I did, the frescoes are vividly stunning! As for food, there's some graffitis that mention it briefly, for example: «Casium et tres sc[- - -]rios habes» (“You have cheese and three (...)”) «Vinum acceptum ab domino VII Idus Apriles» (“Wine was received by the master on the 7th day before the Ides of April”). «Alica» (i.e. A form of wheat [either spelt or emmer]) Etc.
@@alexbertil2756 It was the equivalent of a fast food restaurant. They've found many, but this one was in particularly pristine condition... considering it had been covered in ash for 2000 years
Ancient mesopotamian archeologists have found letters between rulers where they complain about the leaders being, as we would put it: "broke ass bitch".
To any and all suitors who pine for the heart of lady Priscilla of the local tavern I bestowed my only advice on thee forgetaboutit -Maximus of the forge
"We two dear men, friends forever, were here. If you want to know our names, they are Gaius and Aulus." Imagine finding out that thousands of years later, everyone will know that you were best buds. Their names are immortalized, their friendship the stuff of legends.
And then they got mistaken with another Gaius and another Aulus who also were best friends and also visited this place but didn't leave any graffiti. :D
Makes sense why he'd recommend against it since alot of actresses back then were hookers or strippers in much the same way people today calling strippers "dancers" and hookers "escorts" to the point where if someone said "I'm marrying a professional dancer" or "I'm marrying an escort" everyone would assume they were marrying a professional naked lady.
@@dontmindme.justaguy to which church are you referring? I dont know it, so i may Sound Ignorant. I just thought that christianity was not quite so widespread in antiquity and much less so in scandinavia.
@@hanfpeter2822 Don't remember where but it had some Viking or other old civilization graffiti etched up at the top of the church, it may not have been a church originally though. Its been a few years since I've read the story.
LMBO!! That is such a good point!! I doubt he could have even conceive of the year of 2021, let alone could have imagined that that carving would basically make him imortal!! Its just so insane to think about everything that had to happen for us to be able to read those words today!! Absolutely mind boggling!!!
If this guy wrote that 1000 years later he would be famous for discovering a lost city. But he would be probably even more famous for being a necrophile
I once knew someone who was emphatically grossed out when I suggested trying escargot... but later I heard them say they loved conch fritters. Like I have some news for you about what a conch is...
But clams and oysters are also just slime and rubber... same goes for squid. I just wonder who was so desperate way back when that they decided to eat a SNAIL. And then they liked it? Was there nothing else? I'd eat leather before snails.
@@TastingHistory Thanks :) I'm really glad I found this channel during quarantine because it's something I introduced my mom to as something to watch during dinner, and she's hooked (to the point where I have to remind her it's a new episode weekly, not daily). My siblings have all moved back out after winter break, so its comforting to have something I can enjoy with family still. Hope that wasn't too sappy.
@@TastingHistory Now my mind is filled with this movie scene, but I'm substituting cochleas for breakfast and sorry looking burgers. ruclips.net/video/zJs9p-VNORw/видео.html
Same here, they disgust me a priori. My late grandma tried so many times to trick me, offering me snails disguised as "fried mushrooms"... Yet, to no avail. But watching a video is fine, especially if it is on Tasting History ;)
I think human social interactions haven't changed all that much. We still get/make baudy jokes. We still put little graffiti places and love our pet dogs (different thing I saw of ancient writings of people whose pet died).
@@ShadowFoxSF You are talking about Xenophon the Younger writing about his dog Horme. He closed off a section of his book on hunting that was about dogs talking about his own dog saying he raised her from a puppy and cried when buried her, then ended the section with this tribute. "I had a greyhound named Horme, who was of the greatest speed and intelligence, and was altogether excellent."
@@varedna maybe? The line I read was something along the lines of [dogs name] never barked without reason, and now is silent... The never barked without cause is the only part I recall somewhat clearly.
The picture is a big of graffiti from a villa outside Pompeii that was buried along side the town. It's a rather Mr. Magoo-looking head labeled "Rufus est" -- "this is Rufus".
My favorite graffito was related to the habit of some persons to skip a trip to the public latrines in favor of using a convenient nook or doorway. “May you profit by s***ing elsewhere”.
Yes my grandparents in the Netherlands in the 50s had a 3 room flat with the toilet in a closet on the landing and the kitchen was a closet with a sink and 2 burner gas hot plate. Oma raised and fed 5 kids there.
Imagine getting killed in a tragic Volcano Desaster that will be remembered through History, and in the afterlife you find out Historians found your Summerjob as a Frycook perfectly preserved for history.
I once saw an old man collecting snails on a local walking trail, they were the type of garden snails with the yellow swirl, anyway I asked him why he was collecting them and he said he was collecting them to eat. He explained how he would keep them in a box and feed them only bread or carrots for a few days to help purge their systems before he would boil them to eat.
For anyone wondering; the protein in the egg whites/fava bean creates a matrix that works as a filter for impurities: this is the concept behind traditional consomme. Fava bean is not required; any high protein mix will work - the liquor from a can of chickpeas (garbanzo) will work as well - it's often used as a thickener for vegan food.
You should check the videos about the epitaphs and memorial inscriptions Romans wrote about their pet dogs (e.g. Invicta's video "Pet Dogs in Ancient Rome"). Nothing comes quite as close in humanizing the ancient Romans.
@@lexagon9295 True, no matter the time period, you always get a feeling for the unbearable grief these people suffered for their loss. Just like us, they truly loved their pets like their own children.
Feel you on the Andes. When I was a kid, and we ate at a non-fast food restaurant, I judged how fancy they were based on whether or not they gave you Andes mints. They were just the fanciest, most delicate candies my little brain could imagine. Flash forward to my thirties, buying Andes to fill a candy jar....they're like a buck a box, retail.
This checks out. The Olive Garden always had Andes mints and they were the fanciest restaurant my family ever ate at. I was so surprised when I found out you can just buy those things by the box
"Magcargo" in the background of a video about an ancient snail dish served in Pompeii just before/during the volcanic eruption which destroyed the city is a very cheeky move, sir! I applaud and laud that at the same time.
