It’s hard to say goodbye to this kitchen. It’s truly changed my life. I hope everyone likes the new space and I look forward to the many episodes that will be filmed there.
Oh yeah, a fun little thing regarding the Greek gods: The reason they have a god for pretty much everything is because the gods were personifications of concepts and natural forces. As such, almost every concept/force had a god associated with them
Lol, my husband, who is an archaeologist, once tried to troll me by trying to convince me that pancakes were invented by the ancient Greeks, and the only way I realised that he was making it up as he went along, was that he loudly extolled that they were called 'PANKAKOS' - which made me and him laugh out loud and the jig was apparently up. HOW DO I TELL HIM THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY ALMOST RIGHT!!!?!?!
Next time you're in greece and order fries (patates tiganites), you just drop the bomb on it that before potatoes arrived that far east, they fried grain batter and called it tiganites?
Tell him he was wrong about the name… and root out a more ancient culture that made a pancake too? Here’s what a quick Google search yielded: “The snack, similar to what is known in China as “Jianbing,” traces its roots all the way back to the Shandong Province during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280 AD). Legend has it that Zhuge Liang, the chancellor of the state of Shu Han, was struggling to find an effective way to feed his soldiers who had lost their cooking supplies during battle. As a result, Liang had cooks concoct a mixture of water and wheat flour to be cook thinly and evenly across copper-made griddles (and sometimes even using the soldiers shields as a cooking surface). The result was a light, crispy crepe that helps sustain and boost the morale of the soldiers on the battlefield”… Not old enough. Darn it… And then I found… “Research suggests that our stone-age predecessors may have indulged in pancakes more than 30,000 years ago. Through the use of grinding tools, stone age chefs created flour out of grains, and likely combined them with water to create what we all know today as pancakes.” Go get him… in the kindest way possible. LOL.
I noticed that too. for those of us who have for years been trying to figure out the method of using the 3 seashells, this comes as a new avenue of research
On our last trip to Greece we were treated to wonderful Greek food including vegetarian. However, when it came to breakfast, each venue was advertising the Full English. My husband asked one of the waiters what the Greeks ate for breakfast, he looked sheepish and answered "coffee and cigarettes."
These are still made in Greece, at least in the Peloponnese region. It's called teganopsomo (frying-pan bread), and it's still sweetened with honey. :-)
We have them in southern Bulgaria (modern day Thrace) too. We call them “tiganichki” which pretty much means the same as in Greek and they’re eaten with honey and powdered sugar.
Thinking about it, it shouldn't be a surprise to find you here Blue... Just a bit odd that I haven't seen you before... Maybe it's just cuz I don't always venture down to the comments.
Being Greek, this made me so happy! American style pancakes have become very popular lately, but we still make these at home, and they're not too different from the ancient version. Or at least not in the North of Greece where I'm from, we make some things a bit "old school" up here... If anyone is interested to try the modern version of these: Make the same batter (1:2 ratio) with all purpose flour (white flour, not whole grain), and water. We usually add a little sugar, but the honey will do. A pinch of salt, but also add a little dry yeast. Only rest for about 20-25 minutes, and mix again afterwards, you don't want the yeast to make them too fluffy, you mostly need its taste. Add a lot more olive oil in your pan, enough to cover its bottom. When you add the batter the Tiganites should float a little. Add the batter a few tablespoons at a time, they should be quite small, 2 - 4 bites each. The edges should turn upwards in the oil, and they become like little "boats". Flip them when the bottom gets golden. The whole thing gets crispy, the edges extra crispy, and the middle soft and chewy. Serve with honey while they're still hot, and it's heavenly. As for anyone who tries to google "Tiganites" for a recipe, well good luck! The versions online are endless, every region in Greece makes them slightly different.
I did as this comment suggested, except mine are slightly more leavened because I leave the batter in the fridge overnight, and they are delicious. Crispy, sweet, soft and chewy on the inside - exactly like loukoumades, but flat. one of my favorite ways to make pancakes now.
It would be cool to see if someone could develop “tiganite dumplings” where the taste of the tiganites are preserved but you can fill them with meat or vegetables
@@TDJunkie226 shouldn't be too hard. As Grace mentioned above, "Loukoumades" are very similar in taste and it should be possible to add a filling, even though it might be a tad tricky, as the dough is relatively runny. Definitely worth trying though.
The aforementioned 3 stones remind me of the "3 seashells" mentioned in the movie 'Demolition Man'... which I thought was just a joke, turns out it has IRL origins.. learning all kinds of things from you Max : )
As a Greek I really like it that the ancient greek food is getting more recognition☺ another famous dish also is Loukoumades. Also in greek its pronounced " τηγανίτες"
Νομίζω ότι αναφέρεται στο οτι στα αρχαία ελληνικά, τα διαφορετικά φωνήεντα προσφέρονταν διαφορετικά. Πχ το [η] γνωρίζω ότι προφεροταν [ε] στην αθηναϊκή διάλεκτο, και ανάλογα με το τονισμό ή πνεύματα τα διάφορα φωνήεντα και δίφθογγοι προφεροταν διαφορετικά σε σχέση με την νέα ελληνική στην οποία όλα (ι,η,υ,οι,ει) προφέρονται *eeee*
@@microska2656 πωπω τι μου θύμησες από τα αρχαία! 🤣 αλλά έχεις δίκιο παλιά οι τόνοι ήταν διαφορετικοί οπότε ναι μπορεί έτσι να ταν. Πάντως μπράβο του που έκανε την έρευνα του και το πε σωστά
I simply love Τηγανήτες. My grandma makes them every time I visit. Sometimes she mixes in feta cheese to create a wonderful combination of sweet and salty. Highly recommend!
“Hot and shedding dew” is the weirdest way to describe something like pancakes that also makes it really tempting to make pancakes and douse them in honey 🍯
@@Eviltwin531 In places like Greece, there are days where the rising sun heats the land up so quickly that you can see the dew steaming away. I suspect that is the inspiration.
@@genericpersonx333 That sounds like it would be breathtaking to see, even if it makes my lily-white hates-the-heat skin itch at the idea of experiencing it.
I like how so many ancient cookbooks and other books kinda assume that everyone knows something that would have been common in their time completely unaware that their works would persist for so long, or maybe they were specifically and only writing for a target audience and didn't bother to clarify what they definitely would have known. It reminds me of an excerpt from a Polish dictionary from the 40's(?) from the definition of "horse" - "Horse: everyone knows what a horse is"
Not just ancient cookbooks. I have a cookbook published by a women’s club to which my grandmother belonged in the 1930s, and it’s obvious that the people using it were expected to know how to cook already. Some recipes would give a list of ingredients and add the instruction, “Cook until done.”
It's bad enough when they say a spoonful of this or that without saying what size spoon. But what are we supposed to make of "ten cents worth of ground meat" or "a can of tomatoes"
The trick for telling when pancakes are done is pretty simple. Just poke the center with your finger gently. If it stays poked in, it's not done. If it bounces back up, it's done. To tell when to flip is a bit more difficult, but not too hard. They're ready to flip when the surface of the goo looks like it has congealed a bit and appears almost dry. If it still looks wet and juicy, it's not done. If you do it like this and manage to burn it, then your heat is too hot. If you flip it and batter leaks out of the edges, you flipped too early. If you do it like this and it's not very (or at all) brown, your heat is too low. Source: I really am a chef. I've cooked probably like 100,000 pancakes in my career.
@@kiraaaxt Dunno, my own trick to tell me it was time to flip it over is when the bubbles were set rather than bursting and closing themselves. Knowing precisely when to take it off the pan and onto the stack still is a work of art and intuition.
These are still very popular in Bulgaria - especially on the seaside parts, which were originally ancient greek colonies. Even the name is more or less the same - tiganitzi ( the "slavo-phonic" pronounciation of the original name. ) They are normally eaten either with honey, yogurt or lightly salted.
WOW WHAT?! My bulgarian grandmother used to make me "tiganichki" that are EXACTLY like this! Different toppings though. But this is wild! I guess there's no need to change a winning team.
I was looking for that comment 😄 By this moment as a bulgarian I thought it was quite obvious since we make tiganichki on the tigan (frying pan) and it is kind of similar to pan-pancakes But now that I know that greeks started making them long before us, I wonder what's the origin of the greek word.
@@user-lf9yi1vk9x In modern greek, we use the word ‘τηγάνι’ (tigáni) which means frying pan. The word comes from the ancient greek word ‘τάγηνον’ (táginon) which again translates to… frying pan! ‘Τηγανίτες’ derives from its ancient form ‘ταγηνίτης’, which means “to be fried”.
