Before then, I tend to look to things like poetry, or for writings from someone who’s describing a different culture than their own. One thing I rely on a lot is newspapers they’ve included recipes since their advent in the 17th century.

But the further we go back in time, the less available those are. Max Miller: Actual cookbooks, obviously, are definitely the easiest. In what types of books or records did you find the best recipes? One thing I noticed is that the recipes come from different types of documents and records. Eater sat down to talk with Miller about this collection of ancient recipes, whether or not he expects anyone to actually try to make most of them, and what modern cooking conveniences he loves most.Įater: Your new book, Tasting History, is extensively researched. The success of his channel led to a new cookbook, Tasting History: Explore the Past Through 4,000 Years of Recipes, released earlier this week. The channel was a sleeper hit, and now boasts 1.7 million subscribers who tune in to watch Miller make medieval-style French toast and a tiger nut cake recipe prepared in ancient Egypt. In February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced us all to stay inside and spend too much time staring at our screens, Miller launched a YouTube channel called Tasting History, a place where he recreated recipes from various historic eras. I took a lot of history classes in college and I’ve been devouring history books and documentaries since I was a little kid.” Instead, he’s more of a freelance nerd, who spends his time reading pretty much anything he can get his hands on about historic recipes.

Max Miller is a proud, self-described history enthusiast, even though he’s quick to admit that he’s not a professional historian with extensive academic credentials.

Tasting history recipes