Feeding a Medieval Outlaw 

Check out these other interesting Medieval recipes: Medieval Tournaments: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wxypUB5K0KE.html Peasant Food: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zKa5GRu4LwE.html Medieval Saint Diet: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jBRVvMm3xv0.html Medieval Monks: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zz0y1d6IIpY.html

"She was a fox..." The groan I let out was so long and loud it scared the cat. Well done sir, a dad-joke for the ages.

I’m going to sound cheesy but Max and Jose are Merry Men who steal all our hearts.

"Real Outlaws of Medieval England" sounds like an amazing reality TV show.

I laughed way too hard at "Maid Marion was a fox!" so thank you for that. Definitely needed it

One of my friends, a descendant of Cornish miners who came to California and worked in Nevada County, told me once that the thick rim of crust around a pasty was actually a handle. Miners frequently had no means of washing their hands for lunch, so food with a built-in handle was a good thing. The rim could be discarded if your hands were really dirty. He also remarked that the only proper "sauce" was mustard pickle.

I like how everyone's always smiling while some gruesome acts are going on in this medieval art. Even the guy getting a sword plunged into his head, and the dudes doing it. IT'S JUST A PRANK BRO

"Robin Hood was a fan of pretty things, I mean look at Maid Marian; she was a fox." 😀 Deadpan delivery too.

That Maid Marian thing about being a fox nearly made me spit out my beer. Hilarious

Merrily Gentleman Max rode on Hooray hooray He sought the food of an outlaw Hooray hooray He cut a fine figure in front of an stove Building out a story from those on the rove Riding into a tastible history Every Tuesday like today

I'm a medieval re-enactor and I have helped cook an entire haunch of venison that turned out well...but we absolutely threw period cooking out the window on that one. Coated in a mix of butter, herbs, wine, and barbecue sauce, wrapped in foil (yes, we wrapped a whole venison haunch in foil. it was indeed ridiculous, except that it worked), and grilled over a low flame, turning frequently until it came out tender and juicy. My group was working a small, local renaissance faire and we cooked that for ourselves after hours.

Seeing clips of Disney's Prince John always makes me smile. My husband does a wonderful impression of him. "Hiss!!! You're never around when I need you!"

The first time I had heard of pasties in relation to Robin Hood, was from a separate tale involving little John. He had snuck into a castles kitchen, and as he was ransacking the pantry and larder, the mountainous cook arrived and they had a melee. In the end, Little John won the brawl and sat upon the beaten cooks body as he helped himself to the roasts and pasties, but seeing how numerous the food was, and how delicious the food the cook had made, Little John got up, dusted the cook off, sat him down, poured him a mug of ale, and they both sat and ate the meal together, having met an equal in conquering strength and an equal in conquering an appetite.

I worked as part of the learning team at Nottingham Castle prior to its liquidation. One of the main people mentioned in the Robin Hood Experience at the castle for Robin Hoods inspiration is William of Cassingham (Kensham) who raised a gueriila force of archers in the forest during the first Barons war. Albeit in support of King John. During the cave tour of King Davids dungeon that we offered, in the Romylowe's cave part of the tour we also mention how Stephen Romylowe Constable of Nottingham Castle during the time of Edward III when the first Robin Hood tales were being spread could be the original Sheriff of Nottingham.

13:47 I like how poor Roger is smiling as a sword is driven into his skull. In fact, everyone looks like they're having a grand time!

I really want a collab between Max and the Townsends. Wholesome historical cooking youtube unite.

To be fair (speaking as an ex-archaeologist who grew up around it) the New Forest was a royal hunting ground in Saxon times, before William came along. However, he did extend it and introduced much more draconian laws concerning poaching. Brilliant as ever Max, thanks! I hope you always manage to find more interesting old recipes and never lose your passion for making them and presenting them, with their historical context, so well.

Well at this point my boss understands that I sometimes show up late because of your videos. Worth it.