Roman graffiti in Pompeii included some real pearls of wisdom, with my favorite being "Accensum qui pedicat urit mentulam" or "He who buggers a fire, burns his p*nis". Words to live by even in our post-industrial societies.
@@dontbefatuousjeffrey2494 I have no solid knowledge on the matter, but to my understanding "accensus" can mean something burning, something aroused and also something with an inflammation. The point might be that it actually is a three-way pun of the obvious meaning of sticking bodily parts into flames, never dating crazy and also being mindful of STDs. There might even be a sense in which it means getting too excited and thus careless leads to injury and also "you get what you ask for". All ageless wisdom in pithy form, written on the wall of a courthouse probably by someone contemplating either their own or someone else's life choices.
Boiled snails are pretty popular in Morocco as street food. Various spices are added to the broth. Probably not far from the way it could have been cooked in ancient Rome. I remember a conference in France, where we were served delicious snail pies as first course. My American neighbor really enjoyed them and asked me what kind of mushrooms were used for the filling. I told her they were snails. She immediately turned pale and ran to the restroom...
This week's pokemon is Magcargo, symbolising the snails the Romans ate, along with Vesuvius, the volcano that buried Pompeii, along with Stabiae and Herculaneum, under metres of pumice, ash and other volcanic products! By the way, I loved this one. Max makes good videos any way, but this one was hilarious, with his dead-pan and arch delivery making me laugh out loud frequently!
It's kind of weirdly comforting to know that the "[name] wuz here!" graffiti is a time-honored tradition going back since ancient Rome xD. Also I agree with the website, the graffiti complaining about all the graffiti is my favorite one too: _"O walls, you have held up so much tedious graffiti that I am amazed you have not already collapsed in ruin."_
@@mebrowneyedgirl To be fair, the worst accusations against her came from Procopius, who hated her and Justinian despite being well-paid to write the histories of his reign.
In Portugal the "Taberna" is the local traditional small cooffee place, where you can eat traditional fast food, like snails, pigs feet, pigs ear, liver, roasted chourizo, drink local red, white or green wine, have a cold beer and an expresso in the end. Somethings never change...
"Salute, this is Burger Augustus, may I take your order?" "Yeah, can I get Parthian Chicken Burger, with Cocleas BBQ and Extra Large Pepsi-crates, please."
Funny how the Roman Empire fell eh? Almost like the reverse was probably more true - the runaway slave looking for freedom, the sellswords trying to find a better life, the young prostitute trying to make ends meet... I would probably find gentler souls in a Roman tavern than the Senate.
This is one of those episodes that makes you realise how close we are to our ancestors, really - The seedy reputation of fast food continues through the centuries! Utterly wild, thank you for this Max
@@emilh2361 Yup, pet snails. One of the lowest maintenance pet that we could have. I found it very peaceful looking at em glide around.... not garden snails tho, they're pest that I'll take em away (not kill) whenever I see em. While its kinda different, I also used to keep some Ivory White snails in my aquarium to clean the algae. Damn, now I miss Snaily and Swirl.
I have a small fish tank that was overrun by bladder snails from a contaminated plant. It only takes one small egg or teeny snail to start a Gastropod-calypse. I moved my fish into a larger sanitized tank, and now I have pet snails.
@@luckybones7808 Seeing snails lay eggs in videos gives me trypophobia. I have no rational idea why but I just detest looking at snails, it's like my monkey brain immediately sees them as pests that need to be purged with fire and bleach.
11:35 is so passive aggressive "yeah we left you with soiled bedsheets, my bad, but it was because the service was so bad and our toilet didn't work so we just did it right there"
The reference to hourly room rates brought to mind Olongopo City in the Phillapines. The large U. S. Naval Base in Subic Bay sent many sailors into Olongopo where rooms were let on hourly rates. Many of the sailors found themselves on medical restriction after visits to Olongopo.
Not really. The senate in Ancient Rome was one big hodgepodge of Game Of Thrones-like political intriges. Politics never change, man. To be honest, the guy was part of the senate himself. Hardly a trustworthy source to rely on to find out how honorable the senate was. He was mainly boasting about his own ego.
@@SavageGreywolf Same game, newer technologies, with little to no emphasis on virtue or "merit". Power attracts wicked people. It's just how we are. Next to nothing has changed between the humans that existed two thousands years ago and those of us here today. The Stoics had the right idea, Aurelius especially (considering his popularity, there's no surprise there)
Hey Max just wanted to share that here in Portugal snails are a very usual savory snack to go alongside beer in cafés, just as lupin beans and spicy gizzards. We just eat them boiled, the smaller ones, and some people although not as usual, eat the bigger ones roasted over a fire. There's even a restaurant in my home town called "Casa dos Caracóis" (House of the Snails) and they do everything snails, omelettes, pasta, etc. But all and all maybe pretty safe to say that the roman tradition of eating pretty "undressed" snails stayed alive here on the westernmost tip of Europe. Loved to see some attention being given to this tasty treat!
I Had snails once. And i didn't think they taste of much themselves. You Taste the garlic, the spices, etc. But the snail itself is much lighter. And also they are chewy. Like a gum.
I just wanted to say you are like a live version of Barbara Tuchmans books. She first sparked my love of history when I was only 10. I devoured her books much as I eagerly await your videos. Thanks for your passion and interest in the everyday lives of past peoples.
0:03 Yeah as if Panda Express is any more Chinese than Taco Bell is Mexican.
3 года назад+46
In case someone is wondering about how snails taste like, I would say they taste like forest's soil. Have you ever smelled the fresh dirt in a wooded place, the dirt made from leaves you add to fertilize your garden, topsoil? As sea molluscs taste to sea, land molluscs taste to dirt. It isn't disagreeable, but I would say an acquired taste.
Oh my Lord I never ever ever thought I would be interested in tasting a snail.....but now I kind of am because I love the taste of earthy things. Very confused right now LOL
Sorely disappointed that your samples of roman grafitti didn't include that one about the guy in a gladiator's barracks who simply wrote "on this day, I baked bread"
I've only had escargot once, and I was quite happy with the butter and garlic flavor. I never even thought about the fact I was missing out on actual snail taste. And, after hearing your description, I'm even happier to say I don't really know what a snail tastes like.