The combo of olive oil and sweetness (esp honey) is probably the most underrated thing ever. Its so much more complex and flavourful than just using butter
That two-part Hot Topic joke has better writing than most “professional” television. Also crispy-edged pancakes sound divine, can’t wait to make these!
I can just see ancient Athenians arriving at the location marked "Hot Topic" and becoming quite annoyed when they discover it is not, in fact, a forum with a reputation for controversial debates.
It is really neat how pancakes seem to be a food, regardless of natural resources (e.g. corn v wheat v rice v potato v w/e), that all cultures created independent of each other.
There's plenty of universals if you define concepts broadly. Every culture has some version of bbq. soup. kings. nobility. porridge. dance. song. gods. law. marriage.
it's great to see ancient recipes are back! and as a Greek, i appreciate the video even more. it's amusing that breakfast in Greece hasn't changed as much over the millennia. my grandma used to make me teganites for breakfast every weekend and i know from her that at least up to my granfathers time (who happened to be from Ithaki, Odysseus homeland) , akratos was still used as a breakfast, and some people still eat it to this day, tho not for breakfast. As for the pronunciation, you are almost spot on. Only in greek the g in teganites has a softer sound , much more similar to the wa in water
This kinda reminds me of my pancakes. Everyone always likes light and fluffy pancakes, but I've always liked them small, thin and cooked in oil so they crisp like waffles.
Also, people like “fluffy” American pancakes because that’s how they’re meant to be. If they’re not, someone failed with measurement. Otherwise they’re not really American style pancakes.
My mom still fries tiganites and serve with honey or sugar. They are awesome. However, she fries them in a lot of oil and pour the dough in circular shapes (it comes out kinda like doughnuts) and the honey is poured raw after cooking. Lastly, every Greek word starting with Ch is spelled as Chaos and not as Charlie.
I think you are confusing tiganites with loukoumades. Tiganites are flat. Loukoumades are toroidal like donuts or little balls without a hole in the middle. (Two versions).
Beginning a verse, mid gasp, The history of this dish so vast, An impression that brought me tears, Keep doin' those voices, Max, I'll have table salt for years. Another teary farewell, To a space that feels like home, Goodbye dear little kitchen, That's been Max's throne. Back to the pancakes, What's happenin' with this poem? Working on verse for Tagenites, Double quick, Fry it oil, smoke it and spit. Gotta lay this down, Before my manager has a fit. Boss, I'll add another verse, While you gwan and serve. Hopping into the Ancient Greeks. Like your new oven won't quit. 🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞
@@TastingHistory yeah you really got us with that one, Max! I even knew you were moving and flipped out a bit when you said it. This is how much we love you!
@@TastingHistory I feel ya, man. I just took over my parents' old place and they left it a wreck. I have to keep reminding myself that I don't need to get everything done in a day.
There is also Placenta cake is a dish from ancient Greece consisting of many dough layers interspersed with a mixture of cheese,almonds and honey and flavored with bay leaves, baked and then covered in honey. The dessert is mentioned in classical texts such as the Greek poems of Archestratos and Antiphanes.It's the ancestor of the today famous Baklava.
That's odd! I wonder just how similar Latin and Ancient Greek really are. This is not the first time when I see this. I mean "placenta" is a Latin word. And in Romanian - a Romance language (meaning that it's either from Latin or some other way related to it - debate still continues) - there is a word: "plăcintă" for a 🥧 "pie". It's just that it usually looks different than what the English call a "pie". It is made in layers and it existed since forever. Similar environment, similar solutions.
We still have this delicious dessert in Greece 🇬🇷.It is amazing how we have preserve our food traditions.Souvlaki also is an ancient Greek food.It was called in ancient Greece.
Max: "In the lecture "The Classical Legacy" I learned about the ancient Greek gift to modern society..." Me: "Oh, he's talking about democracy" Max"...the mall." Me: "Uh yeah, that."
12:23 fun (personal) fact: I distinctly remember a lot of our friends and family struggle with making pancakes the american way when it became popular some years ago,because most people were familiar with teganites cooking style, i.e. more oil and hotter pan. ✌☺
Try the Russian way, it’s better. You just add buttermilk to the batter instead of milk, it makes the pancakes fluffier without adding baking powder. I don’t like American pancakes, they’re WAY too sweet and almost always underdone for my taste, but I can’t understand how you make pancakes without eggs…
@@marialiyubman buttermilk pancakes are definitely a thing in America, and the preferred version for anyone with good taste. But buttermilk isn't generally used for a lot of things, so I think most of the time people use just milk for the sake of convenience.
the Spanish have a similar recipe, still very popular today. Las Tortitas de anis. It is basically the same recipe, but instead of sesame seeds you add anis and cardamon seeds and sprinkle the cake with sugar. The result is really tasty and crispy and nice to dip into your coffee.
While a little well done, they look _very_ similar to the pancakes in the UK. For those curious, a UK pancake is basically a French Crepe, but slightly thicker. Thanks for the ep. Max; enjoyable as ever.
Crepes are just European pancakes. All off northern Europe going from France to Poland has pancakes and they're all basically crepes with slightly different toppings or cooking methods which are relevant to the region. I.E German Pffankuchen(literally PanCakes) or Polish Nalesniki. All of this is just an iteration on flatbread which is a unilateral food between cultures.
@@I_Am_Empyrean Don't call them Pfannkuchen! It's Eierkuchen (Eggcake)! ;D Sorry, this one of the most controversial things in Germany. The whole Eierkuchen/Pfannkuchen (the German pancake) and Pfannkuchen/Berliner (the doughnut thingy without a hole) debate is something every German has an opinion of. And more often than not they completely disagree on what the correct word is...
I think it's pretty universal around Europe. I'm from Eastern Europe (Hungary) and we pretty much do it the same way (although, for a nice twist, we usually use some sparkling water mixed with the regular water that changes the end texture slightly). And the end result looks more like this teganites than crépes. We usually eat it either as a roll, or folded, and we invented some pretty creative toppings for it that are kind of our own thing now. For example, walnut, cottage cheese and poppy seed fillings are things that I see only around here. My personal favorite is also kind of weird and not many people eats it that way: sour cream mixed with powdered sugar and cinnamon (yumm). And we don't put any sugar or honey in the batter, so it can be eaten either sweet or savory. There's one savory version that is qute popular even as a high-brow restaurant food, Hortobágyi, which is filled with some kind of meat and covered in paprika sauce and sour cream.
In Greece we make tiganites every year. Specifically after the olive harvest, using the fresh (And very strongly flavoured) oil. Nowadays we don't typically add honey to the batter, and we fry in a lot more oil - they are basically deep fried. Then afterwards we soak them in a honey based simple syrup. They end up very soft and full with fresh oil and honey goodness. We don't add sesami but other may do that still.
Never heard of the simple syrup, no one I know has ever done this. I serve mine just like Max did, with honey and sesame. I also like to crumble some feta on top, makes them a bit more complex in flavour. Also, not sure what's up with the olive harvest? I've never heard of that connection either. We just have them whenever we feel like it... even every day if one so desires :D
@@karlpoppins Its how most people in this specific region in Greece do it. May not be the same everywhere. It's a way to enjoy and celebrate the new oil (Which otherwise is too bitter to use for anything at that point).
Always loved this desire by people throughout the ages to claim something extraordinary about their variant of the most common foods in Human history. Flour with water fried with an edible fat on a hot flat surface; This is something most every society that has a form of flour, be it rice, wheat, rye, or what have you, has had. Yet, we all cherish our local variant of this most ubiquitous of dishes. Now I feel like making rye pancakes with butter...
sounds great. in the Ashkenazi Jewish tradition we also have potato pancakes, which is really a ubiquitous recipe in Eastern Europe. American Indians even the Chinese have a pancake. it’s one of the easiest foods you can make. in america they had many names and mostly way back in the wild west were made with cornmeal and water. they were called - hotcakes, flapjacks, hoecakes (made on a hoe at a camp-type fire), griddlecakes, Johnnycakes (journeycakes), buckwheat cakes. . . they were made with cornmeal, buckwheat flour, whole-wheat flour, and white flour, depending on where you lived and mostly what you could afford.
I made these for lunch tofay and they were great! They don't taste much of their own, but they let the honey and the sesame and the salt on top shine, a lot like a galette but crispier and easier to turn. They were also good cooled down (and not cripy anymore), so a GREAT camping food imho, since you don't need milk or eggs.
