed in Europe.

[@werelemur1138]

We have four, but they tolerate each other, at best.

[@ShadowofaMermaid]

Oh my goodness, Milo and Ollie are so precious! Please take good care of them!

[@BarbieMrqz]

King of Christmas sounds a lot like a tradition still relevant in Mexico, but it takes place during the first week of January, the 6th to be precise, and the celebration revolves around the three wise men who visited Jesus at birth, and in this tradition, whoever gets the baby Jesus from the bread wrath (Rosca de Reyes) must pay for the tamales to be eaten later in February, day of la Candelaria. Merry Christmas Max! Thanks for sharing another year of great recipes!

[@anitahebert1511]

A friend of ours served a boar's head for dinner once, it was HUGE and produced over a quart of fat drippings. It easily fed 8 people with lots of leftovers. Definitely a prime cur of meat.

[@ttt5020]

MILO AND OLLY ARE ADORABLE ❤❤ Merry Xmas!!

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

AAAA NEW KITTIES!❤❤❤

[@yeah5874]

I know a guy in the Liguria region of Italy who is an extremely prolific boar hunter, when the local government needs to cull some excess population during off season, he's the one they call. I'll admit I haven't watched the video yet but boar head was always his favourite, we once came over to his house and he had fished out the board skull out of this massive stew his wife was preparing and he sat there carving out meat and eating it off the knife. Cool guy

[@yeah5874]

@@stonecodfish2365 Im not sure why you think this is a lie, boar hunting is extremely common in italy, especially in recent years because of the massive spike in population due to no longer having any natural predators in most of the country as for the boar skull, obviously most of the meat had already been cut off, and he was carving out the bits and pieces that were still on the skull because they got softened up after several hours cooking, though i guess to be entirely fair, i only arrived after he had started picking on it, i dont know if the skull itself was in the stew or in an oven or what, but there was cooked meat stuck to parts of it. I also very vividly remember having to pick out little shards of bones that were in the ragu they made with that same boar lol

[@inisipisTV]

​@@stonecodfish2365- Wild Boar is quite big pest in certain areas. Wild Boars are basically domestic pig that got loose and went feral. A pig is very adaptive creature. The longer it stayed in the wild, they'll grow thick fur and long tusk, a danger to man and agriculture. Farmers would resort to shooting hundreds to thousands of them to keep the population down. Pig's meat by the head's cheek area and behind the ear is the delicious part of the pig. A lot gourmet restaurants would serve pigs cheek. Japanese ramen restaurants would use the pig head in making their soup broth with all that gelatinous fat.

[@essneyallen6777]

​@@stonecodfish2365 what a weird way to manifest one's cluelessness

[@FrankGlencairn]

Nice one. Sabina Welserin is from my home town Augsburg - we used to have a restaurant here named after her - they served all her medieval recopies.

[@faganj]

The Queen’s College in Oxford still carry in a boar’s head every year at their Boar’s Head Gaudy, with the choir singing the Boar’s Head Carol.

[@dijkstra4698]

its crazy how at least where i live, we still do the "king's cake", but in a different way. since im from an orthodox country, the tradition is on chritmas, there is a coin placed in bread or a pie or something similar, and the person who gets the coin in their portion is considered to be lucky the following year. its really cool how it traces back to medieval europe.

[@daphne8406]

Here in Norway we put an almond in the sweet rice pudding ☺️ If you find it in your dish, you get a small prize. Usually a pig shaped piece of marzipan 😝

[@Jim.Frantzisson]

13:42 also in Greece we have a similar tradition, we have a cake after midnight december 31st to celebrate the new year which is called βασιλόπιτα,and we put a coin in the mixture before it's baked and who ever gets the coin in his piece is considered to have good luck for the year

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

in Britain that is done with the Christmas pudding. In Spain they have the Roscon de Reyes, a special cake that is eaten at Epiphany. It had a bean, nowadays more likely a tiny figure of one of the kings. It comes with a cardboard crown too now. If you find the bean/king in your portion ,you are the monarch of the days festivities. Unfortunately you also have to provide the next year's cake! I have heard that some have the figure and the bean. If you get the figure, you get the crown, if you get the bean, you get the bill! Lol

[@HunterTN]

It's easy to take for granted today but imagine the cost and effort to get things like cinnamon, cloves, almonds, nutmeg, etc. in medieval times. People would save all year just to have these things during Christmas. For a lot of them smelling the food was as close as they would ever get.