This reminded me too much of The Producers: "You can't do that, actors are people. " "Really? Have you ever eaten with one?!" Perhaps the writer was Roman at heart!
In Portugal, snails ("caracóis") are still a popular fast food in many taverns ("tabernas") and restaurants. The ones used are much smaller than the ones in the video (or only about half as small if you ask for "caracoletas"). Despite my parents best efforts, I never did find the courage to eat them myself, but after your video I am a little curious. :)
i also saw "fresh" snails in the town markets on my holiday in Portugal. i did try a snail on a cruise ship once, i didn't really have a flavor of its own (it tasted like what you cooked them in) it was more of a texture.
"In the basilica: O walls, you have held up so much tedious graffiti that I am amazed you have not already collapsed in ruin (this is my favourite)" This is also my favorite one :D
I can’t get over the quality of these videos. The amount of research that must go into all of these episodes to bring so much relevant and interesting information that is all the while walking you through a part of the story you’re being told, a start of the story we’ve always wondered… what did those people eat? I am so happy I found this channel. LATINA EST VIVA! ET SEMPER ERIT!
@@TastingHistory really the thanks is all to you for putting in time and effort to produce high quality content to fulfill some deep need we all have to know what old people ate and how it tastes 😂😂😂 Seriously though I am in no need of thanks that is entirely to you
"I will read these in the voices I imagine they were written in." *reads inscription about wetting the bed in his own voice.* Hope everything's okay Max.
You have nailed the formula for this show!!! I can't believe you keep coming up with so many diverse and interesting videos! Your commentary is so great too. I love this content, please keep going!
If I needed another reason to love this channel, your opinion on the pseudo Mexican food made my day. Caballero lo felicito por su buen gusto y por la joya de canal. I’m binge watching your videos and love everything about them.
Man, discovering this channel was the best thing that happend to me in 2020. It's so odd that that there's so many people who share this odd fascination of history and food with me
Ancient Roman bawdy talk in a Joe Pesci voice is the most delightful thing I've heard since Covid started! It's no wonder Max got half a million subscribers in such a short time.
6:40 this actually blows my mind. We see all these recipes recreated, and that is already amazing and fun - but to hear that they found that vine vessel which actually has exactly what is written down in that ancient recipe collection.. I dunno, it's a small thing probably but it somehow blows my mind.
I remember reading a long time ago about ancient Roman traditions, eating snails was rather common but as i recall there was more to it. Snails kept with a bowl of raw milk would gorge themselves and swell to several times their size, then they would be cooked.
The painting that appears at 6:19 is one that I know well. My grandparents had a copy of it hanging in their dining room at their old house, and I always get a little excited when I see it in videos and such because I can go "hey! I've seen that before!"
I'm curious who read about the amazing find from Pompeii last month. It's definitely worth checking out if you didn't.
When I read the article I _knew_ you were gonna pounce on it! 🤣
@@TheVeryAngryShrimp Can't believe it took me so long : )
I did, the frescoes are vividly stunning!
As for food, there's some graffitis that mention it briefly, for example: «Casium et
tres sc[- - -]rios habes» (“You have cheese and three (...)”)
«Vinum acceptum
ab domino VII Idus Apriles» (“Wine was received by the master on the 7th day before the Ides of April”).
«Alica» (i.e. A form of wheat [either spelt or emmer])
Etc.
@@alexbertil2756 It was the equivalent of a fast food restaurant. They've found many, but this one was in particularly pristine condition... considering it had been covered in ash for 2000 years
@@TastingHistory You can't rush perfection!
Honestly that back and forth graffiti between those two guys really drives the point home that social media smack talk isn't all that new.
Ancient mesopotamian archeologists have found letters between rulers where they complain about the leaders being, as we would put it: "broke ass bitch".
Its the same concept as people having arguments on the walls of bathroom stalls with sharpies
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The mechanisms remain the same, it's the volumes that damages humanity.
There is also the famous Babylonian complaint tablet.
"What part of Rome are you from?"
"Brooklyn."
Well done, that man.
To any and all suitors who pine for the heart of lady Priscilla of the local tavern I bestowed my only advice on thee
forgetaboutit
-Maximus of the forge
In some alternate reality, this is a fact.
Was thinking the same thing! xD
"We two dear men, friends forever, were here.
If you want to know our names, they are Gaius and Aulus."
Imagine finding out that thousands of years later, everyone will know that you were best buds. Their names are immortalized, their friendship the stuff of legends.
And then they got mistaken with another Gaius and another Aulus who also were best friends and also visited this place but didn't leave any graffiti. :D
Hey, their wishes came true!
Honestly, I ship them. I hope they lived happy lives together, and, you know, not executed or anything.
Oh my god they were roommates.
Oldest Bros known to man
A Roman walks into a Tibern and holds up two fingers: "Five wines, please, barman."
Classic 🤣
"bring me a martinus"
Do you mean Martini?
"If I want two, I'll ask for them."
@@mrdanforth3744 love it!
Excellent!
Oh my god dad?? I didn’t know you had a RUclips account!!
my favorite of the graffiti is this: " If anyone does not believe in Venus, they should gaze at my girlfriend"
That's lovely
@@cablecar10 : Maybe yes, maybe no, how similar was Venus considered to be to Aphrodite?
@@absalomdraconis Literally Roman Aphrodite
@@absalomdraconis ctrl-c, ctrl-v, change name → done =)
And if you still don't believe, what's up, I'm right here.
justinian: no marrying actresses
also justinian: *marries an actress*
every old man: do as i say, don't do as i do
Makes sense why he'd recommend against it since alot of actresses back then were hookers or strippers in much the same way people today calling strippers "dancers" and hookers "escorts" to the point where if someone said "I'm marrying a professional dancer" or "I'm marrying an escort" everyone would assume they were marrying a professional naked lady.
I was looking for this comment lol
Yep, that’s the first thing that popped out at me too.
Totally worth it tho.