I'm from Ecuador and my grandma used to cook something that LOOKED just like this. But it was naturally salty and not sweet (except most people liked it with bananas I didn't) we call it "lampreadas"
My giagia (grandmother in Greek) used to make tiganites every now and then but i had no idea that ancient Athenians loved them to. It is also very interesting that they used to put honey over them just like we do!
Once again, Thank You Max!! I grew up eating these and we ALWAYS ate these with honey. My mother & grandmother used to make these with buckwheat and sesame seeds or cinnamon. Instead of just water they also used yogurt in the batter; BTW the "ch"= "K" in "chiton" ="kiton"; pancakes are still called "tiganités" & are best made small..
@@corgiw7281 I was going to make the same point. My strength is Ancient Greek, and in 'Hymation', too, each letter is pronounced, like "him-AH-tee-on". 'Chiton' is KAI-ton. That may be how it's pronounced in archaeology class, however.
@@corgiw7281 In Classical Greek υ was the IPA /y/ (front rounded vowel, like u but in the front of the mouth). But hymation I think should more correctly be himation, ἱμάτιον, there is no /y/ in that word. ι is just a short /i/, there is no /a/ sound in it. Ch is an aspirated /kʰ/, like English /k/ in the beginning of words. Thus chiton, χιτών, was /kʰitōn/ (the o is long).
In the Netherlands (France as well, as most of Europe if I'm not mistaken) these types of pancakes are still the norm. We simply refer to the more fluffy style of pancakes as American Pancakes which make appearances on some restaurant menus, but not that common overall. Small difference, nowadays we often include an egg in the batter. Great content as always, good luck with the move and keep it up!
My mother used to make them often when there were leftover ingredients from bread making. In Greece, we often heat up honey and then pour it over the teganites. Warm honey hits different.
Using whole wheat when your making pancakes, Max, would also probably prevent that kick you say they give you. Whole wheat is digested slower, so it doesnt skyrocket your blood sugar (which is that usual carboload crash). Its why I prefer whole wheat as well (aside from the more complex taste, like you said) when i make flapjacks.
Whole wheat is also great in modern pancakes (with milk and eggs in the batter) and in apple-pie. It adds a kind of sweetness but in a different way than sugar (Only swapping out half the flour for whole wheat flour also works)
In Greece and Messinia we are still doing them just like that. Also the first Tiganítεs what the correct pronunciation 😍...in the plural it's tiganitae = teganítε. In Sparta if we make them long we call them lalágia and usually there we make them more puffed and filled with cheese (called teganopsomo). They can be served as savory with feta and honey, feta olives tomato and oregano , or feta and pasto(a smoked olive oil, salt and orange cured meat)
These are basically олáдушки/олáдьи that we make in Russia today. This name is also Greek in origin, referring to them being fried in oil. It's amazing to think that thousands of years ago, some people had pretty much the same food as you do now. Keep up the good work!
@@MBmysterio yeah, Roman is right, blini are basically crêpes, a very thin pancake, whereas olad'i are thick pancakes. and syrniki are a thick pancakes too, the only difference is that they are made with russian quark.
I'm a Bulgarian and my dad used to make тиганички (tiganichki) for breakfast. They were a lot like these but much smaller , bite size. And I remember them being very greasy. I didn't realize we were having ancient Greek food for the weekends .
The way the edge cooks differently from the rest of the pancake is definitely from frying them in oil, at least to my eye! Several times I've done pancakes in olive oil after running out of butter and they came out pretty similar to these, doneness wise! I hope the new kitchen treats you well, Max, keep up the fantastic work!
With it recently having been Mother's day, I want to extend a huge thanks to you and your channel. My Grandmother is and has always been a lover of cooking, while my Daughter and I are history buffs. Whenever we go to visit, the conversation at some point will shift to talking about your channel and then all three of us will pull up your channel on her TV and because of your heart felt love for both history and cooking, and the great job you do of blending the two. It definitely gives a bridge that connects us in a way we might otherwise not. Thank you for that and thank you for all the hard work and dedication you put into you channel!
Old kitchen was among the most positive icons of my pandemic shut-in, but I'm looking forward to a new era of recipes and history! I hope you left no pokemon behind.
A part of why I love history is to get that image of how far civilization has developed, and how lucky I am to be able to live in this time period. You're a great story-teller Max, you bring those eras closer. Sending best wishes to your new home with Jose and the kitties~
Tiganides is a word still used in modern Greek, it simply means 'fried'. It is so wonderful as a Greek speaker to feel connected to the ancient Greeks.
As a child, my grandmother would prepare Swedish pancakes on Saturday. The far favored condiment was honey, lots and lots of honey. She would have liked these pancakes.
There are a lot of fake explanations for popular sayings out there, and the one about ancient Greek and Roman toilet sticks doesn't sound probable for an English saying from hundreds of years later. More likely it's because the bottom end of a walking stick would be the uncomfortable and dirty end, which you wouldn't want to hold it by, or possibly because a person holding a stick is on the better end of it than a person they're hitting with it.
I just made them, delicious! I'm surprised how fluffy they are without any rising agent. They'll work well with any sweet or savory topping. Thanks Max for the great recipe and the information about ancient pancakes!
I am a year late but here are some variations we use. Instead of incorporating honey in the batter replace it with crumbled Feta cheese. Drizzle some honey at the end , you can also serve them as is or with some full fat strained (aka Greek) yogurt on the side. Sesame seeds are still optional.
Aww. I am certainly going to miss this kitchen. You’ve changed my outlook on life with this channel, Max (and Jose!). So proud of you moving onward and upward! Looking forward to more content from the new spot.
Dude! When you said, “last episode,” I for real had a floaty feeling in my tummy! Y’all had me scared! I knew you were moving kitchens, but, I blanked for a sec and believed you. So much happened during your 1/2 second hesitation. Now I can watch the rest of the video… 💜
Why is it that every time I think to myself: "I'd like to know the history of..." and some days later Max posts the history of this food I was thinking about? Great minds think alike I guess🥰
There are the "sesame snaps" candy treat thing that started out as honey and sesame seeds pressed into a bar, so the honey and sesame on the pancakes makes sense!
Whole wheat pancakes are so fluffy. I think the extra fiber disrupts gluten formation, which in a bread like a pancake, where you don't want too much gluten formation, makes them softer. And the flavor is so much better, kind of nutty.
I love these "slices of life" history segments. Just yesterday I was randomly thinking about how people washed their teeth before modern times and here you are answering it. Also, I know this is a historic Tasting History kitchen but I'm glad you are upgrading it, you can tell it was a bit small for all the cooking you go through lol. Can't wait to see the new one!
The recipe still stands. We Greeks still eat tiganites and love them, although in our modern era we either use self rising flour or a little baking powder to make them spongier. And for garnish honey and sesame seeds are the most popular, but we can also use grape syrup or honey with cinnamon or icing sugar and cinnamon. And also, we can make it a savoury (or savoury sweet) breakfast by using feta cheese or honey with feta cheese :D
The things I could tell you about the Swedish "Rövspade" ("skitstickor" were for those who worked in the forest, same thing really)... Yes, like the stones it was used for you know what, but these went from father to son, and so on. They were made of wood and became smoother with use... I'm not always happy when I learn stuff, but here you go.
Growing up, my mom would always make pancakes with hot oil to give it a really crispy edge. It was so tasty because you had the soft fluffy middle and and a crispy edge to enjoy. I still enjoy my pancakes that way and I only prefer to have them that way. It’s really to see that Ancient Greece also preferred to have them that way too.
Max: *gives viewers collective heart attacks from fear* Also Max: *puts on fake Borat moustache* "... NOT." Figuratively speaking, of course. I also would like to know more Ancient Breakfast foods. Persia maybe?
FINALLY!!!! From the Ancient Greeks comes the explanation of what the "Three Seashells" from Demolition Man were ACTUALLY for! (And how they worked...)
Funny to think that in Portugal older people still eat what's called "Sopas de cavalo cansado" which means "Tired horse soup" for breakfast. That "soup" is wine in a bowl with bread. Almost no one eats it anymore, only the older generation (+80), but it was a common breakfast back in the day when people worked on the fields all day.
I'm still annoyed by the video titled 'I'm quitting', where he announced that he could no longer keep up with both Tasting History and his real job, so he was quitting! Quitting the real job to focus on Tasting History full-time, that is.
So are you telling me that there is historical precedence for the Three Seashells Method? Also im so excited to see the new kitchen, hope theres some old school hardware in there
Hi! I absolutely love your channel and you're such an important part of my week! Thank you for always being true to yourself and for making my life better. I'm so glad you're able to move and that you've followed your goals and passions in the face of adversity. You're truly an inspiration. ❤️
13:00 I remember my mom having a sesame seed candy when I was little, basically like a brittle, except chewy. It was wrapped in rice paper, so you just pop the whole thing, wrapper and all. I did a quick Google and found things called "sesame honey crunch." But the point is, I've never thought of sesame seeds as the exclusive province of being savory. So put 'em on pancakes? Sure!