Very nice video. In university, I wrote a thesis on historical poaching as a social crime, as the hunting laws were so restrictive for all except a small elite, that many poor people had to resort to poaching in order to feed their families. There were even some regions, where the nobles wanted to have an insane amount of deer to hunt for pleasure, so the woods were overflowing with animals and they would eat the wheat on the fields. But the peasants would go to jail or worse if they killed the deer, so all they could do was to guard their fields all night and make a lot of noise to keep the dear away. It’s quite a fascinating topic in my opinion.

Maid Marion is a fox, and her nurse is a chicken the size of a linebacker. Thank you so much 😍 That's my favorite reference ever

I live in Michigan and Pasties are very popular here particularly in our Upper Peninsula (also called the U.P). They came over from Cornwall in the 1840s with miners originally and became very popular because we had a large amount of copper miners and lumberjacks and work perfectly as a easy hand held food with the crust doing double duty as a handle because their hands were often filthy (many times covered in dangerous things like arsenic ) and could then be thrown away. They have become quite possible one of the most iconic foods of the Upper Peninsula (maybe second only to Mackinac Island fudge) if not the entire state.

Living in Nottinghamshire being only a few minutes drive from Sherwood Forest, it's great to learn something I eat everyday is so closely related to the history here!

Becomes more hilarious when you recall that the term "merry" means "drunk".

hi max, for the show have you ever looked into making nicuatole? it’s a prehispanic mexican dessert with both a contemporary recipe and some documented ancient ones. it’s a really unique bit of food history that would be a great fit for the channel 😊

In my senior undergrad year, I took a class with one of the foremost Robin Hood scholars in the US. We got to read a LOT of the original stories, plenty of scholarly essays, and even watched a few movies. She mostly covered the legend, so I really enjoyed hearing about the candidates for the original outlaw. Thanks for another rousing history lesson!

My friend lives a two minute drive away from the church in which Robin Hood got married, in Yorkshire. Now Robin Hood is renowned for being from Nottingham but that just goes to show how vast the Sherwood Forest once was, it stretched hundreds of miles over many counties. Sadly only remnants remain, like much of Britain's ancient forests and woodlands.

Lol at 6:36... "Look at Maid Marian! She was a fox!" Yes, she was... quite literally! (Disney's Robin Hood will always be my favorite telling of the tale!) Love your videos, Max! They always make me smile (and hungry!) Can't wait to get your cookbook! 🤤 🥰

I’m so thrilled you mentioned the new forest. I live just 40 minutes away from it and nowadays it’s one of England’s most treasured national parks. It really is a magical place steeped in the history of witchcraft and magic and there are also ancient tribal kings of Britain buried across it. The local produce is fantastic aswell. Preserves, creams, cakes, fudge, scones all utterly delicious. There are also quite a few pretty villages scattered across all displaying their own unique variety of new forest charm. 😊

I was always told the origin of the pasty was in Cornwall for tin miners. The wives would bake thick, inedible pastry filled with essentially a thick stew and the miners would eat just the insides because tin is poisonous and they would have it all over their hands. I guess that was part true, part old wives tale. Such a fascinating video!

A note on numbles: Offal is usually the first thing that a predator eats after it kills a prey species like deer. Lots of concentrated vitamens. Most modern hunters will leave the offal in the field for the wild scavangers because offal spoils so quickly. However, if you can get it back to camp without spoilage, offal makes a very tasty campfire meal. Looking forward to that humble pie recipie...

An Olde English woodsman would likely also know how to forage for things like three-cornered leeks, wild spring onions (scallions), wild garlic and vetch (free-range, wild-growing "weed" peas), nettle leaf, wood sorrel or sheep's sorrel, and wild carrots (Queen Anne's Lace). A little knowledge can go a long way~

When you start talking about deer, I completely forgot that not everybody hunted, and my brain short circuited when you mentioned the butcher. 😂

Max miller, I think you are excellent and I love you. This was your true calling. I remember when you said you weren’t sure if you should leave your job to do this. I hope you are happy with your decision. I really think this is your calling. You are truly entertaining, filled with information, an excellent storyteller, and just beautiful to look at. You are a beautiful soul sir. I hope life is kind to you.