[@MrChristianDT]

Not necessarily, because the feudal lords are supposed to give out the leftovers to the townsfolk & serfs.

[@padmanabhanvaidyanathan7182]

@@MrChristianDT In theory. Not sure how many followed it in practice.

[@mwater_moon2865]

@@MrChristianDT My grandfather's grandmother was an indentured servant to a family in Poland in in the 1800s and in that household only the man was allowed to eat meat on weekdays and the servants (her and her mom until she passed away) never. So when she'd finish frying up the bacon for his breakfast she would lick the bacon "to have the taste of it". If servants tasted those spices, it would have been in the course of cooking and tasting for fitness. The wealthy may give out left overs, but I guarantee they didn't have many leftovers of the good stuff. Leftovers would have mostly been excess bread, and the only way for the poor to get the taste of those spices would be if there were drips and dribbles on trenchers.

[@dinolil1474]

IIRC - those would have been available at markets. Clove, cinnamon, almonds and nutmeg came via trade-routes with Asia and Africa - so it's possible that they got them from local traders.

[@patrickbrown33]

The first Christmas tree was from St. Boniface cutting down Donar's oak. A heartwarming story for any Christian ♥

[@loriloristuff]

I grew up in a Scandinavian neighborhood, directly in an apartment above the business district's stores. During Advent, the local meat market displayed pig's heads for sale. Often, these heads were dressed in bow ties, necklaces, hats, earrings, etc.

[@slwrabbits]

I can't decide if that's adorable or mildly disturbing

[@lasagnapapa]

Max, I just had an infected tooth pulled and I am high off a perc rn. I was in so much pain for the last few weeks, I really didn't think I could take much more. I just wanna say that I love you, and that this video was everything I needed right now. Much love, -Nick

[@ramonpizarro]

Bro I feel your pain, I just had a root canal on a molar, still hurts These videos are torture, I'm on a soup and liquid diet Oh well, I needed to go on a diet anyway

[@lasagnapapa]

@@ramonpizarro They gave me a lot of meds and it still hurts so bad. If anyone told me a few years ago that tooth pain was the worst pain you could feel I wouldn't believe them, but now I'm preaching it. It is terrible. Keep fighting spartan! We got this!

[@chloeedmund4350]

I hope you feel better soon!

[@bsteven885]

​​@@lasagnapapa, YEOW!! 😢 I feel your pain! I had an abscess and tooth extraction last year -- my gums were really sore for some time afterward. I hope you feel much better very soon!

[@kathleenposton2334]

@@lasagnapapa I've had three C-sections, two out of three with a total loss of anesthesia. And I will sing it from the rooftops that dental pain is worse!

[@jenniferoutlaw1975]

Thank you, Max for giving the explanation on Xmas... I learned that years ago and am glad someone with a large platform is able to bring light to that! Additionally, "Happy Holidays" refers to the "holy days", so no need for people to get worked up about that either! 😊

[@revgurley]

Seminary grad here. We regularly used "X" to stand for Christ when taking notes, since we'd all learned Koine Greek. It is helpful to know some letters so you don't goof up and think X is a put-down. Chi.

[@hsmoscout]

9:17 it's interesting hearing you say fasting today usually means fulling abstaining from food because that is true but being raised catholic, we typically "fasted" on fridays which is even less restrictive than the fasting you mentioned since it just meant no meat, there were no restrictions on dairy

[@Hallows4]

My mother had a recipe for “island spiced pork tenderloin”, which uses many of these same flavors but with molasses.