No, and in Greece they are often used in things like pastelli (a type of nut brittle) and Makedonikos halvas (a type of sweet made from ground sesame paste - essentially, tahini).
Thanks for saying! And, yeah, they're part of the nuts and seeds base that now turns up in candy bars and is glorious, almonds, hazlenuts, sunflower seeds, sesame, all sorts of plant seeds covered in glaze and honey making a wonderful treat and sweet. You're so right! When he said 'sesame = savoury' I was quite weirded out!
definitely! halva in eastern europe is often made with sunflower seed, sesame and other nuts and has a taste reminiscent of those sesame honey crunch candies!
I'm from a Greek island, Samos, and we make the exact same recipe as Galen describes (the ancient guy). Not only that, but we also call them " Teganites"!! I would say they're similar to American fried dough, not pancakes, since the dough is left to rise, then cut and flattened into several small disks and then each dough-disk is fried in a finger-thick oil. We serve them with cheese, or with honey. Modern recipes enrich the dough with yogurt and egg, but they can be done by simple flour and water, like ancient Greeks did.
Yes it's because they're fried in oil. I used to make whole wheat pancakes a lot, as well as mixed grains and buckwheat. When I had children at home I did almost all cooking from scratch.
Historical food channels like Max's, Townsends and the excellent A Taste of the Ancient World are eating into my life. I didn't go out last night because I was binging on old recipes.
As a Greek I have to note some things. Sesame addition is from the islands. Also alot of people who still make τηγανητες, like to use milk instead of water. But perhaps the milk recipe may have something to do with the pontians since the few people I've seen making them this way are grandmas from village's, villages that usually sometimes have pontian history. But that's definatelly only for the milk ingredient inclusion rather than water. Wverything else, spot on By the way for those who don't know "τηγανητα" (Tee-yha-nee-tah) means fried dough literally and sometimes it's used as an adjective to say something is cooked by frying it to this very day "τηγανητό αυγό" = fried egg.
fun fact i used to be a plumber, we actually studied the greeks in my 1st year of school, as we still use some of their tools such as the plumb bob, only recently being basically fully replaced by lasers. The Greeks Plumbing is so beyond impressive having running water alone they were more advanced than almost 2000 years of civilization. The South Americans also had fascinating plumbing. im no longer a plumber, i moved onto fixing planes, but man i highly recommend that history. Its amazing how much we still have from the ancients.
I think the crispyness is due to this pancake not containing leavening. Most European pancakes, like the french crépes, or the one we made at home in Hungary are still basically made the same way as teganites, and the edge is usually really crispy. :)
It’s hard to say goodbye to this kitchen. It’s truly changed my life. I hope everyone likes the new space and I look forward to the many episodes that will be filmed there.
Well good luck with your move i know it’s not easy with everything going on now a days but hopefully everything goes well
oh geez, you scared me
Won't lie, I completely forgot about the kitchen move. Initially, I did a double-take LMAO.
Oh yeah, a fun little thing regarding the Greek gods: The reason they have a god for pretty much everything is because the gods were personifications of concepts and natural forces. As such, almost every concept/force had a god associated with them
The crispy edge cones from the frying in oil 👍
Enjoy learning Your new kitchen 🙏🌻
Lol, my husband, who is an archaeologist, once tried to troll me by trying to convince me that pancakes were invented by the ancient Greeks, and the only way I realised that he was making it up as he went along, was that he loudly extolled that they were called 'PANKAKOS' - which made me and him laugh out loud and the jig was apparently up. HOW DO I TELL HIM THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY ALMOST RIGHT!!!?!?!
Next time you're in greece and order fries (patates tiganites), you just drop the bomb on it that before potatoes arrived that far east, they fried grain batter and called it tiganites?
the funniest bit is that if they were called PANKAKOS it would mean ''all evil'' lol
Tell him he was wrong about the name… and root out a more ancient culture that made a pancake too?
Here’s what a quick Google search yielded: “The snack, similar to what is known in China as “Jianbing,” traces its roots all the way back to the Shandong Province during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280 AD). Legend has it that Zhuge Liang, the chancellor of the state of Shu Han, was struggling to find an effective way to feed his soldiers who had lost their cooking supplies during battle. As a result, Liang had cooks concoct a mixture of water and wheat flour to be cook thinly and evenly across copper-made griddles (and sometimes even using the soldiers shields as a cooking surface). The result was a light, crispy crepe that helps sustain and boost the morale of the soldiers on the battlefield”… Not old enough. Darn it…
And then I found…
“Research suggests that our stone-age predecessors may have indulged in pancakes more than 30,000 years ago. Through the use of grinding tools, stone age chefs created flour out of grains, and likely combined them with water to create what we all know today as pancakes.”
Go get him… in the kindest way possible. LOL.
You don’t 🤨
Send him this video
Wait a minute… did Max just explain how the three seashells in Demolition Man worked? Like those stones? That was a callback to ancient Greece?
yeah pretty much
I noticed that too. for those of us who have for years been trying to figure out the method of using the 3 seashells, this comes as a new avenue of research
What is with Demolition Man and making eerily accurate predictions?
@@StrangeCreed you'll be surprised how some things are getting close to reality lol
I was looking for this comment.
On our last trip to Greece we were treated to wonderful Greek food including vegetarian. However, when it came to breakfast, each venue was advertising the Full English. My husband asked one of the waiters what the Greeks ate for breakfast, he looked sheepish and answered "coffee and cigarettes."
😅😅😅
Spanakopita is a breakfast food
So basically like Italians? Here 90% of people just take a cup of espresso for breakfast.
@@det.bullock4461 I'm Hungarian and I used to do the same for a long time. Just espresso, nothing else for breakfast. 😁
Breakfast of champions
These are still made in Greece, at least in the Peloponnese region. It's called teganopsomo (frying-pan bread), and it's still sweetened with honey. :-)
Pontians make them too. Usually we eat them without honey as a savory dish for breakfast accompanied by cheese or other things.
Why change them if they've achieved perfection? 🙂
We have them in southern Bulgaria (modern day Thrace) too. We call them “tiganichki” which pretty much means the same as in Greek and they’re eaten with honey and powdered sugar.
It's still called "teganites", and you can find a lot of recipes on RUclips by writing τηγανίτες
Oh...😂😂my grandmother is also making them...and we are from Corfu...😂🤍🤍
Plato's students be like: "BABE WAKE UP NEW ALARM CLOCK JUST DROPPED"
-B
Hello Blue :)
WATER JUST DROPPED
👋
Thinking about it, it shouldn't be a surprise to find you here Blue... Just a bit odd that I haven't seen you before... Maybe it's just cuz I don't always venture down to the comments.
Pleasantly surprised
Being Greek, this made me so happy! American style pancakes have become very popular lately, but we still make these at home, and they're not too different from the ancient version. Or at least not in the North of Greece where I'm from, we make some things a bit "old school" up here...
If anyone is interested to try the modern version of these:
Make the same batter (1:2 ratio) with all purpose flour (white flour, not whole grain), and water.
We usually add a little sugar, but the honey will do. A pinch of salt, but also add a little dry yeast.
Only rest for about 20-25 minutes, and mix again afterwards, you don't want the yeast to make them too fluffy, you mostly need its taste.
Add a lot more olive oil in your pan, enough to cover its bottom. When you add the batter the Tiganites should float a little.
Add the batter a few tablespoons at a time, they should be quite small, 2 - 4 bites each.
The edges should turn upwards in the oil, and they become like little "boats". Flip them when the bottom gets golden.
The whole thing gets crispy, the edges extra crispy, and the middle soft and chewy.
Serve with honey while they're still hot, and it's heavenly.
As for anyone who tries to google "Tiganites" for a recipe, well good luck! The versions online are endless, every region in Greece makes them slightly different.
I did as this comment suggested, except mine are slightly more leavened because I leave the batter in the fridge overnight, and they are delicious. Crispy, sweet, soft and chewy on the inside - exactly like loukoumades, but flat. one of my favorite ways to make pancakes now.
Your ancestors were turkuts from Pontus. What "North Greece" where are you "from" and nonsense
What a charming comment. I am making this!
