Feeding the Ottoman Army - Warrior's Halva
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- čas přidán 14. 08. 2023
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Oh the dude on the left on your thumbnail was in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen! His head got cut off and it landed on a woman’s lap and then he winked at her. Btw it’s one of my favorite movies and it has to do with the Ottoman empire.
@@danielflynn8530 I gotta watch that!
My first two bags are absolutely fantastic!
Very apropos sponsor for a Turkish dessert that would have gone well with Turkish Cavfe.
It really seems to be very tasty, here in Austria are many Turks and Iĺl ask for this kind of Halva (as I know it, usually it's made with sesame seeds).
And I know the kind how you shape them with two spoons, here we make "Griesnockerln" in that manner, which are boiled in the soup as an inlay. Iĺl bring you to some typical small Austrian/Viennese Restaurants, when you visit Austria in September.
As a Turkish person, I can indeed confirm that you can eat an entire pot of helva in one sitting. Also, nowadays, helva is usually made after someone has passed away in the family. We also make helva on the death anniversary of our loved ones, so right now, I think it is associated with death more than anything else.
Amusingly, I'm the same way with finger sandwiches. Growing up, we only had them at wakes. Got to the point where if I came home & saw trays of finger sandwiches, my response was to ask who died. 😅
After learning of that, I'll never look at helva/halva the same way again, now it will be sadder.
I mean, given it's origins as something you ate after a battle, where a bunch of your comrades just died, and ultimately were successful in killing a lot of people, given that you just won a battle, it seems like it always had some association with death
In India we eat it sometimes as breakfast, because semolina halva healthier than western breakfast like oats.
Also like me if someone is in sports or gym in India they eat it daily in break fast without sugar because of low fat High fiber and protein
it is not a meal it is dessert so no of course they were getting feast @@xiomaraarias4775
I'm amazed at how descriptive and detailed the recipe from the book is. Seems like a complete outlier compared to other historical cook books.
I totally agree!
A big reason was that the Ottomans in that time were very precise with record keeping. This was during the tanzimat-era, or era of reform when the Ottomans wanted to transform into a modern state based on European model. Now the Ottomans were in the decline and the Europeans saw them as unorganized and incapable rulers. This resulted in the Ottomans almost "overcorrecting" in the record keeping part of things. There are some many records from this time, all complete with as much quantifiers as they could fit.
I'd imagine it was the fact that the Ottoman Empire still existed in 1900's.
I think I would like a copy of this cookbook
The Turkish one
It’s because this recipe is from 1844 like he states in the video
The chemistry of the roux: As the flour cooks, the strands of starches unwind, at first just hanging out with the fat (1st liquefication), then forming a network that traps the fat (re-firming). Then as the starches cook, they get broken down, losing their thickening power but developing deeper flavors (second liquefication), releasing the fat it had previously trapped. The longer you cook it, the deeper the flavor (as long as you don't burn it), and the less thickening power the flour will have. This recipe aims for the sweet spot of a medium roux, smack in between a blonde roux and a brick roux. This way it doesn't lose all of its thickening properties, but has considerably more flavor than if the flour was just barely cooked.
When you add the milk, the proteins and sugars in the milk tangle with those starches that remain in the flour and re-establish a matrix, one that's robust enough to trap both the fat and the liquid.
My thanks to Alton Brown and _Good Eats_ for that bit of cooking science.
I'd be interested to try this with maple syrup as the sweetener, or chestnut honey, which has a bittersweet flavor.
Thank you very much for some knowledge. Kitchen chemistry is just amazing 😊
I was just thinking it looked like a roux. Thanks for the info. Love Alton Brown as well as Max. haha
I use the roux method for many dishes. Its easy convenient and no lumps. And you can add the flavor and thickness in the cooking process. Roux is awesome.
Now I want to see an Alton Brown/Max Miller tag-team video.
You mentioned maple syrup. I have seen many traditional maple syrups that are quite watery. I am not sure if the consistency is quite right but could be a fun experiment.
Turkish officer here! It was great and educative to watch this. But also wanted to pass my two cents on several points.
A- "The copper cauldron with their symbol on it" has much more history behind it than it seems. The "Kazan" (Cauldron), was the center of Janissary regiment similar to a Roman Aquila. While they did not identify themselves with the cauldron as opposed to Romans did with Aquila, it was sentimental centre of its regiment. By keeping it open, the regiment were accepting Sultan's food and his authority. Likewise, the first and imminent indicator of a Janissary revolt was seeing the cauldrons upside down. Heads started rolling shortly afterwards. In modern Turkish army this food refusal notion survived. While refusing to eat regimental food as an individually is ok, large groups rejecting food has a VERY negative connotations. It is still perceived as a revolt. On top of that City garrisons are still using the term Cauldron in Turkish army today to describe headcount. While the common soldiery belongs to a regiment's "Kazan" and eats from that cauldron, contractors - engineers and officers are outside of it. So by looking at the cauldron spendings you can figure out rough headcount.
B- "Gaziler Helvası" (or the warriors halva it was named here) is aimed to please the veterancy. It was served to the ones who survived the onslaught. Which is a sort of died down tradition today. However this pastry has a sinister brother "Şehitler Helvası" (Halva of martyrs) is still very much alive. That is made without milk, with almost burnt charred semolina and pine nuts and served on a plate. If a military company returns from the front with reduced numbers it will still ordered to be cooked into full complement. Distributed a spoonful each to every surviving troop. Then it is consumed with a somber mood and in total silence and considered rude to ask or have more. But it is a great affront to refuse eating it. Corporal cook traditionally raises his ladle and points to those who did not have some and announces "Halva of martyrs". Then the company customarily glances to how much halva left in the "Kazan". Also, the Turkish culture outside the barracks still associates halva with funerals more than anything else.
