MELISSA SCOTT

Might the path to true knowledge of any great dictator lead through his stomach?What did dictators eat? Sometimes simply obscene amounts of the best their nations could offer, but more often their despots humble origins, or embarrassing medical conditions, or simple lack of interest in or time for food meant their tastes were surprisingly unpretentious ranging from human flesh, to raw garlic salad, to Quality Street...Dictators Dinners is an investigation into what some of the worlds most notorious 20th century despots have enjoyed most at their dinner table, and with whom. Here we learn of their foibles, their eccentricities and their frequent terror of poisoning - something no number of food tasters was ever able to assuage.For a selection of 25 former national figureheads across the world, each section includes: An outline of the dictators history. A short essay on their particular eating habits, table manners, digestive systems. One or two of their favourite recipes.