{"id":30756,"date":"2025-08-11T15:19:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T12:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yaronmargolin.com\/?p=30756"},"modified":"2025-08-14T06:39:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T03:39:27","slug":"cauldron-and-ruin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yaronmargolin.com\/?p=30756","title":{"rendered":"Cauldron and Ruin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hebrew<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Fourteen kings, emperors, national leaders, and one official \u2014 and even those who did not lose their self-respect drowned in various illnesses rooted in what they ate.
Painting by Yaron Margolin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Yaron Margolin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History loves to praise. But sometimes, through the stomach, it reveals a painful and instructive truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Louis XIV, for example \u2014 an absolute ruler, a dancer in the royal ballet, a builder of palaces, the founder of the Academy of Dance and the royal dance troupe in which he starred. But also: a man who died with failing kidneys, a diseased bladder, and a stomach three times its normal size. Why hide it? Whipped creams, butter cookies, fatty meats, pheasants, deer, veal, frogs, and wine \u2014 and an insatiable appetite for refined food and the courtly ceremonies surrounding it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louis XIV died from acidic urine and excess sugar, secluded in the grandeur of Versailles, accompanied by a bowl of foie gras p\u00e2t\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once again, the king\u2019s doctor was summoned to his chamber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The king jolted upright with a cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His right leg had swollen so much he could no longer step on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sharp pain pierced through his body \u2014 from his toe to his stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It began to turn black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The king tried to rise for the third time \u2014 and fell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He lay on the velvet carpets like a wounded animal, screaming in pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the background, the silver tables still stood set \u2014 a pot roast, thick wine, roasted poultry arranged in a heap, and butter cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The king looked at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He trembled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctor knelt beside him: the urine was acidic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The blood, heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heart was found weary, and the mouth had no teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the door stood the servants, asking whether the king desired a breakfast of sausages and buttered potatoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And outside, through the window, the stableman could be heard. One could see the stable master \u2014 the king\u2019s age \u2014 who had just finished cleaning the stables with his son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lentil leftovers from last night\u2019s dinner were thrown away. Old bread was kept \u2014 later they would soak it in cold water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctor turned his gaze so the tear in his eye would not be seen; the stableman ran and worked like a young man, and his king stood just minutes away from death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The famous portrait of Louis XIV by Rigaud, painted in 1701 (age 63). Notice the hollow cheeks, indicating that by that time Louis XIV no longer had any teeth [source<\/a><\/strong>]. Hyacinthe Rigaud, Louis XIV. Image source: Wikipedia.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This time, we turn to a different kind of history: kings, abundance, and the secret of survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

"How can it be that the truth is known \u2013 yet never learned?"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a seventh-grade student hears that King Louis XIV \u2014 a man of immense power and influence \u2014 died from acidic urine and the suffocation of fat, and that the most powerful pope on earth perished with edema and swollen kidneys from too much butter, cookies, and fine meats \u2014 while a stable boy, the son of a farmer who planted lentils, survived without a doctor \u2014 perhaps he might choose to live differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That child might go on to live without diabetes, gout, high cholesterol, or kidney failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ancient Chinese emperors were poisoned by their visions of eternity and \u201cimmortality\u201d potions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popes wasted away from excessive drinking, while the Queen of England remained alone, behind walls of ceremony and silence, connected to machines, detached\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey ruled nations, continents, and religions \u2013 yet lost the real battle: the one between themselves and the plate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people we speak of here were idols of the masses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admired for their power, their wealth, or their holiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet they fell in disgrace, in humiliation and loss of self-respect \u2014 not by the spear, but by a copper bowl overflowing with animal fat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They did not fall on the battlefield, but beside the banquet table, before a roasted piglet hunted for them in the royal forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Louis XIV<\/strong>, who collapsed into his sabl\u00e9 cakes, to a pope who dipped his faith into zabaglione, to an emperor who never knew satiety \u2014 we will also meet little Akaki, who broke in spirit because he had no overcoat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a story of inner collapse, of eating without listening, and of a world of glittering delicacies that lost their worth once it became clear they could kill those who had forgotten the essential truth: what a person truly needs in order to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, in the last chapter, we will examine the psychological dimension \u2014 the inner crisis that remained hidden for many years from renowned scholars of the human soul, a crisis that led them to surrender \u2014 not only physically, but ultimately also mentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What led them then \u2014 and leads us today \u2014 to such a fate?