C- Hard tack culture completely died down today. While the importance of bread in Turkish Army cannot be overstated. Even getting fed with 5000cal diets, inability to supply white bread is the total nightmare of any company/battalion/regimental commander. Turkish soldier does not believe he can get full without his daily complement of bread. In the same time, he has a very strong (stoic even) resilience towards the lack of other food -as long he has his bread. In 1922 their daily ration was 2.15kgs of bread loaf with little to none else. In these conditions they fought a offensive war and won. Today the hard tack derivatives are basically sweet fatty crackers with 17g sugar and 7g fat (per 100g). You really wouldn't want to announce to the troops that they have to use hard tack though. (Where's our bread?)
D- I think Officer's mess halva recipe has milk today and it is as rich as it can be. But it strayed too far from the original recipe. Non-milk ones are resembling the non-dairy realities of 17th century Ottoman army logistics better.
These are super cool facts!
Halva is a common sweet treat in Ukrainian stores, though it is usually based on sunflower seeds.
BTW, the "kazan" word came to Ukrainian (for cauldron) and is also a common way to cook for a circle of friends for an event that could be called "barbecue" in the West (also a common alternative to cooking in a kazan would be making shashlik).
Agabey her masada varsın yasa!
Halva is Persian food from Persia
helal olsun anglachelm abi
@@afsane_nezhadi persian? Defeat your inferiority complex and call yourself an Iranian. But yeah. You can take the helva lol
Trained chef here. The chemistry of roux is *fascinating*.
So, flour is mostly made of sugars and protiens, and its the protiens we're interested in. Gluten, the same protien that makes bread firm and stretchy, is what's causing that liquid firming reaction you noted. In the dry state, gluten doesn't really do much, but as you add water to it, it forms a sort of mesh network throughout your product, providing more structure than the addition of the liquid removes.
Thanks for answering Max's ponderings! 😊 I figured it was probably that, as I was wondering if a GF version would work? (Figured it probably would end up too crumbly too shape the way these were... Wonder if xanthan gum would work as usual to partially substitute for that stretchiness/cohesiveness?)
@@anna_in_aotearoa3166 Probably? I don't really use a lot of gluten free stuff in my cooking, but arrowroot flour has never led me wrong when I needed to.
How is the thickening of a roux with flour different from thickening a liquid with a starch such as cornstarch or potato starch? Those don't have any gluten yet they still thicken the liquid.
@@oliverg6864 My guess would be the difference is in final behaviour of what's produced....? Thickening with gluten-containing products creates something that can hold its structure as it cools & sets (like the halva Max created). Whereas in my experience, thickening with GF products & no gluten substitute usually results in a kind of gloopy gravy that might gel as it cools, but isn't hand-shapeable?
Polenta seems to behave a bit differently though - you can pour it into moulds to set, but also if thick enough, shape it to a certain degree to make cornchips etc? (With varying success & levels of crumbliness! 😄)
Thank you! It was nice to get a simple explanation of how that happens. :) Almost 45 years old and making roux for years and I've never understood the science of it.
My family is from Azerbaijan and we still eat Halva for breakfast. My favorite is sunflower seed halva with butter and honey, it’s so good
Is it Sheki halva?
Kahvaltıda mi ???
@@burakaysezer3110 evet? Türkiyedede oyle yemiyormuyuz?
@@Big-BossX kahvaltida helva mi yenir !!?!!?
@@burakaysezer3110 kardeşim sen nerelisin? Benim bildiğim kahvaltı: domates salatalık peynir helva tereyağı bal çemen vesayre
It is customary in Turkey to cook Helva as a dish during funerals. Which i think what the Ghazis of the time did too. Ghazi means, in the historical context, a holy warior. Gaza being a holy cause. So they probably cook it after the battle as a funeral/rememberance for the fallen friends or families. A quite an interesting video. Thanks!
I first learned about that when my mom made it for her friend whose dad had died. It broke my heart a little to see them offering comfort from a home that was thousands of miles away
In Albania today we make hallva when someone dies. Also there was a curse "may i eat your hallva" which means wishing someones death
Same in Turkey :D
@@CA-kj4sfolm tabi ki balkanlarda da bizim kültürümüze ait olan, onlarda da sürer. 500 sene üzere hüküm sürmüş
@@eybro2874 Onlar bizim kültürümüze sahip değil, onların kendine ait kültürü var.
@@5tkmes inan ki, bizim kültürümüzden istesende istemesende çoğunu adapte ettiler ve bizim onlardan çaldığımızı derler, sucuk kahve çiftetelli misali. Sen hiç onlarla ile muhatap oldun mu? orada yaşadın mı? hayır. Ve bu helva konusu orta doğuya aitdir. biraz tarih biraz bilim yaa
@@5tkmes Adamlar asimile oldu kanzi. Helva kavurmak Türk kültürüne özel bir şey.
I love helva so much it is pretty common dessert still. we call this version 'un helvası' (flour halva). another version made with Semolina is great aswell. That is called İrmik Helvası (Semolina Halva)
I love your channel. Much Love from Turkey :))))))))
İrmik, bayilirim ♥️
@@KingLich451 😍😍
I only know of halva made with tahini. It resembles marzipan.
@@2degucitas I do not know the one made with tahini. We put tahini on the top of the semolina helva sometimes as a decoration though!
@@2degucitas Yeah, that's a different variation; flour, starches and semolina are the usual culinary product, whereas the tahini-based version is more of a bakery/halva-maker's version. There's even a starch-based version that resembles a caramel-coated soap-bar, which is the cause for one of its various names: "soapy halva."