My favorite ancient Graffiti Is 10 feet up on a wall and says "lt was hard to get up here."
Isn't that one on a old church in Sweden or Norway or something?
@@dontmindme.justaguy either his description of "ancient" is wrong or it is not in scandinavia or even less on a Church there
@@hanfpeter2822 Well I mean if it is that church than its still pretty old, ancient would still be an ok description.
@@dontmindme.justaguy to which church are you referring? I dont know it, so i may Sound Ignorant. I just thought that christianity was not quite so widespread in antiquity and much less so in scandinavia.
@@hanfpeter2822 Don't remember where but it had some Viking or other old civilization graffiti etched up at the top of the church, it may not have been a church originally though. Its been a few years since I've read the story.
"I screwed the barmaid"
Imagine finding out that even 1000 years later, people will know that you screwed the barmaid. What a legend.
Quite literally a legend!
Imagine if he was lying, just to boast. Lol
LMBO!! That is such a good point!! I doubt he could have even conceive of the year of 2021, let alone could have imagined that that carving would basically make him imortal!! Its just so insane to think about everything that had to happen for us to be able to read those words today!! Absolutely mind boggling!!!
@FlyingMonkies325 Don't worry, syphilis is mostly a new-world disease in those days. I'm sure he got some other infection instead.
If this guy wrote that 1000 years later he would be famous for discovering a lost city. But he would be probably even more famous for being a necrophile
For anyone who is super grossed out by snails, think of them this way. You're basically cooking clams or oysters, but with a funny shaped shell.
I once knew someone who was emphatically grossed out when I suggested trying escargot... but later I heard them say they loved conch fritters. Like I have some news for you about what a conch is...
As if clams or oysters are more appetizing
But clams are also gross
But clams and oysters are also just slime and rubber... same goes for squid. I just wonder who was so desperate way back when that they decided to eat a SNAIL. And then they liked it? Was there nothing else? I'd eat leather before snails.
What if you're super grossed out by oysters?
"Snail Hut: Fast Food, Slow Animal"
I like that! Trademark
@@TastingHistory Thanks :)
I'm really glad I found this channel during quarantine because it's something I introduced my mom to as something to watch during dinner, and she's hooked (to the point where I have to remind her it's a new episode weekly, not daily). My siblings have all moved back out after winter break, so its comforting to have something I can enjoy with family still. Hope that wasn't too sappy.
😆
Funny.
Snail Hut, you can't out-snails the hut
"Hello, I'd like an order of cocleas, with a Hippocrates Pepper to drink."
"Would you like to Ceasar size that?"
"I'm Roman, of course I would!"
This is why Rome fell - obesity
🤣
@@MrTomcus1234 Maybe not the reason for the fall but surely why it could not get up again...
@@Aliasbaba41 Damn someone beat me to it!
@@Aliasbaba41 Flavius Belisarius does not approve this message.
11:12 "Ate here most agreeably, and had a screw at the same time." Now that's a 5-star Yelp review if I ever saw one.
"I'll have II numerus IX's, a numerus IX magna, a numerus VI with extra garum, a numerus VII, II numerus XLV's, I with caseus, and a magna wine"
I feel like a nerd for being able to understand this lol.
Underrated comment
Big smokius
@@leonardhernandez38
*MAGNA SMOKIVS*
*MAGNA * IMPERATOR * SMOKIVS*
-Uuuhhh can I get a uuuhhh...Cocleas?
-Sir, this is a Burger King
🤣 did I stutter?
lol
@@TastingHistory Now my mind is filled with this movie scene, but I'm substituting cochleas for breakfast and sorry looking burgers.
ruclips.net/video/zJs9p-VNORw/видео.html
Today's restaurants are so unrefined.
Lemme get uhhhhhhhhhh.................. MUSSELS......and uhhhhhh..... OYSTERS......and uhhhhhh some BONELESS chicken.
Ancient Rome sounded lit tbh
"Women are in awe of me. Men are envious of me." - Bigus Dickus.
Monty Python reference? I love "Life of Brian", haha!
@@mollyscozykitchen4693 centurion..... Thruuuh hheeem tooo the fluuuuur.
@@safwanshuhaib9968 The what, sir?
@@mollyscozykitchen4693 thruuu heem tuu the fluur
@@safwanshuhaib9968 Oh, the floor, sir! Very good, sir. Shall I strike him?
Do I like snails? No. Am I going to watch a video entirely about how they used to be fast food? Absolutely
I’ll take one for the team 🤣
I've eaten them but was fairly indifferent although eating such a cute animal made me feel guilty.
@@vixis Cute? I think you mean "nauseating!"
Same here, they disgust me a priori.
My late grandma tried so many times to trick me, offering me snails disguised as "fried mushrooms"... Yet, to no avail.
But watching a video is fine, especially if it is on Tasting History ;)
@@csweezey18 lol. I think we will disagree on this.
One can only hope that fast food restaurant was called “Escar-On-The-Go”.
🤣 brilliant
Or Max is going to open one with that name with only historical recepies! :D
LOL But seriously, the restaurant's name would most likely be in Latin.
Service is super slow though :/
I would so totally eat at a fast food mollusk place. _Especially_ if it had a name like "Escar-On-The-Go!"
"now pray, who can live without a snack" true words of wisdom
"Hey this guy love Iris, and she dont like him cus he's so ugly lol"
"Im actually very handsome, you're just jealous"
Iris: 🙄
Fr I’m on Team Severus
the walls of Pompei were the twitter of Ancient Rome XD
@@Ysckemia :O. Thats uncanny
@@fangirl365 Always
roman to iris: holy mother of god woman, you could read
"Now, pray, who can live without a snack"
I felt that
Even the ancients couldn’t resist a good snack... I’ve never felt so close to my ancestors
I love that the romans had humor that still makes us laugh, truly amusing
I think human social interactions haven't changed all that much.
We still get/make baudy jokes. We still put little graffiti places and love our pet dogs (different thing I saw of ancient writings of people whose pet died).