We will discuss the loss of dignity, the death of self-respect, the impoverishment of spirit in these once-revered giants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here it comes, Chapter One \u2014 \ud83c\udf77 \u201cThe Deaths of Fourteen Sated Souls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1\ufe0f\u20e3 Louis XIV \u2014 The King Who Ate Until He Could No Longer Stand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The absolute ruler of France \u2014 a stomach three times the normal size, acidic urine, gout attacks that burned through his leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He tried to rise from the table \u2014 and fell into his sabl\u00e9 cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

"The crown fell last.
The body surrendered first."<\/p>\n\n\n

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2\ufe0f\u20e3. Leo X \u2014 The Pope Who Dipped His Faith in Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A spiritual ruler. A Medici child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He ruled with taste, not with breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirty-six egg yolks in a zabaglione \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and his leg swelled like a holy balloon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

"He ruled in Rome. Directed, instructed, commanded, legislated \u2014 but never learned to listen to the quality of his sleep or the flow of his own blood."<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3\ufe0f\u20e3 To Die for a Swedish Semla<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stockholm, February 12, 1771 \u2014 Adolf Frederick, the king who loved semla<\/a> cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening began like any imperial feast: lobster, caviar, pickled kippers, sauerkraut, champagne \u2014 and for dessert, 14 servings of  semla<\/a> \u2014 a sweet yeast bun filled with almond paste, served in hot milk. At 55, he collapsed with his last bite [source1<\/a><\/strong>, source2<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n

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It is said that this heavy meal, particularly the rich semla with whipped cream, triggered a stroke (or heart attack) and sealed his fate as \u201cthe king who ate himself to death.\u201d[source1<\/a>, source2<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He died that very night from severe digestive complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official cause of death: catastrophic digestive failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The body gave out.
The heart stopped.
The sinking king fell to the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No cough was heard.
The royal hearth went silent.
The palace lay still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe man was merely seeking a final taste,
only to find his grave already served at the Sabbath table.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But the consequences did not end with his death. His son, Gustav III, ascended to the throne, ended Sweden\u2019s Age of Liberty, ushered in an absolutist monarchy, and launched a ruinous war with Russia.
A reminder of just how dangerous a well-crafted cream pastry can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4\ufe0f\u20e3 Charles V \u2014 The Iron Emperor Who Fell to Brown Sauce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

King of Germany, Spain, Austria, and the Holy Roman Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After his abdication became a fact, and he withdrew to a monastery, Saint Ignatius of Loyola remarked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe Emperor has set a rare example for his successors\u2026 proving himself a true Christian prince\u2026 May God in His goodness grant the Emperor liberty.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And perhaps that liberty came, for the revered retiree took with him his roasted ducks, colonial delicacies, and swollen limbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He did not lose the crown \u2014 he lost his toes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Charles V <\/strong>was one of the most powerful men of the 16th century, ruling an empire that spanned most of Western and Central Europe. His reign lasted over 40 years. He is remembered chiefly as King of Spain (1516\u20131556, under the name Carlos<\/strong> I<\/strong>) and as Holy Roman Emperor (1519\u20131556), inheriting vast realms from his parents, Philip the Handsome<\/strong> (King of Castile) and Joanna<\/strong> the Mad (Queen of Castile), so extensive that his realm was called \u201cthe empire on which the sun never sets.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In 1556<\/strong>, Charles<\/strong> V<\/strong> abdicated both the imperial and Spanish thrones, retiring to the Monastery of Yuste<\/a><\/strong>, His final years, according to court publicists, were devoted to contemplation and religious devotion \u2014 but judging by his cause of death, much of his reflection was on meat and wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emperor dined six times a day, consuming liver, poultry, cheeses, pastries, fresh animal blood, and honey. He drank enormous quantities of hot spiced wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charles V<\/strong> suffered from severe digestive issues, chronic bloating, and likely gout \u2014 the so-called \u201cdisease of kings,\u201d caused by an excess of uric acid from a rich meat-based diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHe had the strength to rule half the world and even to abdicate, but not to set down his knife and fork,\u201d remarked his court physician.