That hardtack clip is probably the most valuable clip ever filmed. So many recipes you can just throw it in for a quick laugh, and appropriately. The "Hard Tack Clack" will be your "Wilhelm Scream", just iconic
It also reminds me of the gavel *dun dun* from Law & Order 😂
agree, this gets a satisfied chuckle from me every time
12:49
His incredulous expression kills me every time
It should be put in the National Recording Industry, and recognized for being historically, culturally and aesthetically significant.
Turkish here. We still make this helva in Turkey today. But it is not on daily basis because we like to consume it after someone died to honor their soul. My mom makes it whenever i want but it is hard to find this particular helva in market.
Also the recipe can be changed if you dont like milk. We dont use milk when making but sometimes grape molasses can be added instead of sugar. While serving you can put toppings like hazelnut or walnut.
The nutty flavor is real. I made this in Romania and everyone who ate asked if i put any nuts inside but answer was no. The nuttiness is accomplished by the flour turning darker. Give it a little more time without burning and you can taste it more.
Hmmm. This is almost like ladoo (laddhu). There are many many kinds, as many or more than baklava even, maybe. Main difference with his halva is that ladoo usually has some green cardamom. Ladoo is also nutty, for the same reason (though you can add nuts). Maybe try adding some green cardamom next time (goes very well in baklava too).
we generally make semolina halva when someone dies.
Artistlik yapma bacım. Ecnebilere rezil ettiniz bizi.
@@DavulTozu ♿
@@DavulTozusen sus şişko
As a Turkish, my father cooks helva (we say it this way) and we add semolina and milk. Plus street food restaurants ad ice-cream inside it. It's very delicious.
We call the syrup (şurup in Turkish) you make here 'şerbet', which is what the French word 'sorbet' originally was. We also consider syrup and sorbet to be two distinct sweet sauces. Both words were originally loaned from Arabic. Fun fact: Syrup (şurup), wine (şarap) and sorbet (şerbet) in Turkish come from the same Arabic root, 'shrb' (or 'şrb' in Turkish).
Edit: Food was a really important aspect of janissary customs. The rank that was equivalent of a sergeant today was called 'çorbacı', meaning 'soup maker', for example.
Another edit: Oh nooo I lost the heart because I edited the comment :'(
Very interesting stuff. Question, have any other recommendations in terms of Turkish/Ottoman Cuisine Max should cover on Tasting History.
Soup maker? Interesting. That word sounds like "scourge" (as in the tool you beat people with) in my language (Hungarian), and we had plenty of contact.
@cerberaodollam That does sounds interesting. Question, any particular Hungarian dishes you want to see Max cover
@@cerberaodollammaybe it is from the word "çırpıcı" (beater/whisk), çırp- =to whisk (or to beat)
Hard Lesson, Never edit a Hearted Comment.
Of all the airlines I've ever flown, Turkish Airlines stands out as the one that keeps you fed the best... now I see there is a historical trend there, very interesting.
They already knew that well fed army is much better.
Very true. Air France comes close, but Turkish Air was amazing.
İslam seni çağırıyor
Turkish Airlines is another level when it comes to food.
@@yldrmbrs especially when the first thing they serve you is loukoum AND a warm towel to clean your hands. Fabulous.
Hi Max! I don’t know if you’ll see this but I just wanted to thank you for creating this channel and putting so much effort into your content. I can almost feel the passion behind your videos. At first I was just curious about the evolution of certain dishes. But you reawakened the love for history within me through food. You even taught me about my own culture. I cannot thank you enough for making this channel. I hope you know how just how much this channel means to a lot of us. Thank you so much.
From a fan from Macau, China.
Appreciate the kind words and happy to spread the love for history
This.
Halva is also made in Nepal and India, and the recipe is very similar to this. There are three types-carrot halva made with grated carrots, flour halva, and semolina halva.
Bruh we can make halva out of anything even lauki (bottlegourd) and pumpkin
I bet you can make halva from another half a halva. Or is that quartra? @@AkashAgrawal-br2ey
Halva orihinated in the Middle East, brought to India with Islamic invasions.
Bet you haven't heard about egg, meat, garlic halwa? 😊 All done in India
@@Starlightndustflat earth believer invented everything 😂
All these manipulated stories are false even today indian mandirs are older than islam 😂
Did you see they've found silphium growing in Turkey? It still exists! I was so excited, and all due to your show. Always so fun and informative.
I need cuttings YESTERDAY
I didn't know that. Mind sharing the link to where you find it.
No WAY! That is so cool, and I wouldn’t know to care if it wasn’t for Max. ❤😂
Yep! I actually know some people who got to try it.
@@TastingHistorydo you know what they said it tastes / feels like to eat?
A day with Tasting History to watch is a very happy day. Thank you so much for all the work you put towards your videos, as both a historian and someone who really loves food, this is always such a pleasure to watch.
Thank you for watching!
@@TastingHistoryThe mixture was not solidifying as you said in the beginning, it's absorbing. Which explains why it looks like it puffed up.
A high quality research with tasty food. I felt like having a chat with a historian while I am cooking my halva at home. In Turkey it is called flour halva. It is the most basic and old fashioned desert recipe which your grandmother cook for you at the winter nights. It is the desert you cook for your guests in informal dinners to surprise them. Everybody feels home when they eat flour halva. I think I will go and cook some halva now... And watch more of your videos. Thank you!
not halva, its HELVA. H E L V A
@@Ambrosia- Bir dilden başka bir dile geçen kelimeler geçtikleri dilde kullanılırken o dilin yapısına uygun halde kullanılırlar. Mesela biz television değil televizyon, radio değil radyo, America değil Amerika diyoruz. Bunun gibi İngilizcede bu tatlı halva diye yazılır, helva diye okunur. Baklava veya dolma olsaydı bizdeki ile aynı yazacaktım çünkü onlar aynı şekilde geçmiş. Ülke isimleri de öyledir. Biz de Türkçe'de başka ülke isimlerini orijinal yazılışları ile değil, kendi dilimize adapte ettiğimiz gibi kullanırız. Danimarka, İsveç, İngiltere gibi. Ben genel dil kurallarına uygun kullanmakta bir sakınca görmüyorum.