It would be cool to see if someone could develop “tiganite dumplings” where the taste of the tiganites are preserved but you can fill them with meat or vegetables
@@TDJunkie226 shouldn't be too hard. As Grace mentioned above, "Loukoumades" are very similar in taste and it should be possible to add a filling, even though it might be a tad tricky, as the dough is relatively runny. Definitely worth trying though.
The aforementioned 3 stones remind me of the "3 seashells" mentioned in the movie 'Demolition Man'... which I thought was just a joke, turns out it has IRL origins.. learning all kinds of things from you Max : )
Glad to see someone else thought of that!
Imagine traveling back to Ancient Greece and getting laughed at because you don't know how to use the three stones lol
Beat me to it
I wonder if this is the actual source, something similar or just a coincidence.
@@iamagi The producer never mentioned the ancient Greeks in the behind-the-scenes video, so I'm going to guess that it's probably a coincidence.
As a Greek I really like it that the ancient greek food is getting more recognition☺ another famous dish also is Loukoumades. Also in greek its pronounced " τηγανίτες"
Accent on the νί correct? That is "nee" in English, or te gan NEE tez
@@ownpetard8379 yes the tone is in νί, so the second you mentioned^^
Νομίζω ότι αναφέρεται στο οτι στα αρχαία ελληνικά, τα διαφορετικά φωνήεντα προσφέρονταν διαφορετικά. Πχ το [η] γνωρίζω ότι προφεροταν [ε] στην αθηναϊκή διάλεκτο, και ανάλογα με το τονισμό ή πνεύματα τα διάφορα φωνήεντα και δίφθογγοι προφεροταν διαφορετικά σε σχέση με την νέα ελληνική στην οποία όλα (ι,η,υ,οι,ει) προφέρονται *eeee*
@@microska2656 πωπω τι μου θύμησες από τα αρχαία! 🤣 αλλά έχεις δίκιο παλιά οι τόνοι ήταν διαφορετικοί οπότε ναι μπορεί έτσι να ταν. Πάντως μπράβο του που έκανε την έρευνα του και το πε σωστά
Lasagne and pizza are also Greek.
I simply love Τηγανήτες. My grandma makes them every time I visit. Sometimes she mixes in feta cheese to create a wonderful combination of sweet and salty. Highly recommend!
i made teganites today and added feta because i saw this comment--absolutely lovely! your grandma's a smart woman
@@bigredradish Thank you!! I'm really glad you enjoyed!!
“Hot and shedding dew” is the weirdest way to describe something like pancakes that also makes it really tempting to make pancakes and douse them in honey 🍯
I'm assuming that meant so hot they're still steaming and therefore will have drops of condensation on it, but they definitely say it more poetically.
Well, I guess I have to make pancakes now. Just to test it out.
I'm thinking I might have pancakes for dinner.
@@Eviltwin531 In places like Greece, there are days where the rising sun heats the land up so quickly that you can see the dew steaming away. I suspect that is the inspiration.
@@genericpersonx333 That sounds like it would be breathtaking to see, even if it makes my lily-white hates-the-heat skin itch at the idea of experiencing it.
I like how so many ancient cookbooks and other books kinda assume that everyone knows something that would have been common in their time completely unaware that their works would persist for so long, or maybe they were specifically and only writing for a target audience and didn't bother to clarify what they definitely would have known. It reminds me of an excerpt from a Polish dictionary from the 40's(?) from the definition of "horse" - "Horse: everyone knows what a horse is"
Similarly, an early english dictionary had something like "Oats: a grain which in England is given to horses, and in Scotland feeds the people"
@@metallsnubben To which a Scotsman replied "yes sir, and they are the finest horses and the finest men in the world".
The ran out of gas for their time machines. They didn't want to guess what we talked like either
Not just ancient cookbooks. I have a cookbook published by a women’s club to which my grandmother belonged in the 1930s, and it’s obvious that the people using it were expected to know how to cook already. Some recipes would give a list of ingredients and add the instruction, “Cook until done.”
It's bad enough when they say a spoonful of this or that without saying what size spoon. But what are we supposed to make of "ten cents worth of ground meat" or "a can of tomatoes"
I love that Galen implied the cooks of his day had just as much trouble telling when the cakes were done as I do.
The trick for telling when pancakes are done is pretty simple. Just poke the center with your finger gently. If it stays poked in, it's not done. If it bounces back up, it's done. To tell when to flip is a bit more difficult, but not too hard. They're ready to flip when the surface of the goo looks like it has congealed a bit and appears almost dry. If it still looks wet and juicy, it's not done. If you do it like this and manage to burn it, then your heat is too hot. If you flip it and batter leaks out of the edges, you flipped too early. If you do it like this and it's not very (or at all) brown, your heat is too low.
Source: I really am a chef. I've cooked probably like 100,000 pancakes in my career.
a simple tip, when the edges of the batter start to form small bubbles, its done or nearing done
@@kiraaaxt Dunno, my own trick to tell me it was time to flip it over is when the bubbles were set rather than bursting and closing themselves. Knowing precisely when to take it off the pan and onto the stack still is a work of art and intuition.
"And the first of such cakes, inevitably being of unsuitable shape and color, will be given to the household dog."
@@Belgand arf?
These are still very popular in Bulgaria - especially on the seaside parts, which were originally ancient greek colonies. Even the name is more or less the same - tiganitzi ( the "slavo-phonic" pronounciation of the original name. )
They are normally eaten either with honey, yogurt or lightly salted.
I'm a Greek and I didn't know it was an ancient Greek food! We love this stuff! Especially for breakfast.
WOW WHAT?! My bulgarian grandmother used to make me "tiganichki" that are EXACTLY like this! Different toppings though. But this is wild! I guess there's no need to change a winning team.
That’s cool considering Bulgaria’s history with the Byzantines (early greeks)
I was looking for that comment 😄
By this moment as a bulgarian I thought it was quite obvious since we make tiganichki on the tigan (frying pan) and it is kind of similar to pan-pancakes
But now that I know that greeks started making them long before us, I wonder what's the origin of the greek word.
@@user-lf9yi1vk9x In modern greek, we use the word ‘τηγάνι’ (tigáni) which means frying pan. The word comes from the ancient greek word ‘τάγηνον’ (táginon) which again translates to… frying pan! ‘Τηγανίτες’ derives from its ancient form ‘ταγηνίτης’, which means “to be fried”.
@@user-lf9yi1vk9x we make τηγανιτες to this day. ... You need to ask a linguist specialized in Greek to answer your question,lol!
I'll be hornswoggled if I'd ever thought that a Bulgarian everyday word would come from the Greek
Ok, now we need more Ancient Greek breakfast foods so we can have a diner
Mount Olympus Diner, the kind of roadside diners you see on Hellenic Highways.
@@chewxieyang4677 Just don't hang around the dude with the long beard or eat anything not on the menu.
Surely not roadkill?
Just off Route έξιέξι
@@franklyqueso χααααα...
Ok, while it's clearly not the *best* part, but I always look forward to what themed pokemon you've set out for each new episode.
Yeah. I cant tell either.
Kabuto
Shoulda been an Alolan Raichu for pancakes. Oh well.
... are we SURE it's not the best part? 🤔 Nah you're right, Max, then research, then Pokemon.
His Pokémon stash is like the underground part of digglett: we don’t know how it works and how big it is but it’s probably very impressive.
The combo of olive oil and sweetness (esp honey) is probably the most underrated thing ever. Its so much more complex and flavourful than just using butter
Olive oil is great, but OH! Butter is so scrumptious!! 😊
That two-part Hot Topic joke has better writing than most “professional” television. Also crispy-edged pancakes sound divine, can’t wait to make these!
Agreed, absolutely masterful.
I mean... Crepes have been around for a while. Not QUITE the same thing perhaps, but it's close.
I literally started shouting at my phone after he dropped the second part of that joke 🤣
I can just see ancient Athenians arriving at the location marked "Hot Topic" and becoming quite annoyed when they discover it is not, in fact, a forum with a reputation for controversial debates.
I go to Hot Topik for all the cool Nightmare Before Saturnalia stuff.
It is really neat how pancakes seem to be a food, regardless of natural resources (e.g. corn v wheat v rice v potato v w/e), that all cultures created independent of each other.
No matter where or when, there are two things you can always count on humans inventing: booze and fried bread
that and flatbreads. they seem almost as inevitable as "death and taxes"
We just defined a lot of different things as "pancakes"
There's plenty of universals if you define concepts broadly. Every culture has some version of bbq. soup. kings. nobility. porridge. dance. song. gods. law. marriage.