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The gout attacks became so severe that he had to be carried on chairs or litters. His declining health was one of the factors pushing him to relinquish his crowns, though historians preferred to attribute it to his longing for peace in a world he could not pacify. He remained at Yuste for several years in poor health, dying of malaria in 1558. [Source1<\/a><\/strong>, Source2<\/a><\/strong>, Source3,<\/a> Source4<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sausage recipes from the time of Jo\u00e3o III, pictured above, included ingredients such as pork, salt, and pepper, while egg-and-sugar cakes resembled ovos moles, a traditional Portuguese dessert still beloved by sweet-toothed locals today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

5\ufe0f\u20e3. Jo\u00e3o III of Portugal (1502\u20131557) \u2014 King from 1521 to 1557, a central figure in the Age of Discovery and the great colonial expansion that shaped the Portuguese Empire.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

[source<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His royal table reflected the riches of the age:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White bread \u2014 as in Biscoitos, made with fine wheat flour, sugar, orange blossom water, white wine, and butter or sweet olive oil [source<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sausages \u2014 Morcelas, blending pork, salt, black pepper, and sometimes flour, nuts, egg yolks, and lard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rich cheeses \u2014 found in Almoj\u00e1venas de D. Isabel de Vilhena [Source<\/a><\/strong>], made with aged cheese, wheat flour, and eggs, fried in butter or lard, then soaked in light syrup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Egg-and-sugar confections \u2014 Canudos de ovos mexidos, scrambled yolks with thin syrup, piped into fried pastry tubes, dipped in thick sugar syrup, and dusted with sugar and cinnamon. This recipe closely resembles the traditional Portuguese dessert ovos moles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A reign of ships, spices, and maps \u2014 but also of butter, lard, and sugar [\u05d5Source<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During the nearly three centuries of the Tang dynasty<\/strong> (618\u2013907 CE), the Chinese empire was vast, stretching from the grasslands of Inner Mongolia to the northern border of Vietnam, and from the Pacific coast to the Tibetan frontier. At that time, no other Asian state possessed a greater variety of edible goods, all of which found their way to the imperial table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Tang China, <\/strong>both eating and drinking were symbols of power and wealth. The elite knew a remarkable range of beverages \u2014 including several types of water, fermented mare\u2019s milk known as kumis, and both fermented and unfermented plant-based milks made from legumes and nuts. Tea was classified into cultivated and wild varieties, and wines were made not only from grapes but also from pears, plums, jujubes, and other fruits. Beer was common, with at least one variety brewed with black pepper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They consumed turnips, taro, sweet potatoes, lotus root, water chestnut, ginger, and many other tubers and rhizomes, along with leafy greens, bamboo shoots, rhubarb, scallions, leeks, and other alliums. Legumes \u2014 especially soybeans, peas, and broad beans \u2014 were staples. Meat, while fresh and domesticated, was eaten in moderation except at formal banquets \u2014 which in the palace occurred daily. Pork and lamb\u2019s liver were common, as were beef, chicken, pheasant, and partridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The imperial menu also extended to marmots, reptiles, unusual mammals such as elephant and monkey, unborn mice preserved in honey, insects including wasps and ant eggs, and delicacies like deer tongue, duck tongue, and rare dried meats and fish. Apples in honey were celebrated conversation pieces. From the sea came shrimp, crab, clams, snails, eel, jellyfish, squid, and turtles; exotic fish were especially prized and often appeared at every feast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To supply this abundance, over two thousand palace staff members procured and prepared food. Alongside cooks were dieticians and physicians who studied food as medicine and designed menus for health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others organized elaborate feasts for festivals, birthdays, weddings, honored guests, military victories, and promotions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tang kitchens<\/strong> excelled in preservation \u2014 the emperors had icehouses, and cooks could keep produce out of season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They salted fish and meat, pickled in vinegar, honey, or oil, dried beef and fish, candied fruits, and fermented vegetables and sauces, especially from soybeans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spices included garlic, scallions, various alliums, ginger, tangerine peel, mustard seed, cinnamon, cardamom, Fagara (Sichuan pepper), different peppers, and flavorings like vinegar, sugar, honey, maltose, chestnut and almond flours, beers, wines, and fermented sauces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A surviving recipe details a soup or stew made with goose, mutton, and pork, sticky rice, salt, ginger, vinegar, soy paste, ginseng root, fruits, and assorted vegetables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything was available to help the emperors live long \u2014 everything except restraint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many died young from overindulgence. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, peasants, laborers, servants, and slaves had no access to such foods; famine was common, and mass starvation occurred while the palace dined on fifty-eight-course banquets or five-day feasts. Droughts struck every four or five years, and in the worst times cannibalism was reported, sometimes enforced by authorities. Before resorting to eating human flesh, people consumed horses, any bird they could catch, rats, and other vermin \u2014 even animals considered unsafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Emperor Taizong of Tang (28 January 598 \u2013 10 July 649). \u05e7\u05d9\u05e1\u05e8 \u05d8\u05d0\u05d9-\u05d6\u05d5\u05e0\u05d2 \u05de\u05d8\u05d0\u05e0\u05d2 (28 \u05d1\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05d0\u05e8 598 \u2013 10 \u05d1\u05d9\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9 649), \u05dc\u05e9\u05e2\u05d1\u05e8 \u05e0\u05e1\u05d9\u05da \u05e6'\u05d9\u05df, \u05e9\u05e0\u05d5\u05dc\u05d3 \u05ea\u05d7\u05ea \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d9 \u05e9\u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u05df, \u05d4\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d9\u05e1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e9\u05dc \u05e9\u05d5\u05e9\u05dc\u05ea \u05d8\u05d0\u05e0\u05d2 \u05d1\u05e1\u05d9\u05df, \u05d5\u05e9\u05dc\u05d8 \u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d4\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd 626 \u05dc-649. \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05e0\u05d7\u05e9\u05d1 \u05dc\u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05de\u05de\u05d9\u05d9\u05e1\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d5\u05e9\u05dc\u05ea \u05d5\u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dc\u05d9\u05d8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05d7\u05db\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05d4\u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05ea\u05d1\u05dc. \u05d1\u05e2\u05d9\u05d3\u05d5\u05d3\u05d5 \u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05d5 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d5\u05d0\u05df (\u05d4\u05e7\u05d9\u05e1\u05e8 \u05d2\u05d0\u05d5\u05d6\u05d5) \u05d9\u05e6\u05d0 \u05dc\u05de\u05e8\u05d5\u05d3 \u05e0\u05d2\u05d3 \u05e9\u05d5\u05e9\u05dc\u05ea \u05e1\u05d5\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d2'\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u05d0\u05e0\u05d2 \u05d1\u05e9\u05e0\u05ea 617. \u05dc\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8 \u05de\u05db\u05df, \u05d8\u05d0\u05d9-\u05d6\u05d5\u05e0\u05d2 \u05de\u05d9\u05dc\u05d0 \u05ea\u05e4\u05e7\u05d9\u05d3 \u05de\u05e8\u05db\u05d6\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d4\u05d1\u05e1\u05ea \u05db\u05de\u05d4 \u05de\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05d1\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05d5\u05db\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea\u05e8 \u05e9\u05dc \u05d4\u05e9\u05d5\u05e9\u05dc\u05ea \u05d5\u05d1\u05d1\u05d9\u05e1\u05d5\u05e1 \u05e9\u05dc\u05d8\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e1\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05e6\u05de\u05d4. \u05ea\u05d1\u05d5\u05e0\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d4\u05de\u05d3\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u05ea \u05d5\u05d7\u05d5\u05db\u05de\u05ea\u05d5 \u05dc\u05d0 \u05e2\u05de\u05d3\u05d5 \u05dc\u05e8\u05e9\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05de\u05ea \u05de\u05d9\u05ea\u05e8 \u05d1\u05d2\u05d9\u05dc 51[\u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e8<\/a><\/strong>].<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emperor Taizong <\/a>of Tang (28 January 598 \u2013 10 July 649)<\/strong> [source<\/a><\/strong>], formerly the Prince of Qin and born Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang<\/strong> dynasty<\/strong>, reigning from 626 to 649. Regarded as one of the dynasty\u2019s founders and among the most capable rulers in history, he had risen to power after joining his father Li<\/strong> Yuan<\/strong> (Emperor Gaozu) in the revolt against the Sui dynasty in Jinyang in 617. Taizong\u2019s leadership was decisive in defeating the dynasty\u2019s fiercest rivals and consolidating Tang<\/strong> rule. Yet his political brilliance did not protect him from the perils of the imperial table \u2014 he died at the age of 51 from overindulgence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6\ufe0f\u20e3. Emperor of China \u2014 Heaven on the Plate, Hell in the Liver