@@Ambrosia-Helva kelimesi arapçadaki tatlı anlamına gelen halva kelimesinden geliyor.
Bizim insanin sacmaliklari işte. İngilizce yaziyorsun ama Türkçe kelime kullanmasini istiyorsun, niye? Gereksiz milliyetçilikte üstümüze yok yeminle.
O zaman komple Türkçe yaz, birak anlamak istiyorsalarsa kendileri cevirsin, nasil? daha Türk olmaz mi böyle?
Afiyet olsun
As a Turk I really enjoyed learning about my history from a foreigner. Thank you for your work.😊
because you hate ottoman empire. i saw a very liked picture in twitter after that volleyball match. a woman dunking the fez. i guess you have some kind of inferiority complex. pathetic.
Unfortunately we forgot Our great history. One day we will back again, because we were always fair ruler. World does need real justice makers more now then ever.
@@CenitaBrook Bruv you're talking nonsense Those were thinking of the past what it isn't the time of trying to be "stronk 💪 ruler Tûrks", those days are long gone and the world doesn't work like that anymore. Whoever has the best relationships with others those who support innovations more gets real strength "Savaşlar meydana değil masada kazanılır".
Halwa is Arabic it literally means "sweet" in Arabic. FACT: The first known recipe of Halwa appeared in the 13th-century Arabic text, 'Kitab al-Tabikh' (The Book of Dishes) written by Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan Ibn al-Karīm. CASE CLOSED.
P.S. That's precisely when the MONGOL Turks migrated from Central Asia, around the 13th century (Google it)
@@CenitaBrook "we were always fair ruler" wrong, maybe "usually". Once the empire started weakining, the fairness faded away together with the power.
My grandma used to make this a lot. She would sprinkle it with a little cinnamon instead of sugar. Got me right in the feels, Max. Thank you.
Just wana give a little bit more background info, for those interested.
The Janissaries did get good food not only bc they were a professional army and elite soldiers, but also bc if they were unhappy, the sultan would fear for his head.They were his bodyguards and as u might imagine, unhappy bodyguards arent a good thing. Its similiar to the praetorians in rome, were if they were unhappy, the emperor would also fear for his life.
Hi from Turkey, Halva is a big part of our culture, we make in deaths, borns, wars in any special day, we have halva varieties up to 20. Loved the video. Tasting history a great concept.
Halva is Persian food from Persia
@@afsane_nezhadi persian learned that from Turkish because Iran is ruled by Turkish for many centruies :)
@@e.c3734 uncivilized immigrated bandits mongols Turks couldn't ruled a civilization nation history Turks even haven't an calendar from themselves not a famous book not a celebration history special day haven't an architecture and castle... Persian language had a lot influence in Turkish language just search it's food is from Persia before Turks exist
As a Pakistani working in Germany a few years ago, I brought various kinds of Halwa from Pakistan to my German colleagues, even though I brought quite a lot they basically raided the Halwa boxes like a bunch of hungry Janissaries, before I could tell them that this thing is loaded up in really high calories, it was all gone. Mind you, Halwa in this region(Pakistan, India, Bangladesh) traces it's origin back to the Turkish soldiers/mercenaries from Central Asia who came to present day Pakistan and North/Central India region, back in 14th/15th century.
You also had Persian invasions before that, so most likely they brought them.
@brainblox5629 Doubt that our present-day traditions of Halwa goes that far back.
I always assumed halva was made with sesame seeds from time immemorial. It's delicious. Never had it any other way. What a revelation this video is!
Same! I thought halva was made with sesame by definition, and what I've had was always dry and chalky. Not very exciting. But I want to try other kinds of halva now.
Yeah, I kept waiting to learn when the sesame seeds came into the picture! I feel like the halva you see in every supermarket is always sesame + something . . . interesting!
Can make it with sunflower seeds too, more common in South-Eastern Europe
I've only seen store bought halva be like that. The version my grandma used to make was dark brown, I assume very similar taste to Max's halva.
First time I had sesame halvah was my Jewish roomate. I think there's an Israeli version that's mostly sesame based. This version of it is extremely common in Bangladesh, where I'm from. Rose water and cardamom is added to it, and raisins. It's prepared and served at the birth of a child, or other religious gatherings and festivals.
As a Turkish fan of the channel, this was amazing.
Fun fact: It`s still a common military ration in Turkey, current recipe also includes roasted hazelnuts. However more popular civilian recipe uses pine nuts instead of hazelnuts.
Edit: Oh I also forgot, popular civilian recipe is served with ice cream, which makes 100% tastier.
These days, "irmik helvası" is more popular than the helva made with flour. "İrmik helvası" refers to helva made of "irmik" which is a very finely ground form of wheat, kind of like semolina. It is also very common to add nuts, like pine nuts, and toast them before the flour. Also, one of the other distinct differences is that it is much less viscous and more spreadable than before, and there are lots of places that serve very hot "irmik helvası" with a big scoop of either regular vanilla ice cream or Turkish ice cream that has a very sweet vanilla-like smell that comes from a special kind of orchid's root that is native to the Anatolian region of Turkey.
I was just waiting for that hard tack joke and you delivered! It gets me every time!
I searched for this comment, too 😂
Every time we see the hard tack cutaway, take a shot 😂
It is ALWAYS absolutely delightful.