[@Sianistic]

The King of The Bean, is still ongoing with a variant in Scandinavia, where you mix cold rice pudding (traditionally leftovers from the day before Christmas. Note here that the celebrated day in Scandinavia and some other germanic adjacent cultures, is the 24th with a big dinner spread) with whipped cream and chopped almonds, with a single whole almond, for whom the one finding it, wins a present

[@ad0nisma]

Here in Finland we used to have this almond tradition in school lunch every Christmas (in late 90s and early 00s) and indeed who found it in their warm rice porridge, got a present. I read somewhere that finding the almond also brings you all sorts of good luck, for instance if you're single it means you are soon to be wed, or if you are married, you'll soon be having offspring.

[@odinfromcentr2]

...What happens if the recipient accidentally eats it before noticing it? 👀

[@drewharrison6433]

Congratulations on the new kitties. They're adorable. ❤

[@nickd4310]

When I lived in England, butchers sold pigs' heads, but they would cut them in half before packaging them. It was fairly cheap.

[@pdljmpr61]

Your kittens are adorable. Merry Christmas!

[@TastingHistory]

Thank you! You too!

[@fugithegreat]

I just watched the Tudor Farm Christmas episode where they actually slaughtered a pig and made the stuffed boars head, plus loads of other Tudor era Christmas foods. If you´re subscribed to this channel, you´d enjoy that episode!

[@GratiaCountryman]

I watched that, too. Another great Tudor Christmas show is Lucy Worsley’s Tudor Christmas. Also, the same people who did the Tudor Monastery Farm also did a three part Victorian Farm Christmas.

[@beth8775]

The Tudor Farm, Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm, and Secrets of the Castle series are all fantastic start to finish. At least in my opinion. I think most of Max's viewers would enjoy them.

[@pthaloblue100]

I've enjoyed that episode several times! It's so interesting, thanks for mentioning it, I hope other viewers will check it out.

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

Tales of the Green Valley saw everyone's favourite eccentric aunt, Ruth Goodman & others working for a full 12 months at a 17th c-era farmstead, in the Welsh borders- there were interesting Christmas tradition tidbits there, too...

[@AnaxErik4ever]

The Boar’s Head carol is one of my favorites to sing when seeing Revels, my high school’s annual Christmas play that is put on by the senior class, complete with a procession, a sword dance, a galliard, and a Mummers Play! Shout out to the Emboar in the background, one of my favorite Fire Pokémon.

[@deborahrochefort9794]

I just want to extend my appreciation, not only for this and your other excellent redactions of historic recipes, and your entertaining history tales too of course! but also for bringing up the essential auditory component of a Medieval feast, the music. I dearly love Medieval music, and you making this reference and giving some links for others to enjoy makes me very happy, as I hope it will do for others too.

[@vanelops]

Definitely agree with this! 🎼 I also found this version of the Boar's Head Carol. The lyrics aren't as what's described in the video, but still interesting! 🐗 - kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5qTYmScaK-Iqbs - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmnTpWN5pLyGbrM

[@patavinity1262]

I like that you actually make an effort with foreign pronunciations, so many KZbinrs don't.

[@heathermason9311]

Merry Christmas everyone! Happy Holidays! I hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful holiday season filled with whatever you desire.

[@mattia_carciola]

Thanks buddy

[@lhfirex]

Poor St. Francis of Assisi. He wanted to be named something else, but people who recognized him kept asking "Are you St. Francis?" and he'd reply "Ah, si, si!"

[@rainydaylady6596]

😂🤣😂👍🖖💕

[@Genzafel]

Here in Mexico we eat a "Rosca de Reyes" which is a... kinda of a Cake that has Baby Jesus figurines in it, I clearly can see that the King Cake that you mention is related to it and that in Spain or New Spain got changed

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

They still have it in Spain! I am waiting for mine!

[@yellowfishtail6543]

Actually I wanted to add as a Spaniard that we both do the bean and the Jesus figurine! The name is slightly different, "Roscón de Reyes" and the tradition is that the person who got the bean paid for the whole thing! It heavily feels like it is derived from the King Cake.