@@ShadowFoxSF indeed, we haven't changed much when it comes to socializing
Although there is a lot more people writing that they like men than there is now
@@ShadowFoxSF You are talking about Xenophon the Younger writing about his dog Horme. He closed off a section of his book on hunting that was about dogs talking about his own dog saying he raised her from a puppy and cried when buried her, then ended the section with this tribute.
"I had a greyhound named Horme, who was of the greatest speed and intelligence, and was altogether excellent."
@@varedna maybe? The line I read was something along the lines of [dogs name] never barked without reason, and now is silent...
The never barked without cause is the only part I recall somewhat clearly.
"Oh, cool, a show about snails! Nifty!"
"I SCREWED THE BARMAID"
Max, your little surprises never cease to amuse me. You're one of the best channels!
No no, my fine gentleman. It's "I ScwEwed Da bArmeid"
The picture is a big of graffiti from a villa outside Pompeii that was buried along side the town. It's a rather Mr. Magoo-looking head labeled "Rufus est" -- "this is Rufus".
🤣 thank you. It was one of my favorites because of its brevity.
My favorite graffito was related to the habit of some persons to skip a trip to the public latrines in favor of using a convenient nook or doorway.
“May you profit by s***ing elsewhere”.
@@jeffreyhenion4818 I recall several from Pompeii that boiled down to, "stop shitting by the city wall." Apparently a common problem.
"If you're a plebian, or don't own a villa, you probably live in something called an insula"
*Housing, housing* never changes.
Didn’t think of that but... yeah.
Except they did not have homeless shelters back then they just rounded up the homeless and introduced them to the honest life of slave hood
Yes my grandparents in the Netherlands in the 50s had a 3 room flat with the toilet in a closet on the landing and the kitchen was a closet with a sink and 2 burner gas hot plate. Oma raised and fed 5 kids there.
@@GrandDungeonDad slavery and shelter, food and water or freedom and nothing else?
@@plt927 or the other option being crucified along the road to Rome for their rebellion.
“The elite shall not marry actresses” huh? Hey, Justinian, I think your wife Theodora has something to say to you...
Yeah but Justinian was a rockstar.
Kind of a free spirit.
@@adrianaslund8605 And that's why he's FUCKIN AWESOME.
@@KC622V2 Sad that he has a plague named after him though. Not to mention falling ill himself, but he recovered so that's a plus.
Not to mention Evita
Do as I say, not as I do.
Imagine getting killed in a tragic Volcano Desaster that will be remembered through History, and in the afterlife you find out Historians found your Summerjob as a Frycook perfectly preserved for history.
Apparently, even Romans had "Joe jobs."
Lucius was a partimer!
Whould be a cool comedy/history series.
And your boss still wants to know if you can come in today.
The giant mountain exploded can I have the day off?
@@skinfaceskinhands6514 By Mars, you again?! Do you really want this job?! Go back to work and do not bother me, I have luggage to pack!
Shout outs Gaius and Aulus. Truly your friendship is recognized in eternity.
We should all wish to have a friendship as legendary
Wonder if they were ‘good friends’ in the same way some people are ‘just roommates’?
I hope they both survived the eruption.
@@Wackyfox could be, since this is ancient Rome
Bros of legend
I once saw an old man collecting snails on a local walking trail, they were the type of garden snails with the yellow swirl, anyway I asked him why he was collecting them and he said he was collecting them to eat. He explained how he would keep them in a box and feed them only bread or carrots for a few days to help purge their systems before he would boil them to eat.
These are still eaten in Crete today, they even have a similar name: χοχλιούς, or chochlious
Yes! I actually looked at several modern recipe from Crete for reference. It’s what makes me sure they were live snails in the shell.
"Caracoles" are also a not too uncommon tapa in Spain.
I would love to go to Crête.
In Portugal we also have snails, they are called "caracóis"!! Have that with some beer on a hot day and you won't regret it 😋
@@anamargaridacosta1935
I’ll skip the beer, as I’m not too fond of it, but I love molluscs.
I absolutely love the old graffiti.
The Gaius and Aulus one is oddly heartwarming.
For anyone wondering; the protein in the egg whites/fava bean creates a matrix that works as a filter for impurities: this is the concept behind traditional consomme.
Fava bean is not required; any high protein mix will work - the liquor from a can of chickpeas (garbanzo) will work as well - it's often used as a thickener for vegan food.
Man that graffiti was very... Humanizing. I often forget that these romans so long ago were humans just like you and me.
Exactly. That’s why I love stuff like that.
The hardware is pretty much the same but there's been a few updates to the OS since then. ;)
You should check the videos about the epitaphs and memorial inscriptions Romans wrote about their pet dogs (e.g. Invicta's video "Pet Dogs in Ancient Rome"). Nothing comes quite as close in humanizing the ancient Romans.
@@brendanbuxton9848 If you can call them "updates" - it's dumbed down, loaded with bloatware and viruses, buggy and hardly works at all.
@@lexagon9295 True, no matter the time period, you always get a feeling for the unbearable grief these people suffered for their loss. Just like us, they truly loved their pets like their own children.
My favorite graffiti: "On April 19th, I made bread."
Literally all of instagram last year.
We're a bit predictable, aren't we? Food, sex, food, sex.
they posted it on their wall
@@ChristmasCrustacean1 *holy shit*
@@manictiger and shitting, can’t forget the shit
Feel you on the Andes. When I was a kid, and we ate at a non-fast food restaurant, I judged how fancy they were based on whether or not they gave you Andes mints. They were just the fanciest, most delicate candies my little brain could imagine. Flash forward to my thirties, buying Andes to fill a candy jar....they're like a buck a box, retail.
Yet here we are. Andes Mints are the purest form of mint and chocolate.
@@scottcates I once ate at a restaurant that served what tasted like an Andes but looked like a matchstick. Now THAT was fancy to my 6th grade brain!
This checks out. The Olive Garden always had Andes mints and they were the fanciest restaurant my family ever ate at. I was so surprised when I found out you can just buy those things by the box
"Magcargo" in the background of a video about an ancient snail dish served in Pompeii just before/during the volcanic eruption which destroyed the city is a very cheeky move, sir!
I applaud and laud that at the same time.