This interestingly sounded like an Ottoman shortbread recipe at first, but ended up being vastly different. Like you said with the chemistry stuff, it's weird how the same or similar ingredients can make vastly different things when combined in different ways, cooking methods, or amounts! Eating is one of the few genuinely universal human experiences that every human who has existed has experienced, which is why culinary history is one of the coolest aspects of history!
Yes...this exactly!
Because of how well fed the Ottoman army were back then after they lost the siege of Vienna the Viennese found a tons of coffee , spices and flower after they left the battle field...that is how then coffee spread to the west.
My mother bought your cookbook. She doesn’t watch you but asked, “Is this that guy you watch all the time?” As an artist and psychologist, your cookbook is beautiful: high quality paper ( I’m weird about that), wonderful images, fascinating histories. I always look forward to your posts.
As a fellow history loving Max, you are the peak Max. You're the coolest person in CZcams and your vids are amazing.
Its a toss up between Max here and Maximilian Pegasus (whose surname is a classical mythological beast and has an ancient golden eye).
Maybe Max should cosplay Maximilian. That really would be Max to the power of Max
@@ondank 😮
So what you are saying here is that he is max Max?
And of course he's quite the dish himself.
It's amazing to me to see a dish my father makes every now and then when I visit, described as a historical dish. And he makes it exactly like this. Whereas in Turkey they make this with extra spices and flavours, our Bosnian version seems to be stuck in time (and I think a lot of Balkan gastronomical Ottoman remnants are kind of stuck in time).
This happens all over the world. Some people change dishes, some people just cook them the same way for centuries. And even some US dishes are barely changed from centuries ago.
Sometimes simple is good.
This new flavaoured helvas are popular for ten years in Turkiye, it is just temporary popularity, in houses still this helva are made
I am from Azerbaijan and being brotherly neighbours with Turkey, we happen to share a lot of similar traditions and foods! We also make xalva, but as many Turks here said, it is primarily made on rather sad occasions, such as funerals and death anniversaries to honor the soul of the passed relative. It is also common to add rose water in the process, some make it with nuts, we also add saffron to add colour and that specific aroma. Even though it is a mourning dish, i really love it, especially when wrapped in lavash, making sort of a tiny burrito
Halva is Persian food from Persia
@@afsane_nezhadiiran is arab mullah
@@Hasanbas-rv3vm yes Suni Muslims Arab or turk Muslims Arab mullahs
@@afsane_nezhadi lol iran is third world taliban state😀😀
@@Hasanbas-rv3vm an Arab dessert Hasan say to me this back to your dessert
Fun fact: We still make halva to commemorate people who pass away. We make it with butter, sugar, water or milk and semolina. I find it tastes better than the halva made with flour (called un helvası) but the consistency is hard to get right.
Had the Bountiful Empire: A History of Ottoman Cuisine book on my wish-list anyway, so this pushed me over into buying it after watching the video.
The history of the Ottoman empire is fascinating & the food of the region s one of my favourite cuisines. Great video thank you.
I was having laugh at the Klatch coffee you were sponsored by. "Coffee klatch” comes from the German word, “kaffeeklatsch,” which translates to coffee (kaffee) + gossip (klatsch). But as a huge Terry Pratchett fan I always loved the idea of Klatchian coffee which is so strong that you can become "knurd", which is to be (un)intoxicated with Klatchian Coffee to such an extent that you see the world in a way 'nobody ever should', in all its harsh reality.
Wow, it's really nice that you cover Ottoman/Turkish cuisine. We still make the helva using this way. If you add milk into it, it becomes more easier to consume, but it'll be less sweet. Since the ingredients are not much, we usually add nuts (walnut, pine nuts, etc.) to make it more appetizing. But yeah, it can be considered Turkish cookie dough even it's more watery and has lighter but nuttier aroma. Semolina helva is another healthier option.
Halva is Persian food from Persia
*Thank you for the History lesson. As a Turk i appreciate that. There was so much i didn't know. As example I often ate this Hardtack/Hard Bread as a child. Unfortunately I forgot the name, shame on me. This is something in between a hard bread and croutons. It's fluffy and crumbles in your mouth, and it's very dry. My mother and grandmother used to do this often. This is for durability. You could always eat it, it goes very well with soup. Due to technological advances and the ever-availability of fresh bread, this is becoming increasingly rare*
Pastırma was also an important food for the Ottoman soldiers who were on the campaign. It is a spicy dry meat. Its origin is associated with the Central Asian period.There is an opinion that it was found with the compression technique on a horse. Just like sujuk found by Turks and steak found by Tatars.
If Max or anyone else is interested, historian Jason Goodwin wrote 5 excellent novels that follow a 19th century Ottoman detective who uses cooking as a way to space out so he can solve his cases. Goodwin also then published 'Cooking with Yashim.' Wildly immersive and exciting!
I'll definitely check this out!
sounds very interesting
Ohh, sounds interesting! I will have to see if my local library has this author. 🤔
Love historical detective stories (Ellis Peters' Cadfael series set in monastic medieval England & Lindsay Davis' Falco books set in ancient Rome are long-time faves) so these books sound right up my alley!! 😊 Thank you for recommending them to us 🙏
When the author does good solid research, those kinds of books are such an interesting way to learn about unfamiliar cultures & time periods in a really memorable way...
well there was a very low alcohol beverage that was available to the Ottoman army and was particularly favored by the Janissaries in moderate quantities(when some sultan or another didn't enforce prohibition), it was, and is called Boza and its very popular in many countries (with variations) even today. Similar drinks were drank since the time of Akkadian and Sumerian empires so its a worthy competitor for an Drinking History Episode.
This is a great video Max! The Turkish coffee pot in the background is a really nice touch!
