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The favorite foods and eccentric eating habits of 9 ruthless dictators

Cobra stew, hallucinogenic root bark, and KFC.

Ugandan dictator Idi Amin eating a piece of roast chicken at Koboko, Uganda, while watching a parade on the 7th anniversary of his military coup.

Cobra stew. Hallucinogenic root bark. KFC.

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These were the favorite meals of some of the most ruthless dictators of the 20th century.

We selected several leaders from the book and highlighted their favorite foods — and some of their horrifying dinnertime eccentricities.

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Korea's Kim Jong Il loved shark-fin soup and dog-meat soup.

He had a team of women make sure all the rice grains served to him were identical.

Dinner etiquette:

Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian and by the end of his life ate only mashed potatoes and broth.

Foods of choice: Hitler's vegetarianism has been attributed to ideological reasons, but it also may have been motivated by his belief that a meatless diet would relieve his chronic flatulence and constipation. By the end of WWII, Hitler ate only mashed potatoes and clear broth.

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Source:

He had a team of 15 food tasters. If none of them dropped dead after 45 minutes, then the food would be considered OK to eat.

Dinner etiquette:

Source:

Joseph Stalin loved traditional Georgian cuisine.

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Foods of choice: Stalin was fond of traditional Georgian cuisine, which features walnuts, garlic, plums, pomegranates, and wines.

Source:

One of Stalin's personal chefs was Vladimir Putin's grandfather, Spiridon Putin.

Dinner etiquette:

Source:,

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Benito Mussolini loved garlic and thought French food was "worthless."

Foods of choice: Mussolini preferred a simple salad of roughly chopped garlic drenched with oil and fresh lemon juice. He thought French food was "worthless."

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Mussolini liked to eat at home with his family. Everyone had to be seated before his arrival.

Dinner etiquette: Mussolini preferred to eat his meals at home with his wife, Rachele, and their five children. A typical meal in the Mussolini household was punctual, with everyone seated and served at the table before his arrival.

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Source:

Idi Amin reportedly ate up to 40 oranges a day and enjoyed KFC while in exile in Saudi Arabia.

For a while, Amin loved all things British, including afternoon tea.

Dinner etiquette: For a while, Idi Amin loved all things British and reportedly enjoyed afternoon tea.

Source:

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Pol Pot liked cobra stew.

Foods of choice: Pol Pot enjoyed venison, wild boar, snake, fresh fruit, brandy, and Chinese wine. He also reportedly liked cobra stew.

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He enjoyed luxurious meals while peasants were allowed only rice soup.

Dinner etiquette: Pol Pot enjoyed luxurious meals while those suffering under his regime were allowed only water with a sprinkle of rice grains.

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Source:,

Nicolae Ceaușescu liked vegetarian lasagnas and simple salads.

Foods of choice: Ceaușescu liked vegetarian lasagna topped off with an egg beaten into sour cream, Romanian-style carp in aspic, and simple tomato, onion, and feta salads with steak.

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Ceaușescu would throw the food served to him at formal events onto the floor and kick it as far as possible.

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Dinner etiquette: Ceaușescu notoriously avoided eating food that was not properly screened. He would throw the food served to him at formal events onto the floor and kick it as far as possible.

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Francisco Macías Nguema liked tea made out of the female cannabis plant and root bark with hallucinogenic properties.

Foods of choice: He liked bhang, a tea made from the leaves of the female cannabis plant, and iboga, a root bark with hallucinogenic properties.

Source:

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There were rumors Nguema was a cannibal who collected skulls in his fridge.

Dinner etiquette: Not much is known about Nguema's dining habits. There were, however, rumors he was a cannibal who collected skulls in his refrigerator.

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Haitian ruler François "Papa Doc" Duvalier's wife had to spoon-feed him by the end of his reign because of his many ailments.

Foods of choice: Nothing hearty.He was already diabetic and had heart problems and arthritis by the time he was in power in the late 1950s. By his last year, 1971, his wife had to spoon-feed him.

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Source:

Duvalier's "idea of after-dinner entertainment involved a descent to a dungeon ... to watch through a spy-hole while his enemies were being tortured."

Dinner etiquette: "His idea of after-dinner entertainment involved a descent to a dungeon whose walls were painted a blood red, to watch through a spy-hole while his enemies were being tortured," according to Clark and Scott.

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