In Mexico, when you're preparing food and suddenly a portion of it falls to the ground, some old people say "también las ánimas quieren" (the souls also want their share), which is a good way to comfort you over the food that has just fallen, as it won't go to waste... and also a compliment, because your food is so good that even the dead want to taste it!
When I was young we went to the funeral of a centenarian, a family friend, and at graveside the family handed out ginger and molasses funeral cookies. They were strange, both sweet and bitter, to serve as a representation for the experience of living. It might be the last time this tradition was practiced in America, the elderly folks there said they hadn't seen it since they were children.
I did it for my grandmother, not even a decade ago. In my case it was more of a sin drinker, as I did make a special drink from irish whisky and caramellized milk where you simmer the milk down until the sugar in it turns caramellized. Because milk is the first food, and in that case, the last food to go, as death is also the way to something new, like a birth. Alcohol is also symbolic. It preserves, it leeches aromatics of its properties, it is the death of grain, fruits or whatever is fermented, but also new life because yeast, and then it is cleansed by fire and aged in barrels, made from wood..like something else. She was deserving, not many are. And I still miss her
God, that story of Munslow is so sad...the absolute strength it must take to lose your children, then go on to spend the rest of your life surrounded by death for what you believe is a noble cause...I'm so glad that his community took care of him in death, poor man.
This honestly sounds like an amazing premise for a fantasy show or anime. "Sin Eater", a dark fantasy set in the Victorian Era where the main character, a sin eater, helps the dead settle their regrets by absorbing their sins (and maybe using the power from those sins to fight demons or otherwise villainous figures? There seemed to be a lot of demon tales from Victorian England). The main character is the dark silent type since he's shunned but appreciated for being a sin eater. Almost like being a witcher. Anyways, great content, I always look forward to it!!
You should check out the Tabletop Roleplaying game Geist: The Sin-Eaters. There you play as a person who has died but an incredibly powerful ghost called a Geist stops you from fully padding on. The ghosts strikes a bargain with you. It will use its powers to resurrect you giving you another chance at life under the condition you share your body with it as it too wants another shot at life. If you say no the Geist moves on looking for a new death and you fully pass on. If you say yes however you are resurrected as a Sin-Eater. Biologically you are alive like before, you still need food, you still breathe and age like normal but spiritually you’re deader than a door knob. Because of this you can see ghosts where normal humans see nothing. Your Geist explains to you the horrors of the underworld being a hellish oppressive realm ruled by Death Gods and where ghosts are doomed to go to if they do not complete any unfinished business. As a Sin-Eater you take up a new duty helping the ghosts of the land and fighting back the forces of the underworld. Your Geist provides you with an assortment of ghostly powers called Haunts and a rituals you can use for in your quests. You’re not alone though, even with the help of your Geist Sin-Eaters naturally form groups of like minded individuals called Krewes. A Krewe can be composed of Sin-Eaters, regular humans, Ghosts and even other strange supernatural creatures such as Vampires, werewolves or Mages. You, your Geist and your Krewe are the closest things to heroes to the undead you can find.
Just look at FF14's Shadowbringers. The main enemies there were called Sin Eaters, monsters made from too much divine light basically. And they're all biblically accurate angels.
Sounds like a spin off of Black Butler(an anime about a young boy in Victorian England who made a deal with a demon that became his butler, if you or anyone hasn’t heard of it. It’s good and funny)
@@TastingHistory Big time. Ironic, since so much of the trend was based in Christian beliefs, and the Tanakh/Bible says to avoid that sort of thing. (I could go into detail, but let's just leave it at, 'that time was WILD'.)
This is so weird. I was dozing about 4am, when I suddenly thought, "They should hand out goody bags after funerals, (I'm always planning my funeral, though I don't intend on having one) and it should be good stuff, like nice edibles and little toys, not stupid stuff like the homemade soap I received at a bridal shower." So, thanks Max. I really loved the episode.
Only the Risen from the Dead Son of God, Jesus Christ's Holy Blood can wash sins away, but only after you admit you are a sinner, ask humbly that Jesus Christ forgive you of your sins with His Holy Blood that was shed for you and ask Him to come into your heart and soul and be your LORD and SAVIOR and GOD and MASTER. Jesus Christ will do as you ask and then give you Eternal Life, the Holy Spirit to indwell you to guide, teach, and protect you. But you must heed the Holy Spirit's words that come to your knowing and obey them immediately. The Only way to Eternal Life is through believing that Jesus Christ is who He says He is and has done all there is that needs to be done for you to enter Heaven. Anything you do, do out of your love for Jesus Christ and all that He has done for you and all that He promises to do for you in the future, whether you are still alive on this Earth, or are alive in Heaven with Him and all humans who have put their faith in Jesus Christ Alone. We are in the Last Days. Jesus Christ is coming soon in the air as the Holy Bible records to call everyone that has put their faith in His righteousness Alone up into the air to Him and then to Heaven forever, to be with Jesus Christ forever. Jesus Christ died in your place to pay off your sin debt. There is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood. Jesus Christ died so that if you believe in Him Alone, you can escape eternal damnation in Hell. Read I Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1-4. Christ Jesus died to take away the sins of those who believe only in Him and His Words just as the Holy Bible predicted thousands of years before His immaculate conception by the Holy Spirit and a virgin young woman.
while not the same things as post-funeral goodie-bags, repasts are good ways to thank folks for attending the services. some attendees even take flowers -- with permission, of course -- from the funeral arrangement(s). [sigh] and yes, my fam, i haven't forgotten i "owe" you repasts for my parents' services.
In one of my high school classes, a weeklong assignment was to plan our funeral, design our gravestone, plan what we’d take with us to the grave and afterlife, and write our obituaries. A classmate died that year, and at a total loss, his parents asked our teacher if he’d saved those plans (he had). So… my classmate got his ideal funeral. Everyone wore green, as black was not allowed (weird for a goth to not wear black) and it was literally standing room only. This guy had been majorly popular!
@@celestinemorningstar4851 unfortunately no, and I have no clue if it's been archived in the internet. He just dropped the coolest bomb and them continued on with the lecture
In the fothills of the Cadcades were I grew up. Sin Eating is very much still a part of the culture. Though not advertised. At small funerals often in strange old drafty grange halls. There are still those that consume the sins of the community. At my own father's funeral. 2 men shared a meal of bread and beer in hopes to lessen the load my father would bare in the afterlife. It's etched into my mind. I'll never forget. It's been over 30 years. But I see it in my mind like it was yesterday.
Interesting, which side/end of the Cascades were you on? And could it have been part of an ethnic heritage? It would be interesting to know where it originated. I grew up in 'Twin Peaks' in the fifties, and never heard of it.
@@chezmoi42 between the Cascades and the coastal range. There is dozens of tiny towns with populations of Welsh, Irish and Scandinavian decent. This particular town is called Mist.
Do you know any more about the history of this practice? I have wondered if it related to the part of the Christian Mass called the Agnus Dei ("Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World, have mercy on me.") and/or the story about the Scape Goat in Leviticus. Thanks!
I worked one summer break at a funeral home (reception only!). I remember one where I had to make sure that everyone who came received a small white box.. the family was very insistent that I gave one to everyone! When the service was over and the family was leaving, they thanked us and gave each of us (staff) a box. It had 3 small ginger cookies, a card with a bible verse on it and a dried flower.. mine was a dried pansy. I wondered why, but now I understand; the family was Welsh. Excellent video as always Max! Very interesting 😊
Here in the South the custom of bringing food to the bereaved is still very common. The rational is that the family doesn’t have the time or inclination to cook for themselves and also so they have something to offer all the guests who will come to offer condolences. If someone in your family dies you’d better go clean out your fridge and get ready for the flood of ham, casseroles, and cakes that are coming your way. Many churches will host a meal after the funeral for the family and any one who attended the funeral.
This is why you bring a casserole to the bereaved family. I baked a cake for my mother's funeral - she was known as a wonderful baker among her friends and family. (And I hate casseroles.)
Some friends and I did this, but with a twist, for one of our number whose mom had just passed. We got the family restaurant gift cards, so they could decide where, when, and what they ate.
In the early 70’s there was a Rod Sterling show called, Night Gallery. One episode, featuring, Richard Thomas, was called, The Sins of the Fathers. It was about the sun eating custom of the Welsh.