It's customary to cook some helva and give it away after someone passes away in Turkey. It's not an army thing and actually they were serving this helva after battles so they were doing the same thing. There is a saying in Turkish, it goes like this "tatlı yiyip, tatlı konuşmak" and we can translate it to "one should eat sweets, so one can have a sweet conversations". It's basically done so people can forget the bitterness of death for a second and exchange good memories of the deceased which was the reason that they serve helva for.
It's same with Iranis. Im not Irani though.
Thank you for the wonderful video, Max! I live in Turkey where this is still a traditional funeral/mourning dish. Also a tasty dessert anytime. 🙂
My favourite halva version I still make is with pine nuts and semolina. To make it easier for me I put it in a cake tin to cool it off and cut it into squares. Instead of sugar on top I sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon on it.
I must say Max, your skills in forming them with the two spoons is amazing.
@@R.P.-hw2rq Here you go:
You melt about 200g butter or margarine in a deep pan or pot. Put a hand full pine nuts in and roast them slightly. Add 500g durum semolina and 300 to 350g sugar to it and roast it a bit more. Then add 1 liter of milk and stir at low heat until it thickens. Then run cold water into the sheet pan or wherever you want to cool the mass down and transfer the mass to it and gently tap it down with a wettened metal spoon. I add a little bit cinnamon to it and cut it in cubes when it is cold.
That’s how my grandmother in Greece used to make it. Yum!
@@achillesgeroko8714 We have so much stuff in common, may it be food or language or folk music. 💚
@@AysKuz Nothing but love for our kardesler!
My favorite halva is made with sunflower seeds!
The book is written by an English lady who fell in love with Türkiye and all of its history, she was on a Turkish show talking about it, yes she knows the language too, she knows her stuff. Great video, I really love the presentation
You did a great job, Max. Thank you so much for this awesome video.
7:50 “having an army retreat because of hungry tummies isn’t magnificent “
*gets hungry watching Max cook*
Don’t worry, Tasting History army, he wasn’t talking about us… we ARE magnificent!
Turkish coffee is a style or even ceremony more than a bean. You should definitely try it with your favorite Trade coffee! It's pretty simple and involves very finely grinding your beans into a flour-like consistency and adding to a small pot with sugar and milk (if desired) and brewing it up. It's often stopped just prior to boiling when it begins to foam, where a little foam is skimmed off and put in each serving cup before its heated again and then poured into the cups. The fine powder of the coffee is not filtered and, when it's ready, makes the coffee strong, rich, and even a little thick, which would be a perfect compliment to the sweet Halva.
the pot should be copper to respect the ceremony. I guess you can buy them everywhere. The design of it adds to the technique.
im turkish and never in my entire life have i ever heard of anyone putting milk in turkish coffee
@@yossarian00 Honestly, neither have I, but I wanted to be accurate in my description and looked up the ceremony/technique and that's what it said. Let me ask you this: is the addition of cardamom part of making the coffee "Turkish" or that an additive like some Americans add sugar, cream, etc.?
@@fretless05 Never heard of that either, at least definitely not traditionally, in no way shape or form is adding cardamom to it is what makes the coffee Turkish. You really arent supposed to add anything except sugar (if desired)
I don't know where you got your source but here's how my family and ppl i know do it:
the small "pot" is called a cezve, traditionally made of copper. You put a spoon of the finely ground coffee along with one cup of water, depending on how many servings. (not american cup, the little cup you pour the coffee in), and sugar to your preference, you heat it up, do not stir or allow to boil strongly (it raises the particulates and makes it grainy). Then serve. In places in turkey it is also traditionally heated on sand but we obviously dont all do that at home when we want coffee haha.
@@yossarian00 Strange. I've bought it before (it's delicious) and a number of brands call it Turkish coffee, though I recognize that's not necessarily definitive. Other brands call it other things like Arabian coffee. In any case, it's coffee and varying amounts of cardamom.
Once I was traveling in Iran and in a small town. Someone made halva for the whole town because one of their relatives had died, and offered it to me as well. Halva originated in Iran/Persia.
Hi Max,
Thanks for this amazing video. It reminded me my childhood memories. My mom used to cook flour helva (we say "un helvası") which is the same recipe without milk addition.
I also want to thank you for your perfect pronunciation of Turkish words and your deep research about the recipe. Clearly you put lots of effort on this video.
I want to give some advice who wants to try this recipe. If you have it the next day, the taste will improve. Ayran (which is yogurt and water mixture) or pickle goes well with it.
If you watch your calorie consumption and you see this dish, run away. I mean RUN!!! :)
I love this video, but I think the best part is the Turkish commenters adding their own perspectives and favorite recipes here. Turkish cuisine is one of my favorites, and I think it’s sadly underrated here in North America. Let’s hope that will change soon!
I'm definitely one who likes trying new things as budget, diet -- and ingredient availability -- allows. Bring on the Turkish and Hungarian food! 😁😁
Depends on where you live, they have a decent amount of it where I live and it’s the bomb
There are a couple near here. They're both really good.
That's so weird to hear as a Brit as you can't escape either reinterpretations of Turkish food or just actual Turkish restaurants. I feel everyone knows one here
@@illford6921 I'm not sure I understand the underratedness of Turkish cuisine here in the US, either. There's a crap-ton of Chinese and Japanese restaurants -- even Korean and Thai, in certain areas. There's even a Greek restaurant in the small-ish town I'm in.
But unless you're in one of the super-cities like NY or LA, stuff like Turkish or Hungarian food just isn't thought about much. That is, unless, you're in a large-ish college town/city like Ames, Iowa City, Des Moines, Minneapolis, Chicago, etc where you might get lucky and find something that rare. Apart from that, here in the Midwestern US, Middle-Eastern markets are your best bet. At least in my experience. If anyone else has experienced something different here in the States, I'm all ears. 😅
Oh my goodness a collab between you and Bill Nye…something never knew I needed but I do!