Roman graffiti in Pompeii included some real pearls of wisdom, with my favorite being "Accensum qui pedicat urit mentulam" or "He who buggers a fire, burns his p*nis". Words to live by even in our post-industrial societies.
I'm guessing this is either a warning about venereal disease, or a version of "never date crazy" - what do you think?
@@dontbefatuousjeffrey2494 I have no solid knowledge on the matter, but to my understanding "accensus" can mean something burning, something aroused and also something with an inflammation. The point might be that it actually is a three-way pun of the obvious meaning of sticking bodily parts into flames, never dating crazy and also being mindful of STDs. There might even be a sense in which it means getting too excited and thus careless leads to injury and also "you get what you ask for". All ageless wisdom in pithy form, written on the wall of a courthouse probably by someone contemplating either their own or someone else's life choices.
@@lexagon9295 That's just... superb.
Imma steal it ;-)
That... is probably a "Pompeian chancre". Imagine the service there.
@@MichaelTheophilus906 they did its on the side of the building
Boiled snails are pretty popular in Morocco as street food. Various spices are added to the broth. Probably not far from the way it could have been cooked in ancient Rome.
I remember a conference in France, where we were served delicious snail pies as first course. My American neighbor really enjoyed them and asked me what kind of mushrooms were used for the filling. I told her they were snails. She immediately turned pale and ran to the restroom...
I had babbouche in Tangier
How rude ! She ate it . Now let it leave her the natural way .
Unless maybe she was vegetarian ?
“Who puts fava beans in their wine”
Hannibal: mmm Fava beans
It was a nice chianti.
@@tehbonehead Both go well with liver, I hear.
fh fh fh fh fh fh fh
@@oldcowbb I've never seen that bit rendered in print before - that was brilliant :-D
@@tehbonehead In the books it was a big Amarone.
This week's pokemon is Magcargo, symbolising the snails the Romans ate, along with Vesuvius, the volcano that buried Pompeii, along with Stabiae and Herculaneum, under metres of pumice, ash and other volcanic products!
By the way, I loved this one. Max makes good videos any way, but this one was hilarious, with his dead-pan and arch delivery making me laugh out loud frequently!
10:38 2 bros chillin at the thermopolia 5 ft apart cause they're not gay
2 bros social distancing 6 ft apart cause they ain't gay
It's kind of weirdly comforting to know that the "[name] wuz here!" graffiti is a time-honored tradition going back since ancient Rome xD. Also I agree with the website, the graffiti complaining about all the graffiti is my favorite one too:
_"O walls, you have held up so much tedious graffiti that I am amazed you have not already collapsed in ruin."_
It was just Kilroy’s ancient cousin
Justinian conveniently forgot that his wife Theodora was a rather popular “actress” when he married her.
"Actress" is a euphemism 😂
Amazing how little has changed in the last 2k years.
@@mebrowneyedgirl To be fair, the worst accusations against her came from Procopius, who hated her and Justinian despite being well-paid to write the histories of his reign.
@@rcrawford42 the man literally claimed Justinian ran around the palace at night with his head torn off and breathing fire. Typical historian
@@SeanHiruki And that Theodora was a literal demon
I would kill for a historical comedy of a friend group of young romans in Pompeii, I mean it would be both hilarious and educational
Have you seen "Plebs"? It's not in Pompeii, but it reminds me of what you described.
Damn for a second I thought I was creative
Max: "With remains still in some of the containers"
Fast Food Manager: "It's still good, sell it to the customer."
In Portugal, you can enjoy these snails in a savory, spicy broth served with a side of fresh bread and a cold beer.
Same in morocco, minus the beer and bread. It's usually a winter street food, warm and spicy, amazing for when it's freezing.
Along the coast of Maine, periwinkles are eaten, picked out of their boiled shells with a safety pin, dipped in butter.
In Portugal the "Taberna" is the local traditional small cooffee place, where you can eat traditional fast food, like snails, pigs feet, pigs ear, liver, roasted chourizo, drink local red, white or green wine, have a cold beer and an expresso in the end. Somethings never change...
Portugal, Portus Cale!
"Salute, this is Burger Augustus, may I take your order?"
"Yeah, can I get Parthian Chicken Burger, with Cocleas BBQ and Extra Large Pepsi-crates, please."
I'll have two number IX, a number IX magnum, a number VI with extra liquamen, a number VII, two number XXXXVs, one with caseus, and a conditum magnum.
@@abelbabel8484 magnum fumum
@@John-hs4in Est
Sir, this is a Vendus.
Would you like a Caesar salad with that?
I see what you did there, with that Magcargo plushie in the background
Perfect, right?
pokemon reference for the win xD
And he has the shocked expression, like what you EAT SNAILS???
@@CommandoNolife the pokemon plushies are his fiancé's, so the gaming videos might probably come from him instead lol
@@CommandoNolife 😅 unfortunately he says he's not much of a gamer, he just likes watching jose play
That tiny spoon is meant for caviar. Metal spoons can create off-flavors in caviar, so bone or shell spoons are often used.
“You will find virtue in the temple, the marketplace, and the senate.”
Well that didn’t age well.
Nah, it aged perfectly, we just regressed to it.
We should ask Mitch McConnell, he was there then too.
Funny how the Roman Empire fell eh?
Almost like the reverse was probably more true - the runaway slave looking for freedom, the sellswords trying to find a better life, the young prostitute trying to make ends meet... I would probably find gentler souls in a Roman tavern than the Senate.
@@matasa7463 Prostitutes are always trying to make "ends meet" 😂
@@jasonhemphill6980 They make ends meet, alright.
This is one of those episodes that makes you realise how close we are to our ancestors, really - The seedy reputation of fast food continues through the centuries! Utterly wild, thank you for this Max
Only difference is now a days you can't get a hand job upstairs at the McDonald's.
@@FritzMonorail You just need to know the password man, yesterday they allow me to bust on the ice cream machine.
And they had Twitter beef, just with a different medium. I’m not sure if that’s reassuring or depressing.
You clearly haven’t been to a macdonalds in England on a Saturday night
@@alexanderpasha1826 You tellin me that a maccies at 3am is the peak of gentrification and culture lad?