@@ShellyS2060 I actually heard of a funeral where this happened. An elderly lady was renowned for her tardiness, so it was arranged for her casket not to arrive until partway through the first hymn. Apparently the mourners were in stitches. 😂
My dear father was an amateur actor and loved Broadway. A great guy with a fun sense of humor. I had his service organist play "Let me entertain you" to begin, various show tunes the ended with "Give my regards to Broadway". The giggles began and my mother was mortified. He had a Masonic service as well. When I read about your "Pop goes the Weasel" I broke up because at gravesite..one front pallbearer dropped the coffin.And my first thought was he's gonna pop up !🤣
Skull cakepops and coffin gingerbread sounds like lit snacks for a goth themed party. And also, as a Victoriana fan, I'm always amused by their mourning traditions.
I really appreciate the tip about recutting cookies when they're still hot. Never occurred to me that you could save cookies that have spread like that!
We had a related tradition in Sweden around the turn of the 19th century. Instead of biscuits we had confections, little richly decorated funeral candies in fancy wrappers called begravningskonfekt.
I had no idea one of my favorite games (Final Fantasy 14 Shadowbringers) was based on actual history! It not only has the sin eaters, it also has bread that is corrupted by the sin that they feed to desperate poor people living outside the opulent town, which transfers sin into them. This video was incredible!
Sin eating seems like the food equivalent of buying indulgences, since you are paying for someone’s sins to be removed (eaten, in this case), but more last moment and with the money going to the poor instead of the wealthy. It’s too bad that the sin eaters were treated like monsters for just trying to avoid starvation.
It also seems like a substitute for the sacrament of confession, after it was discarded in the wake of Protestantism. And while the poor man was indeed being fed by his richer Protestant neighbors, remember they considered him to be taking on an eternal loss on their behalf. It's sort of like how coal miners lost limbs and got the black lung for maybe a schilling a day. Except much worse, at least culturally.
Man I’m surprised that this was never mentioned in the funeral history type courses I took back in mortuary college, and that I as a mortician of weird fact tastes didn’t know about funeral biscuits.
As a Utahn, I wonder if the local tradition of "funeral potatoes" (a kind of cheesy potato casserole often served alongside other foods after funerals) comes from the Avril custom. A lot of the Mormon settlers were originally from England so it's possible that they brought the idea with them. Interesting!
@@arlenedavis5770Utahn, only one a. Everyone has their own recipe for this too, each better than the next. The average Utah funereal feast is almost always: Ham, funeral potatoes, green salad, green beans, rolls, cakes, cookies, brownies. All served in a chapel's cultural hall, a large multipurpose room in Mormon meeting houses.
I learned about this topic as a “fun” fact for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers! In the game, “Sin eaters” are the names of angelic beasts corrupted by light with the sole purpose of excising sin of anyone who crosses their path. Meol is also featured, as a perfectly innocent food that the citizens of Eulmore are served, and that the impoverished surrounding Eulmore beg for :) Thank you for giving me a great video that I can show my friends coming to a horrifying realization!
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought of Final Fantasy 14 when I saw the title/I was hoping someone to find someone else mentioning it in the comments 😅Was interesting to learn about the original concept/what they were presumably named after! Even though it isn't quite the same concept (and it definitely feels like it's meant to be ironic/negative in their case), the FF14 ones apparently got their name from being 'seen as agents of divine punishment, sent to devour sin and sinner both' (thanks Urianger), so I guess there is still the general idea of having your sins eaten and therefore being 'forgiven'. (And given what meol is, I guess you could also say that the sins ended up in the bread in a way...)
Funeral biscuits might simply have similar origins as the Norse grave-ale, being something to serve to the gathered mourners. We also have “barsel”, which comes from “barns-øl” meaning “bairn-ale” and is a celebration of the birth of a child.
Richer your gingerbread The tastier your sin Don't adhere to the board With flour spread aplenty Outcast or hero eater of sin Our last great sin eater Lost so much for soul Respect of his resting place For taking so much in One cake and one flaggon of ale A succession of ceremony Connecting the future to the past The lasting crumbs of this funeral rite That stays herein with us
The "overactive Victorian imagination" artwork is on point. All the artwork is unusually enjoyable this week, and the subject matter excellent as always, plus delightfully ghoulish. Happy Halloween!
Hey Max, I'm from the area of the southern Appalachian mountains and I remember hearing about a sin eater tradition around here. I think an episode of "The Heartland Series" covers it. As far as if it was private or public, the only account of it that I heard about had the family put the body and the food in a room with an open window and close the door. The sin eater would crawl in through the window, eat the food, and then crawl back out. It's been a long time since I saw it, so watch the episode if you want to know more.
Those crispier ginger breads made me think that these could be prepared well in advance as "funeral hard tack". Always ready for when they are needed on life's journey and beyond....
@@airenmoonwolf2520 Now I'm surprised the Victorians didn't think of that. It would make for cruelty against the poor but with a classic distorted narrative of actually being kind.
I read a book called The Last Sin Eater (by Francine Rivers) in the 6th grade and was briefly obsessed with the idea of sin eaters. I haven’t thought about the concept in over a 15 years but it was a weird blast from the past to have it be so central to today’s video. Never knew it was a real historical practice, either!
"Pouring one out for the homies" is actually a deeply rooted tribal tradition. I mean we joke about it but it has its own long history too, not just something gangsters do 🙏🏻🙂 I love this episode. Can we get some more spiritual/religious food videos?
Can you share the history? I know when I was in Peru the Chechian (Indegenious) guide taught us to always pour one out for Pacha Mama, their Earth goddess.
In the Philippines, we have the tradition of pouring out the first shot every time a bottle of hard liquor is opened during a drinking session (particularly when it's done outdoors). It's meant to be an offering to any spirits in the area, to keep them happy and prevent misfortune. There's also the folk belief that it throws out any methanol that may have gathered at the top of the bottle.
When I was a LITTLE kid (like 5 or 6) I saw the episode of Night Gallery on re-runs that had Sin Eaters in it. It scared the heck out of me and made me cry, the thought of people eating sin terrified me. The body on the table round which they ate didn't phase me one iota but the actual sin eating hit me with the 'flight' response. THEN my father, realizing I was not playing around and was truly upset, explained to me what/who they were and how their sacrifice and willingness to do the job saved so many souls in the afterlife. I was able to finish the episode with renewed curiosity and wonder at the people who gave so much to strangers. They didn't frighten me anymore...but all these decades later I remember that episode like I saw it yesterday.
I remember seeing that episode, it really was horrific at the end. ***SPOILER*** The local sin eater was dead, and there was no one to "eat" on his behalf except his own son who had never done it. Because the elder sineater had absorbed so many sins gradually over his lifetime his body could handle it. When his inexperienced son absorbed a lifetime of sins from his dead father, it overwhelmed his body. I'll leave the denouement to your imagination, until you can view the actual episode. You have been warned.😵😈😫
For later autum episode: ACORNS! I'm not a huge, huge fan of the flavor, but I experienced peak fascination when a former roommate from the Mohawk Nation once processed and cooked acorns straight from the back woods. I'd really love to see aTasting History story on acorns. Maybe Thanksgiving or next Indigenous Peoples Day :)
we learned about sin eaters in west virginia history. there were, for a while, still people doing this in isolated communities in the appalachian mountains. idk if this gets mentioned later in the video lol im just too excited to mention it
I had never heard of the Sin Eater before in my life, and now it's come up twice in one week. The Sin Eater was JUST mentioned on one of my favorite shows, Shetland. Wild.
If you cut and bake the entire slab of gingerbread, or with at least 1in around the cut, it usually doesn't spread as much. I use this when I'm making gingerbread for houses. I cut out the window/doors but bake it as one piece. Then it's just a matter of doing some slight re-cutting and you have decent edges.
When I was a history student, I researched everything I could find about sin eaters!!! The concept would make a truly righteous and gnarly middle ages supernatural thriller ☠️
Heath Ledger starred in a movie about sin eating, called The Order. It was set in modern Italy though. I’d love to see a period horror piece on the subject done by the people who made The Witch.
@@azureus3644 Nice idea. Someone who literally absorbed the sins turning into a monster. Perhaps attacking the innocent in some attempt to absorb virtue escaping their curse.
@@patrickmccurry1563 Ooo, maybe like a riff on the Portrait of Dorian Gray, where the person grows more and more monstrous in appearance, except for when they look in a mirror or something ...