It's literally the quickest, cheapest, easiest thing to make. Flour, water, oil, on a flat surface over a fire.
it's great to see ancient recipes are back! and as a Greek, i appreciate the video even more. it's amusing that breakfast in Greece hasn't changed as much over the millennia. my grandma used to make me teganites for breakfast every weekend and i know from her that at least up to my granfathers time (who happened to be from Ithaki, Odysseus homeland) , akratos was still used as a breakfast, and some people still eat it to this day, tho not for breakfast. As for the pronunciation, you are almost spot on. Only in greek the g in teganites has a softer sound , much more similar to the wa in water
It's cool to see that something like teganites can stand the test of time.
Im from ithaki too, vathi. Giasou Silia
That's really cool! On the "soft g" in Tegenites, is it like classical latin turning Gs and Vs into Ws?
Dido Sotiriou wrote about κρασοψιχιά, btw.
Another slight adjustment to the pronunciation is that the accent is on the last syllable, not the first. τηγανητές not τήγανητες.
This kinda reminds me of my pancakes. Everyone always likes light and fluffy pancakes, but I've always liked them small, thin and cooked in oil so they crisp like waffles.
You like yours small and undersized, seems very on brand 🤔
Also, people like “fluffy” American pancakes because that’s how they’re meant to be. If they’re not, someone failed with measurement. Otherwise they’re not really American style pancakes.
@@Tsumami__ Why are you so pressed about pancakes?
@@Tsumami__
Well you make your pancakes how you like them and I'll make mine how I do, pancake Nazi.
Τηγανιτές means pancake
My mom still fries tiganites and serve with honey or sugar. They are awesome.
However, she fries them in a lot of oil and pour the dough in circular shapes (it comes out kinda like doughnuts) and the honey is poured raw after cooking.
Lastly, every Greek word starting with Ch is spelled as Chaos and not as Charlie.
I think you are confusing tiganites with loukoumades. Tiganites are flat. Loukoumades are toroidal like donuts or little balls without a hole in the middle. (Two versions).
@@hariszark7396 Please take the flat/round discussion to Flat Earth ppl, mostly because there's a lot of little balls over there.
Beginning a verse, mid gasp,
The history of this dish so vast,
An impression that brought me tears,
Keep doin' those voices, Max,
I'll have table salt for years.
Another teary farewell,
To a space that feels like home,
Goodbye dear little kitchen,
That's been Max's throne.
Back to the pancakes,
What's happenin' with this poem?
Working on verse for Tagenites,
Double quick,
Fry it oil, smoke it and spit.
Gotta lay this down,
Before my manager has a fit.
Boss, I'll add another verse,
While you gwan and serve.
Hopping into the Ancient Greeks.
Like your new oven won't quit.
🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞
One of your best 🥰
@@TastingHistory Thanks Boss! Congrats on the new home. Looking forward to all the new recipes and adventures ❤
Almost had a heart attack when you said final episode lol
SAME
Sorry 😞
@@TastingHistory yeah you really got us with that one, Max! I even knew you were moving and flipped out a bit when you said it. This is how much we love you!
@@TastingHistory "Sorry" LOL No you're not! 😛
I knew about it, and I still got a start...
Can’t wait to see the new set and the wonderful new creations created there. I hope you and Jose are settling nicely together within your new home.
It’s a process but we are getting there.
Me too. Max and his family deserves the best, because they bring us happiness week from week (and this is not his solo project)
@@TastingHistory I feel ya, man. I just took over my parents' old place and they left it a wreck. I have to keep reminding myself that I don't need to get everything done in a day.
There is also Placenta cake is a dish from ancient Greece consisting of many dough layers interspersed with a mixture of cheese,almonds and honey and flavored with bay leaves, baked and then covered in honey. The dessert is mentioned in classical texts such as the Greek poems of Archestratos and Antiphanes.It's the ancestor of the today famous Baklava.
It sounds delicious, but the name is really strange😂
@@maisuchan6209 Yes, πλακούντας-placenta mean flat , plate -type , like the embryonic and later fetal organ.🙂
@@Evagelopoulos862 good to knit thanks 👍😂
he did a similar roman dish from later on that was possibly inspired by the greek one.
That's odd! I wonder just how similar Latin and Ancient Greek really are. This is not the first time when I see this. I mean "placenta" is a Latin word. And in Romanian - a Romance language (meaning that it's either from Latin or some other way related to it - debate still continues) - there is a word: "plăcintă" for a 🥧 "pie". It's just that it usually looks different than what the English call a "pie". It is made in layers and it existed since forever. Similar environment, similar solutions.
We still have this delicious dessert in Greece 🇬🇷.It is amazing how we have preserve our food traditions.Souvlaki also is an ancient Greek food.It was called in ancient Greece.
FACTS !!! 👍
Max: "In the lecture "The Classical Legacy" I learned about the ancient Greek gift to modern society..."
Me: "Oh, he's talking about democracy"
Max"...the mall."
Me: "Uh yeah, that."
12:23 fun (personal) fact: I distinctly remember a lot of our friends and family struggle with making pancakes the american way when it became popular some years ago,because most people were familiar with teganites cooking style, i.e. more oil and hotter pan. ✌☺
Try the Russian way, it’s better.
You just add buttermilk to the batter instead of milk, it makes the pancakes fluffier without adding baking powder.
I don’t like American pancakes, they’re WAY too sweet and almost always underdone for my taste, but I can’t understand how you make pancakes without eggs…
@@marialiyubman buttermilk pancakes are definitely a thing in America, and the preferred version for anyone with good taste. But buttermilk isn't generally used for a lot of things, so I think most of the time people use just milk for the sake of convenience.
@@marialiyubman I actually do them the way you mention,did not know it was Russian!😅 Buttermilk/arian is the best ingredient for those!
@@marialiyubman but american pancakes are made with buttermilk
@@devanbrowne8706 if you don't have buttermilk then 3/4 cup of yogurt and 1/4 cup milk makes a good substitute.
Sandra bullock refused to explain the 3 sea shells.... but this guy did it while making pancakes! Well done sir!
Came here just for that reference.
The alarm clock thing was definitely something I haven’t heard about history.
Very well done.
I love learning new things.
Imagine Plato's reaction when someone invented a snooze button.
the Spanish have a similar recipe, still very popular today. Las Tortitas de anis. It is basically the same recipe, but instead of sesame seeds you add anis and cardamon seeds and sprinkle the cake with sugar. The result is really tasty and crispy and nice to dip into your coffee.
While a little well done, they look _very_ similar to the pancakes in the UK.
For those curious, a UK pancake is basically a French Crepe, but slightly thicker.
Thanks for the ep. Max; enjoyable as ever.
Crepes are just European pancakes. All off northern Europe going from France to Poland has pancakes and they're all basically crepes with slightly different toppings or cooking methods which are relevant to the region. I.E German Pffankuchen(literally PanCakes) or Polish Nalesniki. All of this is just an iteration on flatbread which is a unilateral food between cultures.
I was going to say, this looks very similar to the family scotch pancake recipe. Personally I far prefer scotch pancakes to crepes.
For what it's worth, it's a cake in a pan. There's not much else to do with it.
@@I_Am_Empyrean Don't call them Pfannkuchen! It's Eierkuchen (Eggcake)!
;D Sorry, this one of the most controversial things in Germany. The whole Eierkuchen/Pfannkuchen (the German pancake) and Pfannkuchen/Berliner (the doughnut thingy without a hole) debate is something every German has an opinion of. And more often than not they completely disagree on what the correct word is...
I think it's pretty universal around Europe. I'm from Eastern Europe (Hungary) and we pretty much do it the same way (although, for a nice twist, we usually use some sparkling water mixed with the regular water that changes the end texture slightly). And the end result looks more like this teganites than crépes.
We usually eat it either as a roll, or folded, and we invented some pretty creative toppings for it that are kind of our own thing now. For example, walnut, cottage cheese and poppy seed fillings are things that I see only around here. My personal favorite is also kind of weird and not many people eats it that way: sour cream mixed with powdered sugar and cinnamon (yumm). And we don't put any sugar or honey in the batter, so it can be eaten either sweet or savory. There's one savory version that is qute popular even as a high-brow restaurant food, Hortobágyi, which is filled with some kind of meat and covered in paprika sauce and sour cream.
In Greece we make tiganites every year. Specifically after the olive harvest, using the fresh (And very strongly flavoured) oil. Nowadays we don't typically add honey to the batter, and we fry in a lot more oil - they are basically deep fried. Then afterwards we soak them in a honey based simple syrup. They end up very soft and full with fresh oil and honey goodness. We don't add sesami but other may do that still.
Those sound amazing
That sounds amazing. I'd love to give it a try.