[@robertojosedgzmoro]

@@yellowfishtail6543 In Mexico if you get the figurine you have to buy tamales for everybody in February the 2nd

[@repeat_defender]

MILO and OLLIE!!! Helloooooo tiny friends! Congratulations! (But also my soft condolences because I know you lost a cherished friend recently as well 🖤)

[@Kellen6795]

Aaaahh!!!!!! That ending scene made the whole video. We need more of them stat!!!!

[@kandabby]

Love the new kittens! Cersie seems to be accepting them. Not only do I love the cookbook, but I am giving it as gifts for Christmas. Wishing you, Jose, and the kitty kids a WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!

[@JennyCoe]

Congrats on bringing Milo and Ollie to the family! They're adorable. Just the thing to help brighten up the holidays.🥰

[@daemon2426]

One of my favourite parts of this time of year is seeing the difference holiday traditions. I have a variety of friends of different faiths, so some of them open gifts on the solstice, some on Christmas, and some just get winter gifts because they don't really have a dedicated winter holiday. And the food. When Hanukkah happens this time of year, it's magical. Latkes are unmatched in the fried potato game.

[@Marico-x5t]

Using the power of decision gives you the capacity to get past any excuse to change any and every part of your life in an instant.

[@producersfanclub7747]

Love your decor! So happy to still see the Pokemon in the background 😊 Brings me so much joy!

[@pathfindersavant3988]

You know, recently we started canning and making cranberry syrup. I might substitute that in for a "past meets present" fusion of the Christmas recipe

[@CaptainRiterraSmith]

So my Christmas ham has way more historical basis than I ever knew. Love that!

[@vitorpereira9515]

Merry Christmas to you and your family Max.

[@TastingHistory]

And to you!

[@jacquelyns9709]

Happy Holidays to everyone! Max, please include this recipe in your next cookbook. I have beeb encouraging everyone to read your current cookbook . Although I bought my own copy, I did check it out of my local library to bring up the stats.

[@kommissarkillemall2848]

Sooo.. i understand there will be a second cookbook then. As i really enjoy the one i have i can say i will look forward to it !

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Max has officially sent us to a state of Boar-dom. Interesting main dish, I say.

[@Sam-lm8gi]

The stuffed pig's head on a platter is such a classic, iconic food thing. Why is it so hard to find???

[@Scripner]

I think he was trying to get a wild boars head.

[@Sam-lm8gi]

@@Scripner Or a pig's head, right? I thought he said they would use a pig's head and make fake tusks, too...

[@bsteven885]

​@@Sam-lm8gi, though Max did mention that people would substitute a pig's head and add horns, he was actually looking for a boar's head. 🐗 Another commenter suggested that Federal regulations make it almost impossible to obtain a boar's head (especially since boar isn't native to the USA, and the "wild" pigs here may have diseases the USDA doesn't want spreading around).

[@whompbiscuits8930]

Many years ago my friends and I were at another friend's bash where they were roasting a hog over an open fire pit. As we drank, we dared a friend of ours to eat one of the pig's eyes. He wanted money, so we collected I think about $100 or close to it. He ate it.

[@inisipisTV]

Most city butcher shop usually recieved them already skinned, cleaned and cut across the body, that have stamps from health inspectors, without the head. If you want a boar's head you really have to go rural farms that still slaughter them.

[@Jennifersacredhag]

I LOVED this! Thank you so much, and thank you also for the beautiful beautiful Medieval Christmas music. This is what my family always listened to at Christmas, not the crap they play in shopping malls

[@Len-p5w]

Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.

[@Tiffany-m4b]

You know what would be so fun? A Tasting History Holiday Cookbook! A compilation of the holiday foods you've done, and not just Thanksgiving or Christmas but any holiday you've done episodes on. So tempted to change Christmas dinner plans and do this with a pork shoulder. A little too late to change this Christmas' plans but maybe next year.