My country has a lot of weird traditions for the dead. If food falls on the ground you need to give food to your neighbours because the dead are hungry and they need to say "bogdaproste" so the food reaches the dead. Also after 40 days since someone died you need to make a feast for the family and/or neighbours. We also have a tradition kinda like the day of the dead but its called saturday of the dead and its twice a year(once in summer and once in winter) where you need to make a feast for your dead relatives where you invite your live relatives and/or neighbours and you MUST make a dish called "coliva" which is a sweet firm porridge made out of the inside of the wheat grains and its decorated with candy and wallnuts. It would be amazing if you would make coliva on your channel, its maybe the oldest dessert in my country(Romania)
I remember when I was young reading a chilling tale about the village sin-eater, which asked the question "if the sin-eater takes on the sins of the village, who will eat the sins of the sin-eater?". I still think it's a disturbing idea. But those funeral cakes look and sound delicious. Fascinating episode again, Max! And Happy Halloween to everyone!
Gotta love that "Remember to Die" reminder on the Victorian funeral invite. Goodness, I would have forgotten! And then where would I be, immortal and nothing to wear!
In 2003 Heath Leger starred in a movie called The Order. It was about a priest who investigates the suspicious death of an excommunicated priest & discovers a Sun Eater headquartered in Rome. A very interesting movie
Surely, it'd be possible to invite someone to dinner and have them sign a contract that says, in small print, "by eating this meal you agree to take on all of the outstanding debts owed by the host."
We should never forget one purpose of funeral food, which was important in the age before public transport or cars were common: People often had to walk quite a distance to attend an funeral. That is the reason why in my home region ( Upper Frankonia = North of Bavaria) it is still today common to serve some dry cake at a funeral and never a cake with cream. It has to be transportable so you can take it with you on your way home. Either as a meal for yourself on your walk back or as a "souvenir" to those at home, who could not attend. As a savoury dish you usually get rolls cut in half with either sausage, bacon or cheese on it. Also easily transportable. So a typical cake offered at a funeral would be a sweet yeast dough baked with crumbles on a baking sheet. It isn't much work to produce if you have to bake it yourself while organising a funeral and it is easily obtained from a baker with one days notice in advance. And you cn wrap it in paper and take it with you.
In some parts of Sweden there is a similar tradition still performed at weddings. After the wedding ceremony everyone in town is invited to wiev the newly wedded who hand out salty biscuits which represents previous "transgressions" and must all be consumed or its bad luck for the marriage and sweat home-brew mead representing future joys to be shared or something like that.
After my grandmas funeral I had a big meal at the pub we held the wake at, got tipsy, and went home to have a nap. It was weird because I lost my appetite and barely ate for months except that day. It definitely helped.
Back in the late 60's an episode the spooky Rod Serling TV series "Night Gallery" did a story about sin eaters with Richard Thomas (John-Boy from the Waltons). That was the 1st time I ever heard of the practice of sin eating.
Funerary practices are fascinating and people offering sustenance to those passed on leads to some awesome things like these delicious biscuts/cookies. Thanks Max you're amazing
I love the channel "Ask A Mortician", and just came from rewatching one of the videos. Then, I find this video uploaded that probably would be the topic of one of Caitlyn Doughty's videos, if not already in her "death mukbang" or some other video that she's covered. I don't remember, but the subject is familiar. Would ha been fun if this were a collab. Any other deathlings in the group?
So funny story that I feels kinda connects. I live in an old seaside township called Mornington, my mum has also lived here many many years. On the main street was a large funeral parlour that closed down and was eventually split into two or three businesses one of which was a little french cafe. My mum would often laught at the selling of lady fingers out of what used to be a mortuary.
At a Savarna Hindu Funeral, you get a buffet before the body is cremated. No biscuits and cookies sealed in white paper. The food is very clearly toned down.
In Final Fantasy 14, you can fight Sin Eaters, which basically used to be people but got corrupted by light. They looked like angels basically. Oh yeah, and there's the town that killed them and turn them into food... 💀
Was wondering if someone was going to mention this. FF devs have a history of borrowing from other cultures (i.e. carbuncles, all the gods) so im betting its intently derived from this Welsh tradition.
I always double the spices in a modern gingerbread recipe, because I really want that spice-forward flavor you've described. Great episode for late October!
I remember a story on Rod Serling's Night Gallery that was titled The Sin Eater. The actor who played John Boy (The Waktons) was the Sin Eater. The actor who played the widow is known, too, but I can't think of their names now. 🤔 Anyway, a good show from the past.
The weirdest thing for me as a big FF14 dork is Sin Eaters are the name of an entire class of enemies in that videogame. Since they're enemies, they're not helping people, but they're a kind of vampire/werewolf-inspired transformation someone takes when they're touched by another Sin Eater, and they generally get named to "Forgiven (Sin)" like "Forgiven Wrath." Just funny to think that a pretty popular videogame would take inspiration from an old English tradition for a whole group of monsters.
Not me in Cumberland (Cumbria) England! Absolutely delighted to see this at the start!
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... This is the same recipe my grandmother used for her homemade ginger biscuits (hers were thin and snappy). They were wonderful with a cup of tea. She never made them for any special occasion, though.
Great video and definitely earned a subscription. One interesting side note re. Sin Eating. Manley Wade Wellman (the late author of the "Silver John" stories that centered on dirt poor life in Appalachia and the Carolinas) had a couple of stories mentioning sin eating still being practiced in some of those extremely rural part in the mountains. His story "Trill Coster's Burden" and "Sin's Doorway" used this as a central device to the plot of the stories. They are collected in the anthology "Who Fears The Devil" that was published originally in 1963. The stories deep dive into the religious implications of someone "eating" another's sins. In these stories though, it was more of a meal than biscuits or cookies. Great stories and was really interesting to hear your food angle on this practice!
A high proportion of the colonists that settled in Appalachia are Scots-Irish and some Welsh-that is, from places where sin eating was practiced. However, looking at the book, it is generally categorized as fantasy and horror-fiction, not history, anthropology, or any other category suggestive of accurate representations?
There was an episode of The Night Gallery hosted by Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone fame titled "The Sin Eater" on this subject. A little before Max's time. I was fascinated by the story not so much for the spooky element but by learning it was an actual practice in Medeival times.
Absolutely love these videos I learn so much. As a historian the amount of research that is put into the video is so appreciated. As for the sponsor Wondrium. I have had a subscription for years. I use the classes as continuing education and of course fun. I have even shared classes in my own classroom when I have needed more to get a point across. Thank you for great food videos.
You can check 'melomakarona' a greek traditional sweet, eaten today during fasting before Christmas. But the history of it comes from ancient times and it was eaten for the souls of dead during funerals. Nowadays people eat 'koliva' in funerals and 'Saturdays of souls', which recipe's history may also have an intersting backstory through many civilisations around the Old World. 🍪🍯
You stamping your biscuits with that skull pattern seems to have solve a bit of a mystery I'd had! A while ago, I saw a post about a set of wooden stamps for gingerbread made for the festival of Purim. I bet their gingerbread must have been like this in order to utilized these stamps! Wonderful :D
I wanna say in Wales or Stratford upon Avon or in between on a trip we stopped for a famous gingerbread bakery & it was down right medicinal it was so full of ginger. Amazing & I would pay a hefty price for that recipe.
You had me at "funeral biscuits." Actually you have me pretty much like clockwork every Tuesday morning. Thanks for the consistently wonderful content!
The book ‘precious bane’ by Mary Webb centres around sin eating and the remnants of that act in the 18th century. Though written much later Mary collated local folklore in Shropshire. I’ve a very old book called the new art of confectionary ( no cover no date) with funeral bunns ( spelled that way) and funeral biscuits. Given the quantities and the size they were meant for families to share. The cakes were made with barm so it links nicely. I’ve also been given funeral buns which were rectangular, covered in black edged grease proof paper and topped with a sprig of Rosemary.
In Sicily there are cookies eaten during the day of the dead called dead's bones. They are really nice and soft the first day you make them the next day they'll turn rock hard...you know like real bones. The taste is simple non too sweet and cloves are used in the mix so it's quite aromatic
Prior to COVID, the funeral home I intern at served cookies. It was before I started there so I'm not sure if they served them during the service, visitation or just during the arrangement conference (though I think the latter). They have not done so since I've been there but the cookie maker is still in the break room and occasionally we get into the frozen dough and snack on them.
Funerary feasts are a perfectly normal thing here in Eastern Europe. Different cultures have different approaches to it, and tradition continues to this day in one form or the other. On territory of former Soviet Union, grave lots are larger and much more ornate than is the norm in England or US (perhaps that's something that should be taken), and often include small table and benches for people to rest and imbibe food on the wakes. Some food is left behind, usually small non-perishables like candy.