Never heard of the simple syrup, no one I know has ever done this. I serve mine just like Max did, with honey and sesame. I also like to crumble some feta on top, makes them a bit more complex in flavour.
Also, not sure what's up with the olive harvest? I've never heard of that connection either. We just have them whenever we feel like it... even every day if one so desires :D
@@karlpoppins Its how most people in this specific region in Greece do it. May not be the same everywhere. It's a way to enjoy and celebrate the new oil (Which otherwise is too bitter to use for anything at that point).
Is that a southern Greek thing? In Thessaloniki, we have them just with honey (and maybe walnuts), and we have them whenever.
Always loved this desire by people throughout the ages to claim something extraordinary about their variant of the most common foods in Human history. Flour with water fried with an edible fat on a hot flat surface; This is something most every society that has a form of flour, be it rice, wheat, rye, or what have you, has had. Yet, we all cherish our local variant of this most ubiquitous of dishes. Now I feel like making rye pancakes with butter...
sounds great. in the Ashkenazi Jewish tradition we also have potato pancakes, which is really a ubiquitous recipe in Eastern Europe. American Indians even the Chinese have a pancake. it’s one of the easiest foods you can make.
in america they had many names and mostly way back in the wild west were made with cornmeal and water. they were called - hotcakes, flapjacks, hoecakes (made on a hoe at a camp-type fire), griddlecakes, Johnnycakes (journeycakes), buckwheat cakes. . . they were made with cornmeal, buckwheat flour, whole-wheat flour, and white flour, depending on where you lived and mostly what you could afford.
@@feralbluee Now I want to make cornmeal pancakes fried in pork grease...
@@genericpersonx333 OMG - that be so delicious and so bad for you. but once in a while, who cares!!!! 🥞
Ancient Greece is my special interest and this is one of my favorite channels ever. I love all the fun facts
I made these for lunch tofay and they were great! They don't taste much of their own, but they let the honey and the sesame and the salt on top shine, a lot like a galette but crispier and easier to turn. They were also good cooled down (and not cripy anymore), so a GREAT camping food imho, since you don't need milk or eggs.
I'm from Ecuador and my grandma used to cook something that LOOKED just like this.
But it was naturally salty and not sweet (except most people liked it with bananas I didn't) we call it "lampreadas"
My giagia (grandmother in Greek) used to make tiganites every now and then but i had no idea that ancient Athenians loved them to. It is also very interesting that they used to put honey over them just like we do!
Teganites is one of my favourite things my grandma makes! I'm surprised the recipe has actually stayed quite the same after so many years.
@@frfras7 το e προφέρεται ι στα αγγλικά
@@microska2656 Not always, thats why "ee" exists
Once again, Thank You Max!! I grew up eating these and we ALWAYS ate these with honey. My mother & grandmother used to make these with buckwheat and sesame seeds or cinnamon. Instead of just water they also used yogurt in the batter; BTW the "ch"= "K" in "chiton" ="kiton"; pancakes are still called "tiganités" & are best made small..
Helene, I am so glad you pointed that out about 'chiton'! How is the 'i' pronounced, though?
@@corgiw7281 I was going to make the same point. My strength is Ancient Greek, and in 'Hymation', too, each letter is pronounced, like "him-AH-tee-on". 'Chiton' is KAI-ton. That may be how it's pronounced in archaeology class, however.
I am making these in my Latin class (I'm sure the Romans made them, too.).
@@corgiw7281 In Classical Greek υ was the IPA /y/ (front rounded vowel, like u but in the front of the mouth). But hymation I think should more correctly be himation, ἱμάτιον, there is no /y/ in that word.
ι is just a short /i/, there is no /a/ sound in it. Ch is an aspirated /kʰ/, like English /k/ in the beginning of words. Thus chiton, χιτών, was /kʰitōn/ (the o is long).
In the Netherlands (France as well, as most of Europe if I'm not mistaken) these types of pancakes are still the norm. We simply refer to the more fluffy style of pancakes as American Pancakes which make appearances on some restaurant menus, but not that common overall. Small difference, nowadays we often include an egg in the batter.
Great content as always, good luck with the move and keep it up!
My mother used to make them often when there were leftover ingredients from bread making. In Greece, we often heat up honey and then pour it over the teganites. Warm honey hits different.
tasting history videos are the best part of Tuesday!
Awww shucks 🥰
My Grandma used to make them for me. Really shows how the Ancient Greek spirit has lived on! Love from Greece!
Using whole wheat when your making pancakes, Max, would also probably prevent that kick you say they give you. Whole wheat is digested slower, so it doesnt skyrocket your blood sugar (which is that usual carboload crash). Its why I prefer whole wheat as well (aside from the more complex taste, like you said) when i make flapjacks.
I dislike the taste of wholewheat but. I can confirm, the benefits are worth it.
I mean the honey is going to wreck your blood sugar regardless, haha
Whole wheat is also great in modern pancakes (with milk and eggs in the batter) and in apple-pie.
It adds a kind of sweetness but in a different way than sugar
(Only swapping out half the flour for whole wheat flour also works)
In Greece and Messinia we are still doing them just like that. Also the first Tiganítεs what the correct pronunciation 😍...in the plural it's tiganitae = teganítε. In Sparta if we make them long we call them lalágia and usually there we make them more puffed and filled with cheese (called teganopsomo). They can be served as savory with feta and honey, feta olives tomato and oregano , or feta and pasto(a smoked olive oil, salt and orange cured meat)
These are basically олáдушки/олáдьи that we make in Russia today. This name is also Greek in origin, referring to them being fried in oil. It's amazing to think that thousands of years ago, some people had pretty much the same food as you do now. Keep up the good work!
Are you referring to Blinis? I only know about Syrnikis.
No, blinis are more like actual pancakes the world's used to, whereas olad'i is basically a carbon copy of the greek ones
@@MBmysterio blin(i) is crêpes, olad'i is more like what you see in the vid
@@MBmysterio yeah, Roman is right, blini are basically crêpes, a very thin pancake, whereas olad'i are thick pancakes. and syrniki are a thick pancakes too, the only difference is that they are made with russian quark.
That's from Orthodox heritage ☦️
Great to see the ancient recipes are back
I'm a Bulgarian and my dad used to make тиганички (tiganichki) for breakfast. They were a lot like these but much smaller , bite size. And I remember them being very greasy. I didn't realize we were having ancient Greek food for the weekends .
Most of the food you eat is Greek, bulgar 😂
The way the edge cooks differently from the rest of the pancake is definitely from frying them in oil, at least to my eye! Several times I've done pancakes in olive oil after running out of butter and they came out pretty similar to these, doneness wise! I hope the new kitchen treats you well, Max, keep up the fantastic work!
These with fresh berries sound divine honestly. And much simpler than modern pancake recipes!
With it recently having been Mother's day, I want to extend a huge thanks to you and your channel. My Grandmother is and has always been a lover of cooking, while my Daughter and I are history buffs. Whenever we go to visit, the conversation at some point will shift to talking about your channel and then all three of us will pull up your channel on her TV and because of your heart felt love for both history and cooking, and the great job you do of blending the two. It definitely gives a bridge that connects us in a way we might otherwise not. Thank you for that and thank you for all the hard work and dedication you put into you channel!
Old kitchen was among the most positive icons of my pandemic shut-in, but I'm looking forward to a new era of recipes and history! I hope you left no pokemon behind.
A part of why I love history is to get that image of how far civilization has developed, and how lucky I am to be able to live in this time period. You're a great story-teller Max, you bring those eras closer. Sending best wishes to your new home with Jose and the kitties~
Tiganides is a word still used in modern Greek, it simply means 'fried'. It is so wonderful as a Greek speaker to feel connected to the ancient Greeks.
As a child, my grandmother would prepare Swedish pancakes on Saturday. The far favored condiment was honey, lots and lots of honey. She would have liked these pancakes.
The stick and sponge is where we get the phrase, "getting the wrong end of the stick."
There are a lot of fake explanations for popular sayings out there, and the one about ancient Greek and Roman toilet sticks doesn't sound probable for an English saying from hundreds of years later. More likely it's because the bottom end of a walking stick would be the uncomfortable and dirty end, which you wouldn't want to hold it by, or possibly because a person holding a stick is on the better end of it than a person they're hitting with it.
Before Max, Tuesday was just the day between Monday and Wednesday. Now, it Maxday because I get a new video!🥰🥰🥰🥰
Love this
I just made them, delicious! I'm surprised how fluffy they are without any rising agent. They'll work well with any sweet or savory topping.
Thanks Max for the great recipe and the information about ancient pancakes!