Lol, I love you for not only including my favorite version of RH but also making the "Maid Marion was a fox" joke. This recipe actually sounds pretty good, I might have to try making it or something similar as lunches for work!

Max you have stolen my heart on this; my thesis in college was all on the history of Robin Hood, the legends, folklore and who the real life candidates for Robin may have been. Long story short Robin is most likely an amalgamation of many people plus the folklore and social anxieties of the given period he’s being written in.

One of the highlights of the week is when a new Tasting History video is released. This is one of those channels that is my favourite to recommend to people when they are looking for something to watch.

Pasties were really popular in the mineshafts of Butte, MT back in the day. The miners could get a filling meal without getting it dirty by holding it by the crimp. After finishing, they'd throw the crust into the darkness for the tommy knockers.

I’d really love to see you do a video on the food of the kingdom of Ethiopia; you’re super engaging and thorough while not being stuffy, I’m curious to see what dish you’d choose and what about the culture you’d highlight.

I wish I could remember which author it was, but there is a Medieval German Fencing Treatise that instructs how to be a Robber Knight without actually killing the peasants. Stuff like "Take a pinch of their neck and pull it, then put the point of your dagger through the useless bit of flesh. They will feel the pain and the spilling blood, and will surrender all to you." And yes, these are illustrated!

I’d love to see the larding technique for the venison leg someday! It sounds very interesting.

I really appreciate the little text emojis you take the time to include in the captions! Also, would dried ginger powder be more common than fresh ginger? Love your videos!

Terry Jones did a spectacular episode of his Medieval Lives series on the outlaw, it definitely deserves a watch. I would like to think Terry would love Max.

Robin Hood was my childhood hero. Many were the trees I felled with my trusty knife in the woods next to my home to make bows and arrows. Still have a couple scars on my fingers from back then. Ah the golden days of a GenX childhood when we roamed the woods unsupervised at age 7, wielding knives 😂

I am extremely glad that you and your show exist! Makes me feel a little less lonely as a history and food nerd. This video makes me miss pasties I used to eat when I lived in the UK. Thank you Max for producing this kind of content 😊

The larding technique is quite similar to our Filipino dish mechado, which uses a tough cut of beef like eye of round wrapped around a stick of pork fat back (the "mitsa", which means candlewick) to soften it up. Interesting how that idea endured the centuries and traveled all the way here.

My Dad's side of the family has lived in Nottingham since time of eld. I've been there, and to Sherwood Forest, and let me tell you, they absolutely love the Disney version of Robin Hood. Those posters, along with others, are all over the walls of the Tourist Center.

You, sir, have sparked my love for history again. I appreciate you for that. Watching your videos also makes cooking more fun and feel not as lonely. Keep up the awesome work!

I'd love to watch you do an episode on hasty pudding! It's described in "Little House in the Big Woods" along with descriptions of maple syrup harvesting and I'm curious what it's like.

the pasty is a revered food in northern michigan since it has a long history of mining

I love that the Pokemon in the background is always thematic for the episode 🤩 it also shows just how massive you and your husband's Pokemon collection is!

I love pastes!! It’s like Proto-hot pocket!

You know, it's so interesting. The historical part of this video was so engaging that I absolutely forgot you were making the meat pies!

love the subtle robinhood reference with the decidueye in the back

I can always count on you for Disney references! Also, I love how you have this community of friends and acquaintances building around you. Thanks for creating this channel!

I have eaten venison pies at Market Fairs in Nottingham. I'm not overly fond of game, but the one I ate was so full of just the most wonderful and thick gravy that I didn't mind it. Good stuff, Max 👍

No matter what is going on in the world, you make things better, even if it's only 20 minutes at a time. Thank you, sir! 😊

As a kid, I loved Robin Hood stories. Along with Zorro he was the hero of my childhood. I'm glad you've shown us a little bit of how Robin's life could look... if he was real, of course.