I actually paused the video to read the poem for Mrs. Oliver's funeral biscuits. Perhaps it's because I'm becoming ever more keenly aware that I have fewer days ahead of me than behind, but I've grown rather fond of memento mori. I found the one recited by Max more uplifting than macabre. We all must die; don't forget to live.
I think this might be my favourite episode yet💀💜 Death is such an integral part of life, it gives it meaning, and it makes a lot of sense we’ve almost always had rituals around it. It’s only in the last 100 years or so we’ve gotten away from the more personal aspects of death and seen it as really icky and taboo to talk about. Thank you for covering this topic with such care and choosing this recipe💜 Plus i extra enjoyed it because the Victorian’s are tied with ancient Egyptians as my favourite group of death obsessed people.💜
Wow, that's almost exactly the stuff my grandmother made back in the 1960s. She used less ginger and threw a dollop of honey in to sweeten it up.. Thanks for reminding me of those wicked cookies I used to love.
Victorian Funereal Warehouse. Wow. In the U.S., seances were all the rage after the Civil War, with people wanting to contact their lost loved ones. I love ginger, and can rarely find anything with enough to suit me. I put both chopped candied ginger, and powdered ginger in my gingerbread loaves. I like a chewy ginger cookie. I'll have to try this recipe, which seems blissfully simple. Thanks for all of the background on the subject.
it's funny to me that "sin eaters" caught my eye, as that's more familiar to me as the name of an enemy in FF14 than it is as a real life historical job, though i was aware of it for that reason too. was momentarily very confused
Ok just got done making the recipe and not bad! Baked at 350F for 17-20 min. They come out slightly soft and bendy but as they cool they stiffen up and have a great crunch like ginger snaps. Just the right amount of sweet balanced with ginger. Recipe called for 2 heaping spoonfuls of ginger. I used dried ground ginger, did a full tablespoon and a hair less than a second tablespoon since your comments said very pungent taste. Also messed up a bit in that I mixed the dry ingredients first, then added the molasses to incorporate and then 2 sticks of butter from the fridge. It was too late to do the heating with the saucepan part. Mixed everything up and kneaded it to a ball, then set it in the fridge for a few hours to firm up. Maybe it was because of this that the dough held its shape well when baking. The cookies don’t rise much and there was minimal spreading in the oven. Would have loved to have used a round biscuit cutter or skeleton cookie cutter but had to work with the fall leaf cutter I had on hand. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing :)
In Mexico, when you're preparing food and suddenly a portion of it falls to the ground, some old people say "también las ánimas quieren" (the souls also want their share), which is a good way to comfort you over the food that has just fallen, as it won't go to waste... and also a compliment, because your food is so good that even the dead want to taste it!
I like that 😁
Does Mexico also have a stereotype of good cooks being clumsy?
If it's that good there's 30 min rule and the dead can fight me for it.
@@TV-jn4dh I have never heard that lol.
I'm afraid the dead will be going hungry. In this household, the dog has already called dibs.
When my uncle died we rented out an entire pub , to this day it’s the saddest yet greatest party I’ve ever attended.
That's the Way to do it man Irish wake all the wayI want ppl to forget details they were so "happy"
Found the Irish lass!
That's called a Wake. They had one when my great uncle passed decades ago.
@@meme-rv6fpa wake does not have to be in a pub nor does it have to involve drinking 😂
Victorian funeral biscuits. Nothing gets more Victorian than those three words together.
😂 seriously
@@TastingHistory rapid industrialization and weird spiritual shenanigans.
✨️ Welcome to Victorian England ✨️
🎃👍
Try Rag Puddings. My Gran used to make amazing beef steak and veg "puddins, wi loads 'o' peppor"
@@zsoltsandor3814 weird spiritual shenanigans is the best descriptor I’ve seen of it😂😂🙌🙌
So would you say these biscuits are to die for?
I'll show myself out
adorable 🥰
No, stay .
You better be
(Lies! That was a good one!)
No, no, have a seat right over here... Don't mind the shape of the seat, it only looks like a coffin, I promise. ;)
🥁
If it means eating cookies, I'd offer my condolences at every memorial on the Eastern Seaboard.
🤣😂🤣 I'm more of a savoury man and demand necromince patties for a burger or meatballs. No other cheese than dairy too thank you.
That works out to a lot of cookies.
Go to every wedding in Pittsburgh, they do a potlucked "cookie table"
Especially if they offer milk with the cookies.
*Cookie Monster enters the chat*
We had my Great Aunt's burial on her birthday, sang happy birthday and ate cake. I didn't realize we were being quite Victorian.
Whoa. That's a very interesting way to remember them.
When I was young we went to the funeral of a centenarian, a family friend, and at graveside the family handed out ginger and molasses funeral cookies. They were strange, both sweet and bitter, to serve as a representation for the experience of living. It might be the last time this tradition was practiced in America, the elderly folks there said they hadn't seen it since they were children.
I did it for my grandmother, not even a decade ago. In my case it was more of a sin drinker, as I did make a special drink from irish whisky and caramellized milk where you simmer the milk down until the sugar in it turns caramellized. Because milk is the first food, and in that case, the last food to go, as death is also the way to something new, like a birth. Alcohol is also symbolic. It preserves, it leeches aromatics of its properties, it is the death of grain, fruits or whatever is fermented, but also new life because yeast, and then it is cleansed by fire and aged in barrels, made from wood..like something else. She was deserving, not many are. And I still miss her
Please tell us where this was and what year?
@Gabriel Bernard pretty cool symbolism for the ingredients used in your funeral drink.
God, that story of Munslow is so sad...the absolute strength it must take to lose your children, then go on to spend the rest of your life surrounded by death for what you believe is a noble cause...I'm so glad that his community took care of him in death, poor man.
Hearing Max say "pour one out for the homies" is my new favorite thing.
No fr
TOTES. Max always has something up his sleeve
Made me pause what I was doing and nod in admiration.
Max is a real one fr fr
This honestly sounds like an amazing premise for a fantasy show or anime. "Sin Eater", a dark fantasy set in the Victorian Era where the main character, a sin eater, helps the dead settle their regrets by absorbing their sins (and maybe using the power from those sins to fight demons or otherwise villainous figures? There seemed to be a lot of demon tales from Victorian England). The main character is the dark silent type since he's shunned but appreciated for being a sin eater. Almost like being a witcher.
Anyways, great content, I always look forward to it!!
You should check out the Tabletop Roleplaying game Geist: The Sin-Eaters. There you play as a person who has died but an incredibly powerful ghost called a Geist stops you from fully padding on. The ghosts strikes a bargain with you. It will use its powers to resurrect you giving you another chance at life under the condition you share your body with it as it too wants another shot at life.
If you say no the Geist moves on looking for a new death and you fully pass on. If you say yes however you are resurrected as a Sin-Eater. Biologically you are alive like before, you still need food, you still breathe and age like normal but spiritually you’re deader than a door knob. Because of this you can see ghosts where normal humans see nothing. Your Geist explains to you the horrors of the underworld being a hellish oppressive realm ruled by Death Gods and where ghosts are doomed to go to if they do not complete any unfinished business. As a Sin-Eater you take up a new duty helping the ghosts of the land and fighting back the forces of the underworld.
Your Geist provides you with an assortment of ghostly powers called Haunts and a rituals you can use for in your quests. You’re not alone though, even with the help of your Geist Sin-Eaters naturally form groups of like minded individuals called Krewes. A Krewe can be composed of Sin-Eaters, regular humans, Ghosts and even other strange supernatural creatures such as Vampires, werewolves or Mages. You, your Geist and your Krewe are the closest things to heroes to the undead you can find.
Just look at FF14's Shadowbringers. The main enemies there were called Sin Eaters, monsters made from too much divine light basically. And they're all biblically accurate angels.
I'm surprised I haven't heard of more fantasy that covers the topic. It'd be so fascinating!
Sounds like a spin off of Black Butler(an anime about a young boy in Victorian England who made a deal with a demon that became his butler, if you or anyone hasn’t heard of it. It’s good and funny)
Omg yes! I would absolutely watch a Sin Eater anime
Man, the more I hear about the Victorian Age the more wild I believe it to be. Suddenly a Christmas Carol doesn't seem so outlandish.
They were all into death and ghosts
@@TastingHistory Big time. Ironic, since so much of the trend was based in Christian beliefs, and the Tanakh/Bible says to avoid that sort of thing. (I could go into detail, but let's just leave it at, 'that time was WILD'.)
@@TastingHistory So it's like Halloween all year round? Sign me up!