"1 tea spoon of salt"
Torturing your garden pest before gobbling them down, I see
Italian here, minus silphium and garum (and with parsley and garlic) my grandma used to cook them like that for me quite often after it rained.
We had them in sauce
Same in here in Catalonia. Just after rain, you could get enough for 4 rations in 10 minutes. Strange there are not that common in wetter climates.
@@framegrace1
South Western Canada, lots of snails in the springtime also lots of rain.
I loved the excerpts from the great Roman wall of Yelp.
I love snails with garlic and parsley butter. Honestly my old man used to make it like a snack for me all the time.
"Gaius Valerius Venustus, soldier of the 1st praetorian cohort, in the century of Rufus, screwer of women"
Based sex haver.
"Hail, coclea?"
"Coclea slave runneth away."
"Understandable. Hail to Caesar."
"Salve, coclea?"
"Coclea servus autem fugit."
"Comprehensibilis. Ave Caesar."
That magcargo in the background: “Why you torture me like this?”
"Chie, I hope your hemorrhoids rub together so much that they hurt worse than when they ever have before!"
- Some Roman guy in the basilica
Max: if you have live snails, that’s fantastic.
Me with pet snails: ummmm yes... but no
Pet... snails?
@@emilh2361 Yup, pet snails. One of the lowest maintenance pet that we could have. I found it very peaceful looking at em glide around.... not garden snails tho, they're pest that I'll take em away (not kill) whenever I see em.
While its kinda different, I also used to keep some Ivory White snails in my aquarium to clean the algae. Damn, now I miss Snaily and Swirl.
I have a small fish tank that was overrun by bladder snails from a contaminated plant. It only takes one small egg or teeny snail to start a Gastropod-calypse.
I moved my fish into a larger sanitized tank, and now I have pet snails.
@@luckybones7808 Seeing snails lay eggs in videos gives me trypophobia. I have no rational idea why but I just detest looking at snails, it's like my monkey brain immediately sees them as pests that need to be purged with fire and bleach.
Basvsgafsgshagx yeah
the way you say "Fine French Foods Provider" gets me every time
"could they really be so crass"
"well, let's look at their graffiti that's too crass to put in this video"
11:35 is so passive aggressive
"yeah we left you with soiled bedsheets, my bad, but it was because the service was so bad and our toilet didn't work so we just did it right there"
Yeah I'm gonna need a full feature film about ancient Rome cast solely with grumpy Italian American new yorkers, accents and all
Seriously. Why do they always sound like upper class Brits?
@@catrinlewis939 Here, the exact opposite to that shit, Monty Python dubbed in Latin;
ruclips.net/video/RxfDIV1f0R4/видео.html
@@catrinlewis939
Probably because the best actors usually are.
@@SeymoreSparda the monty python guys could probably have done it in latin themselves.
Try this one while you are waiting ruclips.net/video/rR_5h8CzRcI/видео.html
The reference to hourly room rates brought to mind Olongopo City in the Phillapines. The large U. S. Naval Base in Subic Bay sent many sailors into Olongopo where rooms were let on hourly rates. Many of the sailors found themselves on medical restriction after visits to Olongopo.
"you will find virtue in the temple, the marketplace, the senate house"
Boy would he be pissed were he alive today.
Not really. The senate in Ancient Rome was one big hodgepodge of Game Of Thrones-like political intriges. Politics never change, man.
To be honest, the guy was part of the senate himself. Hardly a trustworthy source to rely on to find out how honorable the senate was. He was mainly boasting about his own ego.
@@Zievereir44 exactly this
if anything we're still a bit more civilized than Roman government was. A bit.
No shit. lol Politicians today might as well let their whores and mistresses live with them. Some probably do.
@@SavageGreywolf Same game, newer technologies, with little to no emphasis on virtue or "merit". Power attracts wicked people. It's just how we are. Next to nothing has changed between the humans that existed two thousands years ago and those of us here today. The Stoics had the right idea, Aurelius especially (considering his popularity, there's no surprise there)
@@Zievereir44 Nothing really change, politicians are more dirty than Prostitutes
Hey Max just wanted to share that here in Portugal snails are a very usual savory snack to go alongside beer in cafés, just as lupin beans and spicy gizzards. We just eat them boiled, the smaller ones, and some people although not as usual, eat the bigger ones roasted over a fire. There's even a restaurant in my home town called "Casa dos Caracóis" (House of the Snails) and they do everything snails, omelettes, pasta, etc. But all and all maybe pretty safe to say that the roman tradition of eating pretty "undressed" snails stayed alive here on the westernmost tip of Europe. Loved to see some attention being given to this tasty treat!
I Had snails once. And i didn't think they taste of much themselves.
You Taste the garlic, the spices, etc. But the snail itself is much lighter. And also they are chewy. Like a gum.
In northern Spain too!
Very nice!
I just wanted to say you are like a live version of Barbara Tuchmans books. She first sparked my love of history when I was only 10. I devoured her books much as I eagerly await your videos. Thanks for your passion and interest in the everyday lives of past peoples.
Funny timing- I recently told my friends about how the Romans had fast food and they thought I was joking until they looked it up!
🤣 proof!
I'd imagine you would have to go VERY far back in time to find a city without any "grab and go" street food.
@@jasonblalock4429
I imagine that if it could be called a city, it had vendors that sold food to go.
"Now, pray, who can live without a snack." Bruh I feel this so much
11:54 Good to know that trash talking and trolling really hasn't changed that much in over a millenia
I feel like I just got all the gossip from down at my local Roman market.
Ave sidizen.
I'll have II number IXs, a number IX large, a number VI with extra dip, a number VII, II number XLVs, I with cheese, and a large posca.
Me to
@@therugburnz "Me two" fixed it for you
0:03 Yeah as if Panda Express is any more Chinese than Taco Bell is Mexican.
In case someone is wondering about how snails taste like, I would say they taste like forest's soil. Have you ever smelled the fresh dirt in a wooded place, the dirt made from leaves you add to fertilize your garden, topsoil? As sea molluscs taste to sea, land molluscs taste to dirt. It isn't disagreeable, but I would say an acquired taste.