I am a year late but here are some variations we use. Instead of incorporating honey in the batter replace it with crumbled Feta cheese. Drizzle some honey at the end , you can also serve them as is or with some full fat strained (aka Greek) yogurt on the side. Sesame seeds are still optional.
Aww. I am certainly going to miss this kitchen. You’ve changed my outlook on life with this channel, Max (and Jose!). So proud of you moving onward and upward! Looking forward to more content from the new spot.
Dude! When you said, “last episode,” I for real had a floaty feeling in my tummy! Y’all had me scared! I knew you were moving kitchens, but, I blanked for a sec and believed you. So much happened during your 1/2 second hesitation. Now I can watch the rest of the video… 💜
Kitchen was one of my favourite cast members of this show. Sad to see they are leaving. Wish them the best of luck in their future works.
Why is it that every time I think to myself: "I'd like to know the history of..." and some days later Max posts the history of this food I was thinking about?
Great minds think alike I guess🥰
He's reading your mind! O.O
My Grandmother from Rhodes Island made them for me as a child. Loved them always till this day. Easy and simple. The best way
There are the "sesame snaps" candy treat thing that started out as honey and sesame seeds pressed into a bar, so the honey and sesame on the pancakes makes sense!
Whole wheat pancakes are so fluffy. I think the extra fiber disrupts gluten formation, which in a bread like a pancake, where you don't want too much gluten formation, makes them softer. And the flavor is so much better, kind of nutty.
I love these "slices of life" history segments. Just yesterday I was randomly thinking about how people washed their teeth before modern times and here you are answering it.
Also, I know this is a historic Tasting History kitchen but I'm glad you are upgrading it, you can tell it was a bit small for all the cooking you go through lol. Can't wait to see the new one!
It was fun to learn the Greeks had the idea of the three shells, two millenia before Demolishion Man.
Grew up in Greece. My grandmother taught me how to make these :')
The recipe still stands. We Greeks still eat tiganites and love them, although in our modern era we either use self rising flour or a little baking powder to make them spongier. And for garnish honey and sesame seeds are the most popular, but we can also use grape syrup or honey with cinnamon or icing sugar and cinnamon. And also, we can make it a savoury (or savoury sweet) breakfast by using feta cheese or honey with feta cheese :D
That really was a flawless impression, Max! And, thank you for this episode. Can’t wait to make these pancakes! 🥞❤️
Thank you!
The things I could tell you about the Swedish "Rövspade" ("skitstickor" were for those who worked in the forest, same thing really)... Yes, like the stones it was used for you know what, but these went from father to son, and so on. They were made of wood and became smoother with use... I'm not always happy when I learn stuff, but here you go.
As someone who has frequently already put honey on pancakes I imagine these extra crispy ones with whole wheat flour are quite nice!
9:13 And at that moment my mind just blew up. Turns out, that joke about three seashells in "Demolition Man" is much older, than we thought.
Growing up, my mom would always make pancakes with hot oil to give it a really crispy edge. It was so tasty because you had the soft fluffy middle and and a crispy edge to enjoy. I still enjoy my pancakes that way and I only prefer to have them that way. It’s really to see that Ancient Greece also preferred to have them that way too.
Max: *gives viewers collective heart attacks from fear*
Also Max: *puts on fake Borat moustache* "... NOT."
Figuratively speaking, of course.
I also would like to know more Ancient Breakfast foods. Persia maybe?
So if we are transported to ancient Greece by mistake, atleast we can have pancakes for breakfast...That's a relief ^_^
Almost makes up for the fact that we'd need to use stones when doing our business.
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 LMAO
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 - We could "invent" toilet paper for our new Greek friends and make a fortune!
FINALLY!!!! From the Ancient Greeks comes the explanation of what the "Three Seashells" from Demolition Man were ACTUALLY for! (And how they worked...)
Funny to think that in Portugal older people still eat what's called "Sopas de cavalo cansado" which means "Tired horse soup" for breakfast. That "soup" is wine in a bowl with bread. Almost no one eats it anymore, only the older generation (+80), but it was a common breakfast back in the day when people worked on the fields all day.
When Max started to say, "This is the last episode of Tasting History...to be filmed in this kitchen," I almost had a panic attack! Well played, Max.
I'm still annoyed by the video titled 'I'm quitting', where he announced that he could no longer keep up with both Tasting History and his real job, so he was quitting! Quitting the real job to focus on Tasting History full-time, that is.
So are you telling me that there is historical precedence for the Three Seashells Method?
Also im so excited to see the new kitchen, hope theres some old school hardware in there
I came to the comments looking for this exact thing!
@@AllisonM1014 You are fined one credit for a violation of the Verbal Morality Statute
It all makes so much sense now
Hi! I absolutely love your channel and you're such an important part of my week! Thank you for always being true to yourself and for making my life better. I'm so glad you're able to move and that you've followed your goals and passions in the face of adversity. You're truly an inspiration. ❤️
This makes my day. Thank you 😊
13:00 I remember my mom having a sesame seed candy when I was little, basically like a brittle, except chewy. It was wrapped in rice paper, so you just pop the whole thing, wrapper and all. I did a quick Google and found things called "sesame honey crunch." But the point is, I've never thought of sesame seeds as the exclusive province of being savory. So put 'em on pancakes? Sure!
No, and in Greece they are often used in things like pastelli (a type of nut brittle) and Makedonikos halvas (a type of sweet made from ground sesame paste - essentially, tahini).
I think you're gonna love pasteli then. It's delicious and really easy to make at home :)
You should try pasteli its basically a bar made of sesame seeds and honey or peanuts and honey.
Thanks for saying! And, yeah, they're part of the nuts and seeds base that now turns up in candy bars and is glorious, almonds, hazlenuts, sunflower seeds, sesame, all sorts of plant seeds covered in glaze and honey making a wonderful treat and sweet. You're so right! When he said 'sesame = savoury' I was quite weirded out!
definitely! halva in eastern europe is often made with sunflower seed, sesame and other nuts and has a taste reminiscent of those sesame honey crunch candies!
This is the best channel ever! Combines my three favorite things - history, cooking and smart humor!
I'm from a Greek island, Samos, and we make the exact same recipe as Galen describes (the ancient guy). Not only that, but we also call them " Teganites"!! I would say they're similar to American fried dough, not pancakes, since the dough is left to rise, then cut and flattened into several small disks and then each dough-disk is fried in a finger-thick oil. We serve them with cheese, or with honey. Modern recipes enrich the dough with yogurt and egg, but they can be done by simple flour and water, like ancient Greeks did.
Yes it's because they're fried in oil. I used to make whole wheat pancakes a lot, as well as mixed grains and buckwheat. When I had children at home I did almost all cooking from scratch.
Historical food channels like Max's, Townsends and
the excellent A Taste of the Ancient World are eating into my life.
I didn't go out last night because I was binging on old recipes.
The crispy edges on pancakes are actually totally still a thing with Dutch pancakes! They sure are amazing.
I've developed a habit. I always eat cinnamon pop tarts while watching Tasting History. Not sure how this happened but I've learned to deal with it.
As a Greek I have to note some things. Sesame addition is from the islands. Also alot of people who still make τηγανητες, like to use milk instead of water. But perhaps the milk recipe may have something to do with the pontians since the few people I've seen making them this way are grandmas from village's, villages that usually sometimes have pontian history. But that's definatelly only for the milk ingredient inclusion rather than water.
Wverything else, spot on
By the way for those who don't know "τηγανητα" (Tee-yha-nee-tah) means fried dough literally and sometimes it's used as an adjective to say something is cooked by frying it to this very day "τηγανητό αυγό" = fried egg.
Max: (mentions ancient makeup)
Me: I give it 5 seconds for him to mention lead
….knew it.
I mean, how can you not?
A great recipe and an interesting possible origin to the 3 sea shells.
I love how eclectic your videos are, covering so many different periods of history.
I grew up in Pyrgos in Peloponnesus and these were a STAPLE growing up giagia made these for us often never knew these were so old 🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷
fun fact i used to be a plumber, we actually studied the greeks in my 1st year of school, as we still use some of their tools such as the plumb bob, only recently being basically fully replaced by lasers. The Greeks Plumbing is so beyond impressive having running water alone they were more advanced than almost 2000 years of civilization. The South Americans also had fascinating plumbing. im no longer a plumber, i moved onto fixing planes, but man i highly recommend that history. Its amazing how much we still have from the ancients.
I think the crispyness is due to this pancake not containing leavening. Most European pancakes, like the french crépes, or the one we made at home in Hungary are still basically made the same way as teganites, and the edge is usually really crispy. :)