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Your funeral ⚰is on monday 31 okt. at 11.00 am. 🧛♂
I imagine the fact that laudanum and coke lozenges were basic medicine is a contributing factor
This is so weird. I was dozing about 4am, when I suddenly thought, "They should hand out goody bags after funerals, (I'm always planning my funeral, though I don't intend on having one) and it should be good stuff, like nice edibles and little toys, not stupid stuff like the homemade soap I received at a bridal shower." So, thanks Max. I really loved the episode.
I would add all of it, the soap is for washing sins away.
Only the Risen from the Dead Son of God, Jesus Christ's Holy Blood can wash sins away, but only after you admit you are a sinner, ask humbly that Jesus Christ forgive you of your sins with His Holy Blood that was shed for you and ask Him to come into your heart and soul and be your LORD and SAVIOR and GOD and MASTER.
Jesus Christ will do as you ask and then give you Eternal Life, the Holy Spirit to indwell you to guide, teach, and protect you. But you must heed the Holy Spirit's words that come to your knowing and obey them immediately.
The Only way to Eternal Life is through believing that Jesus Christ is who He says He is and has done all there is that needs to be done for you to enter Heaven.
Anything you do, do out of your love for Jesus Christ and all that He has done for you and all that He promises to do for you in the future, whether you are still alive on this Earth, or are alive in Heaven with Him and all humans who have put their faith in Jesus Christ Alone.
We are in the Last Days.
Jesus Christ is coming soon in the air as the Holy Bible records to call everyone that has put their faith in His righteousness Alone up into the air to Him and then to Heaven forever, to be with Jesus Christ forever.
Jesus Christ died in your place to pay off your sin debt.
There is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood.
Jesus Christ died so that if you believe in Him Alone, you can escape eternal damnation in Hell.
Read I Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1-4.
Christ Jesus died to take away the sins of those who believe only in Him and His Words just as the Holy Bible predicted thousands of years before His immaculate conception by the Holy Spirit and a virgin young woman.
while not the same things as post-funeral goodie-bags, repasts are good ways to thank folks for attending the services. some attendees even take flowers -- with permission, of course -- from the funeral arrangement(s).
[sigh] and yes, my fam, i haven't forgotten i "owe" you repasts for my parents' services.
In one of my high school classes, a weeklong assignment was to plan our funeral, design our gravestone, plan what we’d take with us to the grave and afterlife, and write our obituaries.
A classmate died that year, and at a total loss, his parents asked our teacher if he’d saved those plans (he had). So… my classmate got his ideal funeral. Everyone wore green, as black was not allowed (weird for a goth to not wear black) and it was literally standing room only. This guy had been majorly popular!
@@deboralee1623 never heard of repastas. I should give it a try. A little sugo to the repastas and all participants will go home in joy
My Appalachian studies teacher was so old he saw a recording of the 'last' sin eater explaining his story. He was old old
Along the lines of "my history professor was so old, he'd celebrated dust's every birthday"?
Do you have any idea of where that recording may be found?
There is a movie called The Last Sin Eater. It was on Prime Video. Idk if still is, but it was pretty good!
@@sarah_noodle I had no clue, I'll check it out when I can!
@@celestinemorningstar4851 unfortunately no, and I have no clue if it's been archived in the internet. He just dropped the coolest bomb and them continued on with the lecture
Max you've cultivated such a wholesome community. Your comment section is so positive it's truly an anomaly on this site.
Honestly true :')
@@TastingHistory remember: if you ever cut your finger while you're cooking, you should soak it in cider.
@@MrTaxiRob apple juice or cider cider?
@@b-beale1931 who said anything about apples?
@@MrTaxiRob cider is either how Americans refer to Apple juice, or it's fermented apple juice at around 6-8% alcohol
In the fothills of the Cadcades were I grew up. Sin Eating is very much still a part of the culture. Though not advertised. At small funerals often in strange old drafty grange halls. There are still those that consume the sins of the community.
At my own father's funeral. 2 men shared a meal of bread and beer in hopes to lessen the load my father would bare in the afterlife. It's etched into my mind. I'll never forget. It's been over 30 years. But I see it in my mind like it was yesterday.
Wow! What a sacrifice they made.❤️
Interesting, which side/end of the Cascades were you on? And could it have been part of an ethnic heritage? It would be interesting to know where it originated. I grew up in 'Twin Peaks' in the fifties, and never heard of it.
@@chezmoi42 between the Cascades and the coastal range. There is dozens of tiny towns with populations of Welsh, Irish and Scandinavian decent. This particular town is called Mist.
Do you know any more about the history of this practice? I have wondered if it related to the part of the Christian Mass called the Agnus Dei ("Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World, have mercy on me.") and/or the story about the Scape Goat in Leviticus. Thanks!
Jesus already lessened our load to zero. Just believe. You don't need to atone for your own sins, or have anybody try to eat them for you.
I worked one summer break at a funeral home (reception only!). I remember one where I had to make sure that everyone who came received a small white box.. the family was very insistent that I gave one to everyone! When the service was over and the family was leaving, they thanked us and gave each of us (staff) a box. It had 3 small ginger cookies, a card with a bible verse on it and a dried flower.. mine was a dried pansy. I wondered why, but now I understand; the family was Welsh.
Excellent video as always Max! Very interesting 😊
Here in the South the custom of bringing food to the bereaved is still very common. The rational is that the family doesn’t have the time or inclination to cook for themselves and also so they have something to offer all the guests who will come to offer condolences. If someone in your family dies you’d better go clean out your fridge and get ready for the flood of ham, casseroles, and cakes that are coming your way. Many churches will host a meal after the funeral for the family and any one who attended the funeral.
I made a similar comment to this before I saw yours. I love this tradition and I’m glad we still have it.❤️🤗🐝
This is why you bring a casserole to the bereaved family. I baked a cake for my mother's funeral - she was known as a wonderful baker among her friends and family. (And I hate casseroles.)
Some friends and I did this, but with a twist, for one of our number whose mom had just passed. We got the family restaurant gift cards, so they could decide where, when, and what they ate.
We have a saying in my southern family: Ham is death. Someone dies, make a ham.
My least favorite casserole: funeral potatoes.
In the early 70’s there was a Rod Sterling show called, Night Gallery. One episode, featuring, Richard Thomas, was called, The Sins of the Fathers. It was about the sun eating custom of the Welsh.
At my funeral, the organist is going play "Pop! Goes the Weasel" over and over until everyone is staring at my casket in horrified anticipation...😈
🤣
I will be brought in 15 minutes late after everyone has been sat. I am never on time, except for work.
@@ShellyS2060 "Here comes the corpse, here comes the corpse!"
@@ShellyS2060 I actually heard of a funeral where this happened. An elderly lady was renowned for her tardiness, so it was arranged for her casket not to arrive until partway through the first hymn. Apparently the mourners were in stitches. 😂
My dear father was an amateur actor and loved Broadway. A great guy with a fun sense of humor. I had his service organist play "Let me entertain you" to begin, various show tunes the ended with "Give my regards to Broadway". The giggles began and my mother was mortified. He had a Masonic service as well. When I read about your "Pop goes the Weasel" I broke up because at gravesite..one front pallbearer dropped the coffin.And my first thought was he's gonna pop up !🤣
Very thoughtful of you, Max, to drop a biscuit on the floor for the homies.
Skull cakepops and coffin gingerbread sounds like lit snacks for a goth themed party. And also, as a Victoriana fan, I'm always amused by their mourning traditions.
Yes, and don't forget the mourning jewelry, artistically fashioned from the hair of the departed.
@@chezmoi42 I know, right?
I must try this to attract goths.
And the photos of the family with the dearly departed.
There’s a far better version of this episode done but ask a mortician
I really appreciate the tip about recutting cookies when they're still hot. Never occurred to me that you could save cookies that have spread like that!
We had a related tradition in Sweden around the turn of the 19th century. Instead of biscuits we had confections, little richly decorated funeral candies in fancy wrappers called begravningskonfekt.
I had no idea one of my favorite games (Final Fantasy 14 Shadowbringers) was based on actual history! It not only has the sin eaters, it also has bread that is corrupted by the sin that they feed to desperate poor people living outside the opulent town, which transfers sin into them. This video was incredible!
Sin eating seems like the food equivalent of buying indulgences, since you are paying for someone’s sins to be removed (eaten, in this case), but more last moment and with the money going to the poor instead of the wealthy. It’s too bad that the sin eaters were treated like monsters for just trying to avoid starvation.
Very much in the same vein
It also seems like a substitute for the sacrament of confession, after it was discarded in the wake of Protestantism.
And while the poor man was indeed being fed by his richer Protestant neighbors, remember they considered him to be taking on an eternal loss on their behalf.