Regarding Robin Hood's historical inspiration-- It is possible the story's oldest roots comes from over two centuries before the King John's time. The name Robin is similar to the Welsh phrase Rhi Bran (King Raven--a mythological figure). This similarity could have allowed for an easy confusion between the two. There were many stories of Welsh rebels resisting the initial Norman invasion. They fought the early Normans to a standstill with their long-bows, before joining with the Normans as a client state and supplying the very long-bow-men used to hammer the French at Agincourt. This time-period and setting makes more sense. The wilds of Wales were still very much deep wilderness at the time of the Conqueror and his close progeny, and a focus on archery and rebellion is shared by the Welsh guerrillas and the Robin Hood's gang. Conversely, Sherwood was a nearly a manicured park by the time of John, and population density of the region was not likely large enough to shelter a rebellion as described in the tales. The exploits of the Welsh marauders could very easily have been conflated with the outlaws of later periods, and it even seems at the time of King John "Robin" was already a generic name given to outlaws and bandits. Interesting, to say the least. There is a historical fiction trilogy with this premise ( _King Raven_ by author Stephen Lawhead). It is from a Christian perspective, but that doesn't impact the quality of the story, but rather eccentuates the cultural accuracy. I would recommend it to anyone interested.

Ngl, a history filled hello fresh meal would be pretty cool

I was so surprised that the meat was not dry on the inside! I always learn something new from you, Max. Thank you! (again!)

I love that you included Mel Brookes’ “Men in Tights”!

The pasty staying warm is one of their advantages as portable food. Staked out on an ambush in cold rainy English weather, and having a warm pie tucked in your shirt would be deluxe.

13:55 I love the painting of the guy getting stabbed in the head with a smile on his face. He's like "yea it's actually not so bad. Feels pretty good actually"

I heard Pasties were made by wives for their husbands that worked in the lead mines. They had to eat without touching the food. The pastie was used so they could eat the better part and toss the “handle” (the part they touched )

"She was a fox" should not have made me laugh as hard as it did, but I love it!

Is anyone keeping track of how often the historic recipes Max uses finish with some version of "and serve (it) forth"? Julia Child was great, but she really missed a trick not ending every recipe like that. Also, that would be a really great supercut. "Max Miller Serves It Forth."

absolutely loved the cartoon reference lol. For deer numbles I would recommend to find either a hunter friend or go to a taxidermist and ask for them before the animal is prepared. They should be able to ask the hunter that brings the animal in for permission and shouldn't be a problem as most hunters just want the meat and the antlers.

I was under the impression that the pastry's primary purpose was to preserve the meal inside from spoilage, especially for travel. The pastry, itself, might not have even been eaten because it was so dry and hard.

"Look at Maid Marion! She was a fox!" Max Miller furry confirmed. Pasties look delicious. I should try to make some.

that Decidueye plush in the back :chef's kiss:. Also this recipe makes me think alot of people ate some kind of portable pie on the road.

Perfect timing for this, because I just finished re-watching all my Robin Hood movies. Errol Flynn, Disney, and Men in Tights. They’re not fatalists. They’re straight. Just… merry.

Listen, furry or not, Disney's Robin Hood is the best Robin Hood. Such a fun movie.

I love that you've got Robin *HOOT* behind you for this one (one of the best starter final evos) "Look at Maid Marian, she was a fox!" - HA! Nice.

Props for the medieval tea towel!

Came hoping for an Errol Flynn and Robin Hood: Men in Tights reference each, and I was not disappointed.

Not a fan of venison, but doing this with beef, chicken, and chourico. Thank you for the pasty dough recipe; I've been waiting for this!!!

"and that's also where we get the term 'pasta'," Max says casually, like he didn't just blow my freakin' mind 😂

Little fun fact: Most if not all of your meal kit delivery services, including Hello Fresh, have their recipes available freely on their website, although they may or may not have proprietary and/or vague ingredients or measurements (e.g. the One-Pan Santa Fe Pork Tacos asks for 'one unit' of 'Tex-Mex Paste').

I love all these videos that give us a little history lesson and recipes to try, great work.

Max is such a great presenter that I don't even mind the adverts. It all blends nicely together.