Wouldn’t that be amazing
Or maybe find someone with connections to Alton Brown?
@@slwrabbits yes yes 100% yes this too!
If you're looking for the science, Ann Reardon from How to Cook That is great! Meanwhile, the browning of flour is due to the Maillard reaction, so you could start by going to Wikipedia for that.
Thank you so much for covering the ottoman cuisine. A beautiful video as always, slayedd
You’re channel is amazing! I don’t think I’ll ever make any of these old recipes but they’re definitely entertaining to learn about. Thank you Max
It makes me feel good about myself when I am able to time my coffee break at work with the release of "Tasting History" on Tuesdays. I make it clear to the horses I train (that is my job.. and my beauties are very understanding) that for approximately 20-25 minutes on Tuesday mornings I will not come running at their whinnying.
I DO give them an apple or carrot when I finally show up.
My experience with "halava" was cream of wheat toastdd in butter, then sugar syrup added and occasionally raisins. Made pretty much the same way. Delicious
Yep, that's also halva in North India.
Thanks for having proper HD streaming. I have been following your channel for years but the video quality is now outstanding.... Expect more frequent views from this guy. I can now follow you on the living room big screen!
I couldn't stop to watch this video. It's so well researched with tons of interesting facts. I love your videos man, keep it up.
Interesting dough and cooking method. Edible cookie dough, yum. It's kind of a few eggs short of choux paste. The nuttiness is probably browned butter from the long cooking time.
We've been bless with double hard tack clips? 🙌🏼 And I'm excited to have to explore more Ottoman dishes. I've never heard of halva and it had quite the interesting background.
The hard tack clip never gets old 😆
@@CinHotlantaif you’re not hyped for the CLICK CLACK what are you doing lmaooo
If you're wondering where it's name comes from it comes from arabic حلوه Ĥalwa meaning sweet one of the things you will notice is that any arabic word that has the this letter و pronounced waw in arabic vav in non arabic languages like persian and turkish which is why words wich in arabic had a w in it appear with v even though they don't have v in them like vizier originally pronounced wazier-وزير which means minister have the form they do in English.
Amazing video. I did not expect it to be this informative and fun. I liked where you talked about army couisine of Ottoman army and shared your sources. For the recipe you could have added some pine kernels as it is made in todays Turkey.
Great video! As a military historian i'm so happy that you even mentioned how well the soldiers fed whic is one of the most important things in an army. When you scan through in the Ottoman archives specially during war times, you see almost every document is related to the provision of army for something, either bread or meat etc. Someone made a calculation for the campaign of Vienna. I dont remember the exact numbers but it is shocking to see how they've been able to sustain an army that consumes literally dozens of tons of meat every single day.
Just a side note about the video: This "Gaziler Helvası" generaly known as "un helvası" or flour helva simply. Traditionally for the funerals we make helva from semolina instead of flour with pine nuts.
Also one of the great aspects of the Ottoman army is also what you mentioned with bringing their own merchants. They're what we call as "orducu esnafı" or army's merchant. They produce and sell almost anything while on the move for the campaign or during the campaign for the army, within the army. They would make and sell from shoes to repairing armour to arrows to food. Basically almost anything whic a soldier in an army would've in need. Prices also usually would be a bit cheaper than city prices and controlled by the state officials. So it was basically a small but functioning a kind of miniature city.
Oh and also great choice as a source. Priscilla Mary Işın is one of the most well known people in this field and she's such a lovely lady as well. I highly recommend her other works as well.
Btw that "yağma" is a very very old and very important custom to not just Ottomans but to all Turkics. It's not even copper actually. Usually the plates and other stuff among them would be silver or even gold sometimes. So once the feast is done, those plates will be left to the attending soldiers or officials to be collected. Even şehzade's(prince) had their own seperate budgets for these events and if yağma promise is broken by the sultan, şehzade or sometimes by the higher officials like viziers, it would cause serious problems whic could lead up to a revolt even.
Halva is really really popular in India. You should look into the history of Indian Halwas!
I was kind of surprised when they mentioned ufka, reminded me of our everyday fulkas. Was wondering if they are connected
@@pritikakhanna7577unlikely since flatbread as a concept is pretty old, but then tandoor itself came via the Turks to India so the connection is there
Indian halwa is actually quite different, using nuts and ghee. It's the carrot ones which are the most popular.
@@satyakisil9711I discovered carrot halva only recently - it’s lovely!
@@clogs4956 there are tons of veggie halwas and even startch halvas in India. History of West Asian influences in Indian cuisine goes wayyyy back
Definitely earned this Sub! Love the history behind the recipes and impartial and accurate takes!
Thank you, been looking for a recipe for this, forever!
This was an awesome episode! It would be lovely to see more recipes from the Ottoman Empire.
Also, helva is still a very common funeral dessert in Turkey. So even though it is delicious, it sadly has some negative connotations along with it :D
What other Ottoman/ Turkish dishes you'd like to see covered 😁
@@mylesjude233 It would be really fun to see some eggplant dishes like Hünkar Beğendi or Karnıyarık. These are not only interesting because they are historical dishes, but roasting eggplants was one of the top reasons for city fires during Ottoman times :)
I reckon there was more hard tack in this than in an actual hard tack episode 😀 It's the gift that keeps on giving. The chemistry behind the halva making would be so interesting 🤔
Gosh, I love your videos. thanks for making such good quality!
Great video with lots of information on Ottoman military and cuisine. Thank you. There is a very similar helva dish made with semolina instead of flour and I think it tastes way better. (you can add vanilla and pair with ice cream when served hot unlike the you one cooked)
Alton Brown could probably tell you what's going on in the pot. He's like the Bill Nye of food.