It's sort of like how coal miners lost limbs and got the black lung for maybe a schilling a day. Except much worse, at least culturally.
I learned about them on The Night Gallery. It was dark and gloomy story starring Richard Thomas. Scary but good.
Same here!
Sin eating was just folk religion/superstition, whereas indulgences were an actual Church doctrine.
Man I’m surprised that this was never mentioned in the funeral history type courses I took back in mortuary college, and that I as a mortician of weird fact tastes didn’t know about funeral biscuits.
Well now you know. Spread the word.
In Italy, the traditional All Hallows' Day sweets are called "Pane dei Morti" and "Ossa dei Morti" (Dead men's Bread and Dead men's Bones).
Mexico, and maybe Spain, has a bread called Pan dd Muerte. I usually bake a loaf for Halloween 10-31.
My grandma used to make dead man's bones, you've reminded me I haven't had them in years
Filled with marzipan to look like marrow. Love it.
@@kirbyculp3449 Did you watch the video?
As a Utahn, I wonder if the local tradition of "funeral potatoes" (a kind of cheesy potato casserole often served alongside other foods after funerals) comes from the Avril custom. A lot of the Mormon settlers were originally from England so it's possible that they brought the idea with them. Interesting!
The potatoes would make sense but we probably can’t blame for the weird jello salads though 😂
I've always wondered if it was Utahan or Utahn.
@@arlenedavis5770Utahn, only one a.
Everyone has their own recipe for this too, each better than the next.
The average Utah funereal feast is almost always: Ham, funeral potatoes, green salad, green beans, rolls, cakes, cookies, brownies. All served in a chapel's cultural hall, a large multipurpose room in Mormon meeting houses.
I learned about this topic as a “fun” fact for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers! In the game, “Sin eaters” are the names of angelic beasts corrupted by light with the sole purpose of excising sin of anyone who crosses their path. Meol is also featured, as a perfectly innocent food that the citizens of Eulmore are served, and that the impoverished surrounding Eulmore beg for :)
Thank you for giving me a great video that I can show my friends coming to a horrifying realization!
Haha I was hoping I'd find someone else who played XIV and immediately went "Oh no." Meol was *horrifying.*
looking for this in the comments! I learned about real sin eaters a few months ago and was delighted/horrified.
No less than three people sent me this video because I RP a sin eater.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought of Final Fantasy 14 when I saw the title/I was hoping someone to find someone else mentioning it in the comments 😅Was interesting to learn about the original concept/what they were presumably named after!
Even though it isn't quite the same concept (and it definitely feels like it's meant to be ironic/negative in their case), the FF14 ones apparently got their name from being 'seen as agents of divine punishment, sent to devour sin and sinner both' (thanks Urianger), so I guess there is still the general idea of having your sins eaten and therefore being 'forgiven'. (And given what meol is, I guess you could also say that the sins ended up in the bread in a way...)
This was definitely a TIL.
“Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.” - Hamlet, Act 1, scene 2
Tbf pretty sure this was made to show just how small the amount of time between his father's death and his mother's marriage was
@@Pururut Yes, exactly.
Gee.
@@Pururutdid he say anything to the contrary?
Funeral biscuits might simply have similar origins as the Norse grave-ale, being something to serve to the gathered mourners. We also have “barsel”, which comes from “barns-øl” meaning “bairn-ale” and is a celebration of the birth of a child.
I think they probably just knew that a sweet treat after something like a funeral (where you did not eat beforehand) helps you feel better.
As a "bairn" I love this idea!
Love the channel. Years ago I found a cookbook entitled "Death Warmed Over". It was recipes for funeral meals around the world.
Richer your gingerbread
The tastier your sin
Don't adhere to the board
With flour spread aplenty
Outcast or hero eater of sin
Our last great sin eater
Lost so much for soul
Respect of his resting place
For taking so much in
One cake and one flaggon of ale
A succession of ceremony
Connecting the future to the past
The lasting crumbs of this funeral rite
That stays herein with us
The "overactive Victorian imagination" artwork is on point. All the artwork is unusually enjoyable this week, and the subject matter excellent as always, plus delightfully ghoulish. Happy Halloween!
Sin Eaters are one of my favorite morbid religious concepts I ever learned about. Max, once again, is knocking it out of the park!
Same!!
They’re so intriguing
Now we know why all those folk were allowed to attend the Queens funeral. We all witnessed those free biscuits.
Mi stupid memelord brain mixed "morbid religious" into morbius and now I cannot unread it.
@@thesexybatman263 IT'S MORBIN' TIME
As a funeral director, I can't wait to try my hand at making these.
Not to sound morbid but at Max’s funeral, we get a Funeral Biscuit Cake Pop along with a Complementary Pokémon Plushy.
Ghost type of course
And hard tack.
@@ellenjampole1905 TLAC-TLAC!
I think cake pops shaped like skulls would be adorable! They would make people happy, but, like, not too happy for a funeral.
i’m only coming if i get the piranha plant plush
Hey Max, I'm from the area of the southern Appalachian mountains and I remember hearing about a sin eater tradition around here. I think an episode of "The Heartland Series" covers it. As far as if it was private or public, the only account of it that I heard about had the family put the body and the food in a room with an open window and close the door. The sin eater would crawl in through the window, eat the food, and then crawl back out. It's been a long time since I saw it, so watch the episode if you want to know more.
Those crispier ginger breads made me think that these could be prepared well in advance as "funeral hard tack". Always ready for when they are needed on life's journey and beyond....
...and now I am picturing Max clinking together gingerbread cookies as funeral hard tack...
I was waiting for him to do that, but was disappointed 😔
@@airenmoonwolf2520 Now I'm surprised the Victorians didn't think of that. It would make for cruelty against the poor but with a classic distorted narrative of actually being kind.
CLACK CLACK
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine 😂😂😂
I read a book called The Last Sin Eater (by Francine Rivers) in the 6th grade and was briefly obsessed with the idea of sin eaters. I haven’t thought about the concept in over a 15 years but it was a weird blast from the past to have it be so central to today’s video. Never knew it was a real historical practice, either!
I thought of that book too! I was wondering if Max would talk about any history of that tradition in the U.S.
I read it too. There’s also a movie based on it, which I’ve only found on RUclips.
A wonderful book. Francine Rivers is an excellent author who does her research well! A must-read!
"Pouring one out for the homies" is actually a deeply rooted tribal tradition. I mean we joke about it but it has its own long history too, not just something gangsters do 🙏🏻🙂 I love this episode. Can we get some more spiritual/religious food videos?
Can you share the history? I know when I was in Peru the Chechian (Indegenious) guide taught us to always pour one out for Pacha Mama, their Earth goddess.
We do it in Central Madagascar too, on the North East corner of the house or the tomb.
Sounds like an opportunity for another episode of Drinking History!
In the Philippines, we have the tradition of pouring out the first shot every time a bottle of hard liquor is opened during a drinking session (particularly when it's done outdoors). It's meant to be an offering to any spirits in the area, to keep them happy and prevent misfortune. There's also the folk belief that it throws out any methanol that may have gathered at the top of the bottle.
In a lot of neo pagan traditions, an offering is poured out to the gods and ancestors before the humans take a drink.
When I was a LITTLE kid (like 5 or 6) I saw the episode of Night Gallery on re-runs that had Sin Eaters in it. It scared the heck out of me and made me cry, the thought of people eating sin terrified me. The body on the table round which they ate didn't phase me one iota but the actual sin eating hit me with the 'flight' response.
THEN my father, realizing I was not playing around and was truly upset, explained to me what/who they were and how their sacrifice and willingness to do the job saved so many souls in the afterlife.
I was able to finish the episode with renewed curiosity and wonder at the people who gave so much to strangers. They didn't frighten me anymore...but all these decades later I remember that episode like I saw it yesterday.
I remember seeing that episode, it really was horrific at the end. ***SPOILER*** The local sin eater was dead, and there was no one to "eat" on his behalf except his own son who had never done it. Because the elder sineater had absorbed so many sins gradually over his lifetime his body could handle it. When his inexperienced son absorbed a lifetime of sins from his dead father, it overwhelmed his body. I'll leave the denouement to your imagination, until you can view the actual episode. You have been warned.😵😈😫
Just eat some angel food cake with your funeral biscuits and they cancel each other out.
For later autum episode: ACORNS! I'm not a huge, huge fan of the flavor, but I experienced peak fascination when a former roommate from the Mohawk Nation once processed and cooked acorns straight from the back woods. I'd really love to see aTasting History story on acorns. Maybe Thanksgiving or next Indigenous Peoples Day :)
Just make sure you get the tannins out!