I look forward to one of these videos every week. It has been a joy to watch the channel grow and to become ever more familiar with both Max and Jose. As I have said before, the success of this channel is fully deserved. As a long-term watcher (I think there were about 22k subscribers when I joined) let me be one of the first to wish Max an early happy 40th Birthday which is coming up all too soon. He remains surely one of the handsomest dishes of the day.

I live about 30 minutes away from Sherwood, and I loved seeing the image of Major Oaks (The massive tree in the painting that looked like it was missing the main trunk) in this one. I actually learned how to use the traditional English longbow in Sherwood forest, right beside Major Oaks. As someone who was born and raised in the states, you can imagine just how giddy that made me.

You could say add the water into the dough "'Till it be enough". This looks so good!

As far as I know, there were four types of bandits: 1) *Noblemen.* These are noble sons without any hope of inheriting (second sons and so on). They band together and start robbing and pillaging to "get their share" or some other tripe. Generally above the law, nobody will be actively prosecuting them as long as they choose their targets carefully. 2) *Soldiers.* Injured, old, deserters and such who do not know any other way to live apart from violence. The most dangerous of bandits because they combine martial training and experience with cornered desperation. 3) *Villagers.* Generally start with poaching in noble's hunting grounds because of food shortages, but soon escalate to roadside robberies and such. 4) *Outlaws.* People who ran from prosecution. Vary from petty thieves to cold-blooded murderers.

To get rid of a lot of the gamey taste of the venison you can put a small amount of vinegar in the cooking water, works for moose and bear as well.

You can steal my food anytime Max! You're the best!

can i just say i always appreciate the pokémon you have in the background and how well or closely related to what the video topic is about absolute perfection 👌

A dish from Germany that I always think was quite interesting is „Sauerbraten“ or basically pickled pot roast. It is, as implied a pickled piece of meat cooked in vinegar and broth, red cabbage cooked in Vinegar and broth with some sort of potato cakes that are very sticky. The idea to pickle a full beef roast apparentlycame from the times of Julius Ceasaer who on a long journey through the German territory, pickled the meat for conservation.

Man I would've loved to have Max as my History teacher. He makes everything sound exciting.

I love your Middle Ages cooking videos. But you’ve also introduced me to some cultural foods I’ve grown to love. I recently went to a Moroccan restaurant based off your videos and loved it immensely. So yeah Max, I owe you for making me more worldly in a culinary sense. So thank you. Please keep up the good work, can’t wait to buy your cookbook!

I had to pause the video and go take a walk after that “Maid Marian was a Fox” pun lol

I finally created a RU-vid account, so excuse me for catching up a little. Fairly early in the plague, you did a video class/forum for an SCA group that I got to attend. I wanted to thank you so much for that. Listening to our Wolfmom is always worthwhile; having the both of you (plus more!) was riches, indeed! As for this video, I will have to see about getting some venison to try this one. If you'd like to try a slightly different one, check out Maggie Black's Lombard Chicken Pastys in The Medieval Cookbook. Though I do have a couple of changes I've made that I think make them tastier! The first one: cut your chicken and let it soak in the egg mixture overnight. The chicken is much juicer that way. And use more pepper and ginger than she calls for. You have an adventurous palate that has learned to appreciate medieval spicing. There are a few more, but this is your cooking channel, not mine.

I always have closed captioning on, even though Max articulates very well. I love the fact that when he takes his 1st bite cc shows CHOMP. Thanks Max. I did know that it was illegal to hunt in Royal forests but not the timeline. Very interesting.

Would love to see an episode on Cumin and how it got into so many different cultures food.

Thank you so much for using the Disney Robin Hood. I grew up on it, and I don't often see it referenced in popular culture. It doesn't get enough love.

I never get tired of the hard tack gif!! I may try the sweet potato/rye tea. Looks pretty, nice for Fall!

It's so cool how Max (or Jose?) always respond to comments in the first hour or so. Makes me wanna watch every Tuesday lol

I know he doesn’t usually dress up, but I was really hoping for Max in Tight Tights! 😂

The West Country would be proud of you! (From someone from the UK!) That looks like an amazing pasty. very nice. :D

Keep up the amazing videos Max! No one makes content like you, much respect and love