The Bizarre Eating Habits of Dictators

Food is essential to your well being and to your very existence . Whether you’re born in the richest palace or the smallest home, everyone has personal likes and dislikes when it comes to food. Of course, it’s far more readily available to some than others, leading to dictators being able to request , and have, any food or drink they desire; allowing them to indulge in some truly bizarre preferences…

🗓️ Topics Discussed
Kim Jong Il
Joseph Stalin
Benito Mussolini
Fidel Castro
Saddam Hussein

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Timestamps:
Intro: (00:00)
Kim Jong Il: (00:29)
Joseph Stalin: (03:52)
Benito Mussolini: (06:23)
Fidel Castro: (07:27)
Saddam Hussein: (09:10)

Credit:
Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A. (Hons) in History, University College London)
Video Directors: Lav Velimirovic, Ognjen Jovic
Script: Jake Leigh-Howarth
Script Review: Peter Turner
Artists: Fiona Phan, Selma Belegic
Animators: Nancy Bhalla, Krishna, Guillermo G. Caasi. Jr, Ravina Bheda, Rommel Ponferrada
Editor: Artem Dobrohodov, James Dowse
Thumbnails: Fiona Phan
Brand Partnerships: Barbara Abraul
Senior Production Manager: Umar Ijaz
Simple History Channel Manager: James Dowse

[dlxmarks]

Stalin often cheated by either not drinking himself claiming medical reasons or drinking something watered down. Truman reported that at a Potsdam banquet hosted by the Soviets, there were multiple vodka toasts. After several, Truman helped himself to Stalin's personal bottle and discovered he had been drinking white wine.

[Palkia]

PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE THUMBNAIL IT'S HILARIOUS

[kb]

Didnt a North Korean dictator eat a rabbit that was meant to be used for quick breeding to solve food shortages? lol

[federicofaustoisaia]

At a certain time, Mussolini swapped his fondness for garlic with one for milk. In 1940s, he used to feed almost only on raw milk. This, along with a duodenal ulcer, made the fact that at late wartime his stomach was wrecked unsuprising.

[nicholasmontgomery]

I'm surprised Hitler's addiction to chocolate and sugar didn't make the list.
I remember reading a testimony from his personal chef that he would consume two pounds of chocolate a day and often gravitated to the dessert tables during parties.

[daunas]

Benito Mussolini was born in italy, a country regarded to have the best culinary dishes, but he decided to eat raw garlic like a freak. absolutely foul

[mrjohnclark]

Video did not show Hitlers obsession with Vegetariansim.

[plum]

Later in life Benito Mussolini had severe stomach problems and his doctors limited to food restrictions like only rice. When he was in German hands he would eat alone because he didn’t want his diet known.

[thedarkringedfox]

A dictator who liked ice cream, man who doesn't love ice cream is sweet cold and tasty

[Thoroughly_Wet]

Stalin knew a Drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts.

[jokodihaynes]

Dictators live in luxury at the expense of the people

[Sailrjupnh]

0:39 it’s beyond sick that Kim Jong Un, like his father and grandfather, eats delicious rich foods when the people of North Korea are starving and suffer from malnutrition.

[Jaxxon]

The chair that Saddam was standing in front of in the animation, I literally sat on when I was deployed to Iraq…Lol

Al-Faw Palace, Baghdad

[Gocever]

This video was enlightening, well done Simple History. This fun fact about the odd culinary tastes of some of the world's most infamous despots was something i've never heard of until now. The thumbnail is downright crazy.

[iranimilitantzifu]

You forgot Idi Amin’s occasional special meat eating habit…

[dnbmania]

Crazy having Steven segal as a personal assistant

[harrisonofcolorado]

3:10 "Let's say I want to create a website, where you can buy roast donkey".

Kim Jong Il: *Did someone say they're looking to be executed?*

"Only kidding".

Kim Jong Il: *G O O D*

[Sailrjupnh]

6:49 I wonder how his mistress put up with all that garlic. His wife was probably GLAD he had a mistress. 😂😂

[jiyuhong]

4:19 one time when they met, a japanese minister got so drunk he had to be hauled away by Stalin to the train to japan

[hugosinclair]

stalin had a stroke 2 days after my grandma was born, lulz 😂