Acorn flour is having a resurgence in popularity, as it is gluten free. As mentioned need to soak to remove tannins or its inedible.
It sounds tasty lol and i like to feed squirrels.
California native people also use acorns as a staple food.
If they don't serve this at my funeral, I wont bother with being dead.
Agreed. I’ll just get out of the coffin and leave.
@@TastingHistory 😂😂😂
That should make them wise up!
Imagine having "sin eater" on your CV....now there's a possible alternate career for me 🤪
I'll eat 'um
Dude i need a job so bad rt now...sin eater sounds perfect! When can I start?😁
we learned about sin eaters in west virginia history. there were, for a while, still people doing this in isolated communities in the appalachian mountains.
idk if this gets mentioned later in the video lol im just too excited to mention it
I love ANYTHING Appalachia!!
I believe I give it a brief mention that it came this way, but don’t go into it.
I wonder if the Foxfire books mention it? That's the kind of thing I would expect to be recorded in them ...
I had never heard of the Sin Eater before in my life, and now it's come up twice in one week. The Sin Eater was JUST mentioned on one of my favorite shows, Shetland. Wild.
If you cut and bake the entire slab of gingerbread, or with at least 1in around the cut, it usually doesn't spread as much.
I use this when I'm making gingerbread for houses. I cut out the window/doors but bake it as one piece. Then it's just a matter of doing some slight re-cutting and you have decent edges.
I love my gingerbread very spiced and even like that little hint of bitterness from the molasses or treacle. So these sound AWESOME.
When I was a history student, I researched everything I could find about sin eaters!!! The concept would make a truly righteous and gnarly middle ages supernatural thriller ☠️
Heath Ledger starred in a movie about sin eating, called The Order. It was set in modern Italy though.
I’d love to see a period horror piece on the subject done by the people who made The Witch.
There was a black and white TV series episode made. I believe the series was called Thriller.
@@azureus3644 Nice idea. Someone who literally absorbed the sins turning into a monster. Perhaps attacking the innocent in some attempt to absorb virtue escaping their curse.
@@patrickmccurry1563 There's already a story on r/nosleep like this. It's really good.
@@patrickmccurry1563 Ooo, maybe like a riff on the Portrait of Dorian Gray, where the person grows more and more monstrous in appearance, except for when they look in a mirror or something ...
My country has a lot of weird traditions for the dead. If food falls on the ground you need to give food to your neighbours because the dead are hungry and they need to say "bogdaproste" so the food reaches the dead. Also after 40 days since someone died you need to make a feast for the family and/or neighbours. We also have a tradition kinda like the day of the dead but its called saturday of the dead and its twice a year(once in summer and once in winter) where you need to make a feast for your dead relatives where you invite your live relatives and/or neighbours and you MUST make a dish called "coliva" which is a sweet firm porridge made out of the inside of the wheat grains and its decorated with candy and wallnuts. It would be amazing if you would make coliva on your channel, its maybe the oldest dessert in my country(Romania)
I remember when I was young reading a chilling tale about the village sin-eater, which asked the question "if the sin-eater takes on the sins of the village, who will eat the sins of the sin-eater?".
I still think it's a disturbing idea.
But those funeral cakes look and sound delicious.
Fascinating episode again, Max! And Happy Halloween to everyone!
Presumably the next sin eater.
@@ragnkja yes, but does sin bioaccumulate
@@ShadowsFallOnWings Eventually, the sins will accumulate to such a quantity that it'll cause an overflow error and reset to 0, so it'll be fine.
That was an episode of Night Galkery on TV, a Rod Serling show. I think it was all HP Lovecraft stories. I remember that episode well.
Seems fair to me that there would probably have to be some sort of atonement involved for a man who sacrifices himself for the sanctity of his peers.
Gotta love that "Remember to Die" reminder on the Victorian funeral invite. Goodness, I would have forgotten! And then where would I be, immortal and nothing to wear!
Perfect! Just updated my will so people invited to my funeral will get cookies wrapped in morbid texts reminding them of their own impending doom.
In 2003 Heath Leger starred in a movie called The Order. It was about a priest who investigates the suspicious death of an excommunicated priest & discovers a Sun Eater headquartered in Rome. A very interesting movie
Corpse Cake sounds like the centrepiece of an Addams Family Birthday. Most probably Uncle Nick-Nack.
Making comments about which sin is in which cake.
@@patrickmccurry1563 Gluttony tastes the best, of course.
"Sin eating" sounds like something out of Dark Souls.
But where can I find a debt eater? I’d provide an amazing meal to that person
😂 wouldn’t that be nice. A three course meal of a mortgage, student loans and a Target credit card bill.
Did you come by it in sinful ways then maybe this could still work lol
Surely, it'd be possible to invite someone to dinner and have them sign a contract that says, in small print, "by eating this meal you agree to take on all of the outstanding debts owed by the host."
Dark web, find a cannibal and let them find the person you owe and eat them, therefor eating your debt
We should never forget one purpose of funeral food, which was important in the age before public transport or cars were common:
People often had to walk quite a distance to attend an funeral. That is the reason why in my home region ( Upper Frankonia = North of Bavaria) it is still today common to serve some dry cake at a funeral and never a cake with cream. It has to be transportable so you can take it with you on your way home. Either as a meal for yourself on your walk back or as a "souvenir" to those at home, who could not attend. As a savoury dish you usually get rolls cut in half with either sausage, bacon or cheese on it. Also easily transportable.
So a typical cake offered at a funeral would be a sweet yeast dough baked with crumbles on a baking sheet. It isn't much work to produce if you have to bake it yourself while organising a funeral and it is easily obtained from a baker with one days notice in advance. And you cn wrap it in paper and take it with you.
In my family we have a funeral tradition of 'Walk Slow" Bread, a fruited bread sliced with butter.
What is the tradition behind it?
I'm gonna have an 80s and 90s acid house rave type biscuit. Dove flavoured
In some parts of Sweden there is a similar tradition still performed at weddings. After the wedding ceremony everyone in town is invited to wiev the newly wedded who hand out salty biscuits which represents previous "transgressions" and must all be consumed or its bad luck for the marriage and sweat home-brew mead representing future joys to be shared or something like that.
"We eat not for the dead, but to gird the living for life without them." -Umbrage
Pretty much what we did after my great grandma's funeral. It worked, too. Fried chicken has that effect.
After my grandmas funeral I had a big meal at the pub we held the wake at, got tipsy, and went home to have a nap. It was weird because I lost my appetite and barely ate for months except that day. It definitely helped.
Back in the late 60's an episode the spooky Rod Serling TV series "Night Gallery" did a story about sin eaters with Richard Thomas (John-Boy from the Waltons). That was the 1st time I ever heard of the practice of sin eating.
Funerary practices are fascinating and people offering sustenance to those passed on leads to some awesome things like these delicious biscuts/cookies. Thanks Max you're amazing
I remember Ask A Mortician talking about these in her funeral food mukbang. Thanks for giving us the full shebang!
I love the channel "Ask A Mortician", and just came from rewatching one of the videos. Then, I find this video uploaded that probably would be the topic of one of Caitlyn Doughty's videos, if not already in her "death mukbang" or some other video that she's covered. I don't remember, but the subject is familiar. Would ha been fun if this were a collab. Any other deathlings in the group?
Me! 🙋♀
Hello!
I’d love to do something with her. I think she’s moving back east right now, but maybe I can take a trip to her in the future.
Hell yeah! ✌️
@@TastingHistory I adore both you and Caitlyn. Would definitely be onboard for a collab!
So funny story that I feels kinda connects. I live in an old seaside township called Mornington, my mum has also lived here many many years. On the main street was a large funeral parlour that closed down and was eventually split into two or three businesses one of which was a little french cafe. My mum would often laught at the selling of lady fingers out of what used to be a mortuary.
At a Savarna Hindu Funeral, you get a buffet before the body is cremated. No biscuits and cookies sealed in white paper. The food is very clearly toned down.
In Final Fantasy 14, you can fight Sin Eaters, which basically used to be people but got corrupted by light. They looked like angels basically. Oh yeah, and there's the town that killed them and turn them into food... 💀
Was wondering if someone was going to mention this. FF devs have a history of borrowing from other cultures (i.e. carbuncles, all the gods) so im betting its intently derived from this Welsh tradition.
Even the local wildlife are turned into primordial light monsters... 😅
I always double the spices in a modern gingerbread recipe, because I really want that spice-forward flavor you've described. Great episode for late October!
