What was a Viking Funeral really like?

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Subtitles: Jose Mendoza | IG @worldagainstjose

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#tastinghistory #vikings

[TastingHistory]

Today’s video is not one to watch with the kids. At least the last part of the history section. It gets a little dark, but I give a warning when it’s about to do so.

[silverwolfe]

It only took over a year to finally get the thesis statement of the show said aloud "I have nothing in common with a viking from the 10th century, except I do. He eats. I eat." Simply put, but eloquently said. Hell Yeah.

[kirohaas]

If you do bake it until it's like a cracker, you'll end up with traditional Scandinavian crackerbread (knekkebrød), and yes, they traditionally had holes in the middle so they could be stored on poles in the rafters of the house, safely away from mice and rats, and to hang above the hearth where smoke and the heat kept them dry and free of bugs and pests.

[eileenappleby]

Thank you for not shying away from the more gruesome aspects of history to make it more palatable. History is ultimate just people, and it can get dark. Thank you as well for warning people.

[stankmcdankton]

Anthony Boudrain once said " It was a long, bloody road to this cup of coffee", in reference to coffee's history. This is true for a lot of the foods we have at our disposal today. It's important to keep things like this in mind. Gives you context for the world we live in now, and where we were before.

[nhn]

As a history teacher from Norway with a passion for all things norse I can say that this was interesting and nuanced. No glorification or macho approach. Only food and culture.

[Caribeax]

Something I always imagine about whenever I see Max's videos, and him trying to recreate a recipe as close as he can to the original, is the people Max talks about getting happy and ecstatic - "Yes, we were here! We lived! We laughed! We told stories, same as you! Thank you for not forgetting us!"

[DoctorEth]

As a swede, my first connotation to the bread having a hole in the middle and being strung onto something is probably that it was hung up to dry. That is still how knäckebröd (crispbread) is traditionally made, though you "thread" large rounds of the bread on a wooden dowel and hang them up to dry. I haven't looked into this, though.

I also thought the Rus were specifically from Roslagen (earlier Roden), which was basically the eastern-most coastal areas of modern Sweden. Both 'Rus' and 'Roslagen/Roden' stemming from a term for 'men that row', and these areas were very early on organised into geographical units based on manning a rowed ship.

[doaaali]

"Nabeeth" is tha arabic word for any alcoholic drink that is left to be fermented in order to become alcoholic, but mostly it is used specifically for grapes or dates alcoholic drinks. In modern days, it is used specifically for "wine"

[andisizzle]

"A charred body bobbing in the water" has got to be one of my favorite descriptions you have ever made.

[donaldwert]

When he talked about the flexibility of the bread and said "If you bake it longer, it will be more like a cracker", I half expected a hardtack reference. I'm almost disappointed.

[therongjr]

Interesting note: The first part of "Eaters of the Dead" by Michael Crichton--which was made into the movie "The Thirteenth Warrior"--is directly from ibn Fadlan's notes. (The test is a re-telling of "Beowulf.")

[Firegen]

My Dad once said he would want a Viking Funeral. I might just show him this...

[jollyjohnthepirate]

I once knew a man who was Swedish American. He was a Navy vet who served in World War 2. After a long life and a long career as a History PHD. He terrified the HOA by announcing that he wanted to recieve a Viking funeral when he passed.
Sure enough when he died a small replica longboat appeared on the lake near his house. The HOA lost it's mind until they learned that he had been cremated. His friends rowed out aways and had a toast of mead to their friend put his ashes over the side drank another round and returned.
I like to think he was laughing at the buffoons on the HOA board from Valhalla. 😂

[sigridhedbor]

There is an old tradition in Sweden to have "knäckebröd" (a kind of hard, flat bread, round, and with a hole in the middle) hanging on a rod in the roof close to the fireplace (traditionally to keep them dry and perhaps to keep them away from rodents too). You can see these rods of bread in history books and museums. This kind of bread is still made with holes in the middle, even though most people don't keep them hanging in the roof nowadays.

[dawnfowler]

Do not apologize for any of this video!! The Viking Funeral History absolutely did tie in to Food History and we all (Your faithful Fans!!!) very much enjoyed the entire video. Your determination to fully and truthfully research each food topic, along with the History which surroundeds it, greatly impressises us and we all learn so much. Im a Historical Archaeologist and I have learned all sorts of History watching your show!!! Keep the History and the amazing Food coming!!! You're the BEST food history/cooking show on YouTube - bar none.
I and my entire Family absolutely LOVE YOU and watch every episode - some more than once. GOD Bless and keep You ❤

[davidwoolsey]

Somebody may have pointed this out already, but in the beginning of "The 13th Warrior" the account of the funeral witnessed by Ahmad Ibn Fadlan is sorta portrayed, and perhaps part of that novel was based on Fadlan's account of his contact with Northmen who had gone a "Viking".

[andreasfjellborg]

My parents used to make flat bread at the fire when i was a kid, on flat stone or directly on the coal when we where out fishing. wheat flour, salt and buttermilk. going to make some the next hunting trip, got a bit of nostalgia watching this. So easy to do as you make the dough at home and keep in a bag for a couple of days if you keep it chilled, or mix the dry ingredients in a bag and just add the milk(works with water too, but not as good) and kneed it in the bag when you need it.

[mikeslatkin]

I made a similar bread once. The recipe came from an archeologist who was studying the early Norse. He called them Proto-norse. It was made of equal amounts of Oats and Rye, water and fat. They got this by analyzing the bread remains found in these proto-norse homes that were excavated. It was easy to make, I cooked them on a dry griddle. They tasted good. Oh, they were also made with a hole in the center for stringing up between rafters. They are great with butter and lingonberry jam.

[royjohansen]

Wow, Max. Just Wow.
I went through grade school in Norway in the late sixties, and the textbooks were eager to tell us all about the Vikings, and how they "heroically" conquered even "The Lands to the East" (i.e. Russia; "The Big Red Scare" at the time).
We were taught very little about the Vikings' other, grisly practices.
I am amazed and impressed at the research you obviously put into your videos. This is one where I KNEW some of the facts, but you still taught me more.
This being the Net, I'm sure quibbles will be made, but MAN, what a history lesson, Max. Thank you!