Ancient Recipes with Sohla

Season 1

Ancient Recipes with Sohla takes the food you know and love and traces it back to its origins. In each episode, Sohla El-Waylly details the surprising history of some of your favorite dishes as she attempts to recreate the original version using historical cooking techniques and ingredients. Along the way, Sohla highlights the differences between the ancient recipe and how we would prepare the modern version today.

Where to Watch Ancient Recipes with Sohla • Season 1

20 Episodes

How to Cook Pizza on a Shield Like a 600 BC Persian Soldier
E1
How to Cook Pizza on a Shield Like a 600 BC Persian SoldierPizza has been around for so long it's impossible to pinpoint its exact origins; Sohla demonstrates how to cook pizza on a shield like a 600 BC Persian soldier.
Sohla Makes Samurai Mochi
E2
Sohla Makes Samurai MochiMochi has been a staple Japanese food for thousands of years -- and was once the super food of the samurai; Sohla El-Waylly makes mochi in the same way as the samurai of feudal Japan would have eaten it, along with a daifuku version from the 1700s.
Sohla's Aztec Taco Tuesday (With Hot Chocolate!)
E3
Sohla's Aztec Taco Tuesday (With Hot Chocolate!)Sohla El-Waylly harnesses flavors to recreate Aztec tlahcos, which would eventually evolve into the tacos people know and love today; Sohla tries out an ancient Aztec recipe for xocolatl -- a precursor to hot chocolate.
Sohla Recreates Bread and Cheese From Pompeii
E4
Sohla Recreates Bread and Cheese From PompeiiBread and cheese is a staple for ancient Romans; Sohla bakes Panis Quadratus, a type of bread that was discovered fossilized in the ruins of Pompeii, along with a cheese made from goat's milk.
Sohla Cooks a 1,000-Year-Old Hangover Cure
E5
Sohla Cooks a 1,000-Year-Old Hangover CureSohla travels back to the Islamic Golden Age of 10th-century Baghdad and recreates Kishkiyya, a 1,000-year-old hangover cure from one of the oldest Arabic cookbooks.
Sohla Makes an Ancient Chinese Hamburger (Rou Jia Mo From 200 BCE!)
E6
Sohla Makes an Ancient Chinese Hamburger (Rou Jia Mo From 200 BCE!)Sohla recreates Rou Jia Mo, one of the first versions of a hamburger from ancient China in 200 BCE.
Sohla's Ancient Summer BBQ Blowout (Korean Bulgogi and Taino Barbacoa)
E7
Sohla's Ancient Summer BBQ Blowout (Korean Bulgogi and Taino Barbacoa)Almost every culture and region has its own style of barbecue, and in the episode, Sohla grills up two iconic types from across the globe. First, she recreates the original Korean bulgogi, one of the oldest kinds of barbecue you can still find today.
Sohla Makes Garum, the Ketchup of Ancient Rome (with Max Miller!)
E8
Sohla Makes Garum, the Ketchup of Ancient Rome (with Max Miller!)The Ancient Recipes kitchen gets real fishy as Sohla cooks up garum, a fermented fish sauce that was incredibly popular in Ancient Rome, alongside a Roman-style roasted boar. Plus Sohla reaches out to Max Miller to learn all about the sauce’s history.
Sohla Bakes an Apple Pie Recipe from 1796 America (& Medieval England!)
E9
Sohla Bakes an Apple Pie Recipe from 1796 America (& Medieval England!)It’s a culinary reenactment of the American Revolution as Sohla makes two historic versions of apple pie, pitting the US vs. the UK. First up, Sohla recreates the oldest known recipe for apple pie from 1390 England, then bakes up a 1796 recipe for apple pie from the first-ever American cookbook.
Sohla Makes The Oldest Recipe in the World (...maybe?)
E10
Sohla Makes The Oldest Recipe in the World (...maybe?)In this episode Sohla goes all the way back to the Stone Age to recreate the oldest* recipe ever: a nettle and barley pudding. *Maybe? iI’s really, really old, so we’re going with it!
Sohla's Ancient Cheesecake Bake Off (Greeks vs. Romans)
E11
Sohla's Ancient Cheesecake Bake Off (Greeks vs. Romans)Sohla hosts a bake-off between the Greeks and Romans to determine the champs of ancient cheesecake, in this episode of Ancient Recipes with Sohla.
Sohla Makes Medieval Gnocchi (with Carla Lalli Music!)
E12
Sohla Makes Medieval Gnocchi (with Carla Lalli Music!)Sohla is joined by Carla Lalli Music to recreate the earliest known recipe for the cutest Italian pasta there is – gnocchi! This recipe is from Bartolomeo Scappi. Watch more of Carla Lalli Music at: youtube.com/carlalallimusic
The Original Chinese Dumpling Had a Unique Purpose
E13
The Original Chinese Dumpling Had a Unique PurposeSohla explores the history of Chinese dumplings and recreates a 2,000-year-old recipe for jiaozi from the legendary Chinese physician Zhang Zhongjing, in this episode of Ancient Recipes with Sohla.
The Dalai Lama's Favorite Breakfast is 2,000 Years Old
E14
The Dalai Lama's Favorite Breakfast is 2,000 Years OldFor over 2,000 years, Sherpas on Mt. Everest have been fueled by a Tibetan porridge called tsampa. Sohla cooks up a traditional version of the dish along with yak butter tea – and learns that cooking with sand is strangely satisfying.
Sohla Bakes a Pretzel Recipe from 1111 Bavaria
E15
Sohla Bakes a Pretzel Recipe from 1111 BavariaNot gonna lye—we’re pretty excited about this! Sohla’s celebrating Oktoberfest by recreating the original pretzel recipe from medieval Bavaria. Put on your lederhosen, grab a stein, and learn the strange religious history of our favorite salty snack.
Which Original Pumpkin Pie Is Better?
E16
Which Original Pumpkin Pie Is Better?What pie did they serve at the first Thanksgiving? And why didn’t they use any spices? Sohla aims to find out, as she bakes two pumpkin pie recipes from the 1600s.
Did This Bread Cause the Salem Witch Trials?
E17
Did This Bread Cause the Salem Witch Trials?In this Halloween edition of Ancient Recipes, Sohla recreates two recipes with a spooky past. First, she bakes a rye bread that may have been responsible for the Salem Witch Trials. Then she crafts the original Halloween treat—Druid Soul Cakes!
Should Meat Jelly Make a Comeback?
E18
Should Meat Jelly Make a Comeback?Sohla tackles the wildest recipe yet—an aspic jelly with fish tongues and lips from the earliest known Arabic cookbook, in this episode of Ancient Recipes.
Pemmican: The Original Survival Food
E19
Pemmican: The Original Survival FoodTo celebrate Native American Heritage Month, Sohla recreates pemmican, a super food made of meat, fat and berries that dates back over 5,000 years. Plus Sohla speaks with indigenous chef Sean Sherman to learn more about the history of this remarkable dish, in this episode of Ancient Recipes with Sohla.
Who Had the Best Christmas Cookie Recipe?
E20
Who Had the Best Christmas Cookie Recipe?What connects Abe Lincoln and Queen Elizabeth I? Gingerbread Men! Sohla explores two distinct but delicious recipes for these classic spiced cookies, in this holiday edition of Ancient Recipes.