You might enjoy some finely chopped candied ginger in them, too, for a twist.
I remember a story on Rod Serling's Night Gallery that was titled The Sin Eater.
The actor who played John Boy (The Waktons) was the Sin Eater. The actor who played the widow is known, too, but I can't think of their names now. 🤔
Anyway, a good show from the past.
The weirdest thing for me as a big FF14 dork is Sin Eaters are the name of an entire class of enemies in that videogame. Since they're enemies, they're not helping people, but they're a kind of vampire/werewolf-inspired transformation someone takes when they're touched by another Sin Eater, and they generally get named to "Forgiven (Sin)" like "Forgiven Wrath."
Just funny to think that a pretty popular videogame would take inspiration from an old English tradition for a whole group of monsters.
Warrior of Darkness took care of the last Sin Eater.
One brings biscuits, one brings cakes.
@@tryingtobebetter7235 Two layered confections tumbling through time
Not me in Cumberland (Cumbria) England! Absolutely delighted to see this at the start!
... This is the same recipe my grandmother used for her homemade ginger biscuits (hers were thin and snappy). They were wonderful with a cup of tea. She never made them for any special occasion, though.
Yes! I love that
Very interesting! Thanks.
Max regaling the younger generations with tales of Slap Bracelets:
"Time for... HISTORY!"
If I ever catch my partner going through the fridge at night, now I know what to call her
😂
Be careful with that friend 😳
@@DJDarling you're not wrong. She'll probably go from sin eating to visiting sin upon me
@@qjames0077 brave man 😅😂😂
"Hey babe, are you on death's door? Cause you're looking like a funeral biscuit to me."
Thank you, Max! I've been collecting ideas for my own funeral. Skull shaped cake pops have made the list!
I'm going to have the hearse play on loudspeakers "When you see a hearse go by..." Here's to all of us who believe in keeping the FUN in funeral.
Great video and definitely earned a subscription. One interesting side note re. Sin Eating. Manley Wade Wellman (the late author of the "Silver John" stories that centered on dirt poor life in Appalachia and the Carolinas) had a couple of stories mentioning sin eating still being practiced in some of those extremely rural part in the mountains. His story "Trill Coster's Burden" and "Sin's Doorway" used this as a central device to the plot of the stories. They are collected in the anthology "Who Fears The Devil" that was published originally in 1963. The stories deep dive into the religious implications of someone "eating" another's sins. In these stories though, it was more of a meal than biscuits or cookies. Great stories and was really interesting to hear your food angle on this practice!
A high proportion of the colonists that settled in Appalachia are Scots-Irish and some Welsh-that is, from places where sin eating was practiced. However, looking at the book, it is generally categorized as fantasy and horror-fiction, not history, anthropology, or any other category suggestive of accurate representations?
There was an episode of The Night Gallery hosted by Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone fame titled "The Sin Eater" on this subject. A little before Max's time. I was fascinated by the story not so much for the spooky element but by learning it was an actual practice in Medeival times.
Absolutely love these videos I learn so much. As a historian the amount of research that is put into the video is so appreciated. As for the sponsor Wondrium. I have had a subscription for years. I use the classes as continuing education and of course fun. I have even shared classes in my own classroom when I have needed more to get a point across. Thank you for great food videos.
Thank you! And from a proper historian, that is praise indeed 😁
I would have loved to have been a historian sometimes I wish I stayed on after my History degree.
You can check 'melomakarona' a greek traditional sweet, eaten today during fasting before Christmas. But the history of it comes from ancient times and it was eaten for the souls of dead during funerals. Nowadays people eat 'koliva' in funerals and 'Saturdays of souls', which recipe's history may also have an intersting backstory through many civilisations around the Old World. 🍪🍯
You stamping your biscuits with that skull pattern seems to have solve a bit of a mystery I'd had! A while ago, I saw a post about a set of wooden stamps for gingerbread made for the festival of Purim. I bet their gingerbread must have been like this in order to utilized these stamps! Wonderful :D
I wanna say in Wales or Stratford upon Avon or in between on a trip we stopped for a famous gingerbread bakery & it was down right medicinal it was so full of ginger. Amazing & I would pay a hefty price for that recipe.
You had me at "funeral biscuits." Actually you have me pretty much like clockwork every Tuesday morning. Thanks for the consistently wonderful content!
The book ‘precious bane’ by Mary Webb centres around sin eating and the remnants of that act in the 18th century. Though written much later Mary collated local folklore in Shropshire.
I’ve a very old book called the new art of confectionary ( no cover no date) with funeral bunns ( spelled that way) and funeral biscuits. Given the quantities and the size they were meant for families to share. The cakes were made with barm so it links nicely. I’ve also been given funeral buns which were rectangular, covered in black edged grease proof paper and topped with a sprig of Rosemary.
In Sicily there are cookies eaten during the day of the dead called dead's bones. They are really nice and soft the first day you make them the next day they'll turn rock hard...you know like real bones. The taste is simple non too sweet and cloves are used in the mix so it's quite aromatic
Prior to COVID, the funeral home I intern at served cookies. It was before I started there so I'm not sure if they served them during the service, visitation or just during the arrangement conference (though I think the latter). They have not done so since I've been there but the cookie maker is still in the break room and occasionally we get into the frozen dough and snack on them.
I laughed way more than I should have at you cutting them into casket shapes. It seems appropriately Victorian, really.
Wow, man you go places no one else goes. Another great episode. Time with you is never wasted.
Funerary feasts are a perfectly normal thing here in Eastern Europe. Different cultures have different approaches to it, and tradition continues to this day in one form or the other. On territory of former Soviet Union, grave lots are larger and much more ornate than is the norm in England or US (perhaps that's something that should be taken), and often include small table and benches for people to rest and imbibe food on the wakes. Some food is left behind, usually small non-perishables like candy.
I actually paused the video to read the poem for Mrs. Oliver's funeral biscuits. Perhaps it's because I'm becoming ever more keenly aware that I have fewer days ahead of me than behind, but I've grown rather fond of memento mori. I found the one recited by Max more uplifting than macabre. We all must die; don't forget to live.
I think this might be my favourite episode yet💀💜 Death is such an integral part of life, it gives it meaning, and it makes a lot of sense we’ve almost always had rituals around it. It’s only in the last 100 years or so we’ve gotten away from the more personal aspects of death and seen it as really icky and taboo to talk about. Thank you for covering this topic with such care and choosing this recipe💜 Plus i extra enjoyed it because the Victorian’s are tied with ancient Egyptians as my favourite group of death obsessed people.💜
Wow, that's almost exactly the stuff my grandmother made back in the 1960s. She used less ginger and threw a dollop of honey in to sweeten it up..
Thanks for reminding me of those wicked cookies I used to love.
Victorian Funereal Warehouse. Wow. In the U.S., seances were all the rage after the Civil War, with people wanting to contact their lost loved ones. I love ginger, and can rarely find anything with enough to suit me. I put both chopped candied ginger, and powdered ginger in my gingerbread loaves. I like a chewy ginger cookie. I'll have to try this recipe, which seems blissfully simple. Thanks for all of the background on the subject.
it's funny to me that "sin eaters" caught my eye, as that's more familiar to me as the name of an enemy in FF14 than it is as a real life historical job, though i was aware of it for that reason too. was momentarily very confused
With my current diet, having my soul transfer to a loaf of bread would be very on brand for me 😂
Ok just got done making the recipe and not bad! Baked at 350F for 17-20 min. They come out slightly soft and bendy but as they cool they stiffen up and have a great crunch like ginger snaps. Just the right amount of sweet balanced with ginger. Recipe called for 2 heaping spoonfuls of ginger. I used dried ground ginger, did a full tablespoon and a hair less than a second tablespoon since your comments said very pungent taste. Also messed up a bit in that I mixed the dry ingredients first, then added the molasses to incorporate and then 2 sticks of butter from the fridge. It was too late to do the heating with the saucepan part. Mixed everything up and kneaded it to a ball, then set it in the fridge for a few hours to firm up. Maybe it was because of this that the dough held its shape well when baking. The cookies don’t rise much and there was minimal spreading in the oven. Would have loved to have used a round biscuit cutter or skeleton cookie cutter but had to work with the fall leaf cutter I had on hand. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing :)
if you told me you had to feed corpse cakes to a sin eater, i would ask what video game you're talking about
I first learned about "Sin Eaters" from the 1972 episode of Night Gallery entitled "The Sins of the Father." 12yo me was quite creeped out.