Thank you!
Like mushroom..?
Oh my Lord I never ever ever thought I would be interested in tasting a snail.....but now I kind of am because I love the taste of earthy things. Very confused right now LOL
Kinda like truffles then. Not unpleasant.
Ah, so like beets?? Oh no... 🤢
Sorely disappointed that your samples of roman grafitti didn't include that one about the guy in a gladiator's barracks who simply wrote "on this day, I baked bread"
I've only had escargot once, and I was quite happy with the butter and garlic flavor. I never even thought about the fact I was missing out on actual snail taste. And, after hearing your description, I'm even happier to say I don't really know what a snail tastes like.
This reminded me too much of The Producers: "You can't do that, actors are people. " "Really? Have you ever eaten with one?!" Perhaps the writer was Roman at heart!
Or from Rosencranz and Guildenstern are Dead: "We [actors] are not people, we are the opposite of people."
Amazing movie
Well, Mel Brooks did work for Sid Caesar, and he directed ''History of the World, Part I.'' Which has a hilarious Roman scene.
im gonna go eat some snails
a fine descision!!
But then they give you a meal comprised entirely of onions
make a video called "eating snails"
Try it with tamarind
OMFG ITS BERD
In Portugal, snails ("caracóis") are still a popular fast food in many taverns ("tabernas") and restaurants. The ones used are much smaller than the ones in the video (or only about half as small if you ask for "caracoletas").
Despite my parents best efforts, I never did find the courage to eat them myself, but after your video I am a little curious. :)
i also saw "fresh" snails in the town markets on my holiday in Portugal. i did try a snail on a cruise ship once, i didn't really have a flavor of its own (it tasted like what you cooked them in) it was more of a texture.
Growing up in the Midwest of the US, we still had escargot at certain upscale bars and wine bars
"In the basilica: O walls, you have held up so much tedious graffiti that I am amazed you have not already collapsed in ruin (this is my favourite)" This is also my favorite one :D
I can’t get over the quality of these videos. The amount of research that must go into all of these episodes to bring so much relevant and interesting information that is all the while walking you through a part of the story you’re being told, a start of the story we’ve always wondered… what did those people eat?
I am so happy I found this channel.
LATINA EST VIVA!
ET SEMPER ERIT!
Thank you!
@@TastingHistory really the thanks is all to you for putting in time and effort to produce high quality content to fulfill some deep need we all have to know what old people ate and how it tastes 😂😂😂
Seriously though I am in no need of thanks that is entirely to you
@@TastingHistory wow and I realized I hadn’t even subscribed yet lol
I love reading ancient Roman grafitti. It's nice to know that humans have just always been like that. 😂
"I will read these in the voices I imagine they were written in."
*reads inscription about wetting the bed in his own voice.*
Hope everything's okay Max.
How anyone ever looked at a snail and thought "That looks tasty" is utterly beyond me.
It was probably some of my ancestors that hated to run and thought…
*”Hey! A snack I can catch!”*
@@glorygloryholeallelujah so you're an athlete? :D
@@Martial-Mat only if competitive eating counts….
Bahaha
@@glorygloryholeallelujah :D
If you're starving, then yeah, anything starts looking tasty after awhile.
"Hi, can I get a little roman meal but with snail nuggets instead?"
But are they superior to blubber nuggets?
Yes, that was a Fairly Oddparents reference.
@@sarahtaylor4264 jokes aside, i could totally see a culture that ate blubber nuggets as a fast food snack.
You have nailed the formula for this show!!! I can't believe you keep coming up with so many diverse and interesting videos! Your commentary is so great too. I love this content, please keep going!
Thank you! I got lots of ideas yet to come 😁
I agree. I LOVE the format of this show so much.
If I needed another reason to love this channel, your opinion on the pseudo Mexican food made my day. Caballero lo felicito por su buen gusto y por la joya de canal. I’m binge watching your videos and love everything about them.
Man, discovering this channel was the best thing that happend to me in 2020. It's so odd that that there's so many people who share this odd fascination of history and food with me
I was always fascinated by the clothing in history.p
Ancient Roman bawdy talk in a Joe Pesci voice is the most delightful thing I've heard since Covid started! It's no wonder Max got half a million subscribers in such a short time.
I mean, it works, right!
@@TastingHistory
Home Run!
I guess they were all Italian in a way
6:40 this actually blows my mind.
We see all these recipes recreated, and that is already amazing and fun - but to hear that they found that vine vessel which actually has exactly what is written down in that ancient recipe collection.. I dunno, it's a small thing probably but it somehow blows my mind.
The fact that the system of a restaurant under housing was around in Ancient Rome is just so cool
Can we make "now pray, who can live without a snack" come back? I want shirts dangit.
Good call.
I remember reading a long time ago about ancient Roman traditions, eating snails was rather common but as i recall there was more to it. Snails kept with a bowl of raw milk would gorge themselves and swell to several times their size, then they would be cooked.
That slugma doll is killing me. It's like it just noticed you and froze in terror.
It's Magcargo, you plebian.
Imagine being a lava snail and then cooked
They tried to cook himnso he destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Sh*tposting of the Ancients - they didn't teach that one in school:)
The painting that appears at 6:19 is one that I know well. My grandparents had a copy of it hanging in their dining room at their old house, and I always get a little excited when I see it in videos and such because I can go "hey! I've seen that before!"
"You love Iris, but she does not love you."
Oof, that's rough buddy XD
by the guy's replies I can't blame Iris. Dude is in love with himself more than her by the sounds of it.
Some nights ya feel like having smoked salmon potato cakes with herbed crème fraîche and some nights ya feel like having Taco Bell.
Mixing egg whites into wine doesn't really remove the red shade, but it will help to clarify it/remove the leese. I wonder what Fava beans would do!
Max: Nothing is more disgusting than cold snails.
The Code of Justinian: Actors!
I mean "actors" were often whores when not on stage... oh wait, I guess nothing much has changed.
Justinian really be falling in love with an actress then bans everyone else from doing the same
@@fannykeith So no one repeat his mistake