Hundreds of dishes at every meal. The Tang dynasty (618\u2013907 CE) rose and fell on its stomach.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Weakness, edema, and death at 35 \u2014 the price of too much honey and boiled snake [Source1. Source2<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some historians attribute early deaths among the Tang<\/strong> elite to heavy, unusual foods such as vast quantities of honey and boiled snake, culinary luxuries that weighed heavily on the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archaeological finds, including tableware and food remains from Tang dynasty<\/strong> tombs<\/strong>, indicate that the nobility enjoyed dumplings, sweet pastries, roasted meats, and dairy products. However, there is no detailed record of the personal diet of Emperor Taizong<\/a><\/strong> (r. 626\u2013649), the second emperor of the Tang dynasty and a central figure in its golden age [\u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e81<\/a><\/strong>, \u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e82<\/a><\/strong>, \u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e83<\/a><\/strong>, \u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e84<\/a><\/strong>, \u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e85<\/a><\/strong>].What is known is that he died at the age of 51 in 649, and it is widely assumed his diet was \u201cunbalanced.\u201d [\u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e81<\/a><\/strong>, \u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e82<\/a><\/strong>, \u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e83<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His premature death likely resulted from digestive infection, lack of dietary fiber, dehydration from insufficient water intake, and above all, bacterial exposure from tuna, meats, or potatoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result was worse than words can convey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wu Zetian<\/a><\/strong> (624 \u2013 705 CE) \u2013 the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor in her own right \u2013 was one of 21 monarchs of the Tang Dynasty. Officially reigning from 690 to 705, she stands out as perhaps the most remarkable of them all. Wu Zetian strengthened agriculture, reduced taxes, invested heavily in culture, and encouraged women to pursue roles long considered taboo. She governed with an iron hand, and what was admired in men brought her scorn, jealousy, and enmity \u2013 especially from male historians of later eras.—Do you want me to also adapt the culinary and court-life section about the Tang Dynasty into the same polished English style? That would match the depth and richness you\u2019ve used for Jo\u00e3o III <\/strong>and others [Source<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gluttonous lifestyle to which the emperors were exposed at those lavish banquets not only contributed to the decline of their health, but also, to a greater extent, to the fall of the Tang dynasty\u2014plagued by disease and the premature deaths of its royalty\u2014largely due to the heavy and extreme dining habits through which they flaunted power and wealth [Source1<\/a><\/strong>, Source2<\/a><\/strong>, Source3<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7\ufe0f\u20e3 Edward Dando (London, 19th century)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The figure of Edward<\/a> <\/a>Dando<\/a><\/strong> embodies the \u201cbodily cravings that strike with simplicity\u201d still familiar to us today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A thief and glutton, Dando would gorge himself on massive portions and, upon feeling the pangs of hunger after being released from prison, would embark on a fatal spree of eating [source<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike others driven by culinary excess, Dando\u2019s notoriety in Britain came from his unusual habit of eating to excess at food stalls and inns, only to then reveal that he had no money to pay. Though his meals varied, he had a particular fondness for oysters, once consuming 25 dozen of them along with one and a half loaves of buttered bread \u2014 \u201clike Netanyahu<\/strong>, without paying\u201d [Source1<\/a><\/strong>, Source2<\/a><\/strong>, Source3<\/a><\/strong>, source4<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI refuse to starve in a land of plenty,\u201d he would often proclaim in his defense, earning, much like in our own times, the sympathy of wide audiences [Source1<\/a><\/strong>, Source2<\/a><\/strong>]. Alongside oysters, Dando consumed large amounts of meat, bread, butter, drink, and sometimes coffee and alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 1832, he was arrested in Kent after drinking at an inn in the parish of Chilham without paying; he was jailed for vagrancy, and the press described him as limping in his right foot \u2014 a symptom suggestive of gout caused by overeating [Source<\/strong>: \u201cUntitled.\u201d The Times, 25 June 1832, p. 5]. In the past, gout was considered a mark of nobility, a talisman against other diseases, and even an aphrodisiac, endorsed by doctors who, then as now, failed to cure it [Source<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His life ended at age 29 from cholera symptoms within the walls of prison, on 28 August 1832. Charles Dickens wrote about Dando, likening him to Alexander the Great; in our own circles (Benjamin Netanyahu), the comparison is often made to Churchill [source<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8\ufe0f\u20e3. Suleiman the Magnificent \u2014 The Sultan Who Ruled Empires but Could Not Resist Fat and Sugar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n