Or Ann Reardon from how to cook that
Don't insult Alton! Bill Nye is a mechanical engineer. He only plays a scientist on TV, he's not really a scientist!
One of my favorite things to do when there is a new Tasting History is screenshotting one of the shots of Max in his kitchen to send to my roommate so they can tell me what Pokémon is in the background. 😂
Halwa is also very very common in India where we have our own versions including with semolina and whole wheat flour.
Thank you so much for this content. Very educational and informative.
Thank You Max. I'm Greek and my family always made this version using fine semolina flour instead because it keeps it's shape better. Typically Greeks use oiled cake molds that have a pattern so after it cools it has a nice design when you invert it on a plate and it's easier to cut and serve. Sometimes it's sprinkled with cinnamon. Instead of sugar sprinkled on top, the Greek version has it incorporated into the halva. Cheers from NYC!!!
I am proudly of Greek descent! I love the Greek version made with semolina flour! 🇬🇷Not familiar with this Ottoman Turkish version though.
Hello, I am from İzmir, Turkey and we have two versions of this helva today in Turkey. One is the one in the video called “flour helva” to be exact and the other one is made with semolina flour which is called “irmik helvası”. Must have been a part of common culture of us! And irmik helvası is def more tasty 😋
Don't you call it helvatikis?
Hey Eleni, semolina halva and flour halva are kind of two different types of halva, we make both in Turkey
We have it too. Both is great but i prefer the version on the video. We cook with semolina flour in funerals. Watching the video made me crave some helva 😭😭
Halva is one of my favorite foods :). Glad to see an episode about it ! I definitely didn’t know about it being shared out at Ottoman memorial services. Always glad to have some Turkish coffee when I can get it.
congrats you've made what we nowadays call "un helvası" and yes, it is still made and yes, sometimes after someone's death still. we eat it as it is, no, i have never heard it having pistachio or cardamom in it. in fact, cardamom is simply not a common ingredient in modern turkish kitchens. but pine nuts will be used. source: i am turkish :D
Fascinating bit of history.
TY.
To me, halva is made from seasame seeds. Mostly, because we made that in our Russian class.
Most common in Germany,too
Very interesting dish! I think it kind of resembles marzipan, which is made with almond flour instead of regular flour, but it is also made with boiling sugar/water syrup.
I just bought your book, I’m very excited to try these recipes!
This is so nice to see as a Turkish fan. I've been watching your channel for years and I always wondered if you'd try a Turkish recipe. I feel like helva is a very important food for Turkish culture, and yours look delicious. Thank you for your amazing videos, keep them coming!
Loved the video, and I would love to see more Ottoman recipes. Food from that region is fascinating.
Any recommendations I'm terms of what you liked to see be covered next. I'd like more sweets like Turkish Delight or Baklava be covered next.
4:34 the chemistry: roasting flour with butter, a symphony of chemical reactions transforms simple ingredients into a foundation bursting with flavor and rich color. At the heart of this process lies the Maillard reaction, where amino acids from the flour's proteins and reducing sugars dance together under heat, creating a medley of complex flavors and a golden-brown hue that is visually and gastronomically appealing. Accompanying this, the subtle sweetness within the flour undergoes caramelization, deepening the flavor palette with notes of nuttiness and depth. As the starches in the flour gelatinize, they absorb moisture and swell, thickening the mixture into a velvety smooth base that's perfect for enriching confectioneries, sauces and gravies.
I love the fact how hard you worked for this video. Well deserved money. Congratz from Turkey occasionally eating my flour helva 🇹🇷
We have something similar made in India and its called halwa, but we make it with semolina (suji in hindi). It's possible that the flour used in ancient times wasn't as finely milled as today, so a coarser cut of flour like semolina would be a more accurate ingredient.
That type of halva is also popular in Greece and in general every country that once was part of the Ottoman Empire. I think it might be a sweet so ancient that no culture can actually claim to be the inventor. There are only small differences between recipes.
This show is exactly what I love about history with some cooking and it's incredible how you have the courage to do this every week .
Amazing !!! Keep up the good work! Lovely video, full of historical background to it.
In India it’s one of the most common dish we eat in festive. Similarly it’s called Halwa.
As a Turkish I really appreciated the depth of the documentary about culinary history of ottoman army as such historical information is quite rare in Turkish language.
It’s so sad for us.
@@eraycicek That is what is so sad and my first thought friend... a tribe absorbed by another civilization... and that civilizations other tribes value the data more than the tribe that generated it... Like the pre-literate tribes and the words of their ancestors...
and sadly the people documenting these things were mostly foreigners and if it wasn't for their diaries, we wouldn't know a great deal about our own history today.
Lesser cultures traditions become moot over time... why do you think there was void to be filled with "Quansa" instead of choosing assimilation?@@tugrulserhat
Why it's rare?
Halva is a popular sweet in Greece as well. Mum makes it often. Its awesome.
LOL.
@@lamervrte1482 lol what?
Thank you for this well prepared content!
Thank you for sharing this 🙏
this is very similar to the halva my mom made when I was a kid. this brings so many memories, I can practically feel both the smell and the taste of fresh home-made halva :D thanks Max!!!!
This is very similar to Gujarati sweet Sukhadi. But instead of butter, you use clarified butter(ghee) and instead of sugar you use jaggery(gol).
My mum made several versions of this in Cyprus, lovely to see it featured. I wish you did Turkish coffee with it though, you had the 'cezve' on the background 😊
there is also almost similar helva made with semolina. If someone pass away this one and flour one is still cooked and served by the relatives. Sometimes people add pine nuts to it, back in the time this was showing the wealth of the family and it's often seasoned with cinnamon