[@wylizzler]

Merry catmas! Congratulations to the two sweet additions to your family! I hope Circe is adjusting well 💕🐈🐈🐈

[@jonimaricruz1692]

Not quite exactly the same, but around Xmas my mom and aunt would prepare tamales from a pig’s head. It was from the butcher’s and cleaned and everything, they weren’t that traditional. We kids used to have fun with it while it sat in the sink, making it smile, making it look sad, talking to it, until we were chased out. They took hours of prep but they were excellent tamales. Happy holidays!✌️

[@SarafinaSummers]

That made me laugh way harder than it should have! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@ToastontheEastCoast]

Love this! And love the 2 new kitties, there's something extra special about orange and white cats, but that might be my bias talking as my first ever kitten, Garfield, was orange and white and he was my absolute best friend during his 3 years of life.

[@Yenrx]

The 12 Days of Tudor Christmas is a great documentary that tells more of the full festivities during the Christmas season (as told by each day) and goes into more detail about what the feast for the boar’s head would have been like for King Henry VIII. My wife and I watch it every year to get ideas on what to do to celebrate the period between Christmas and Epiphany.

[@Humphrey-e3u]

Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got

[@SenLouie]

I do so hope in future Christmas episodes you go over the hundreds of local Christmas traditions throughout Europe and Africa and even Asia.. Basically anywhere Christian celebrates it, so its a boundless valley of topics. Merry Christmas Max.

[@ashkitt7719]

I hear Ethiopia was the first country to convert to Christianity. Am curious if there's any special Ethiopian dishes for Christmas. Especially ones from long ago.

[@kadaverf]

Well,I know what I am making this christmas for the family :) This with some lightly pickled vegetables, good sourdouch bread and a (not medieval) ovenroasted casserol of mashed potatoes. Served with applejuice for the children and vanilla mead for my lady and me. Thank you for the inspiration I needed. I wish you all the best and many merry christmasses. Max from Holland

[@jaehaspels9607]

Awww... You're new kittens are so cute. I am a Preacher's Kid. When I was a kid, our church did a live nativity scene every Christmas season. The thing that cracked me up was that we kind of did it Monty Python style where everybody took their turns doing every part so sometimes Mary would have a mustache.

[@jameshansen2654]

At my highschool I was in choir and we used to do a thing called the “madrigal dinner” around Christmas time where we would sing a bunch of songs that were “medieval” and the parents and patrons who attended would have a feast. One of the songs was the boars head carol. I can still remember the fake boars head that would be carried down red carpet laid in the church floor as we would sing. There would be a whole feast incorporated with a play and singing and it was amazing. I remember the harmonies and can sing it to this day. At the end we would sing silent night first in English then in German. The most blissful moment of highschool I can remember. As of recent there isn’t a feast anymore but just a choir concert instead but this video brought me back to “the good old days” when things were simple and I can’t thank you enough for bringing me back lol. (If anyone wants to know what it sounds like with a bunch of highschool kids KZbin “Johnston madrigal dinner” most are old videos not when I attended but still very good)

[@KlaraL-_-]

Your new kittens are just soooo beautiful and amazing! 😺🐱❤

[@einezcrespo2107]

Awww! Those kittens are cute! Happy holidays Max! All the best from The Philippines.

[@guyver441]

1:20 you have to hunt one, Max. With a spear! 😉

[@johnspetkitty81]

Awwwwww Milo and Ollie are SO FREAKING ADORABLE!!!

[@Caleb-e2e5h]

The truth which has made us free will in the end make us glad also.

[@Lionstar16]

When I hear the words boar's head, I remember Tony Robinson's Worst Christmas Jobs in History in which he supposed to cook a boar's head the medieval way but the guy he's cooking with produces a modern blowtorch to get all the thick hair off!

[@slwrabbits]

That's definitely one way to get rid of the hair, singe it all off.

[@maudline]

In Denmark, we often use a current jam in the sauce for pork and we even call it something alike “served as gamey” because the sauce was usually served with game! Happy xmas Max, José, and kittens!!!

[@AnniCarlsson]

Same in sweden