You have very complex gastronomic preferences. How to create a happy family. What prevents us from perceiving a dish correctly?

Amazing facts from the lives of dictators, including table manners, gastronomic preferences and fears of poisoning. Some recipes are also provided here.

Kim

Chen Il loved soups made from shark fin and dog meat, as well as lard. The North Korean dictator thought dog meat soup made him invulnerable and masculine. In addition, Kim Jong Il was considered a big fan of Hennessy cognac.

Kim Jong Il ruled from 1994 to 2011, and while he was in power, North Korea plunged into a deep crisis that resulted in mass famine. While the Koreans were starving, the leader kept a large team of specially trained women who were supposed to check that all the grains of rice in his plate were the same size, shape and color.

Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian and at the end of his life he ate only mashed potatoes and broth. Some believe that his adherence to a vegetarian diet was driven by ideological motives, but it is believed that he believed that abstaining from meat was a way to combat chronic bloating and constipation.

Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, is known for seizing vast areas of Europe and North Africa during World War II and massacring Jews, Gypsies, Slavs and others. He was so afraid of being poisoned that he kept a group of 15 tasters and only ate if none of them died within 45 minutes of eating.

USSR leader Joseph Stalin was very fond of his native Georgian cuisine, which was dominated by walnuts, garlic, plums, pomegranates and wine.

He liked to compete in the amount he drank and enjoy feasts that could last for six hours at a time. The complex menu was prepared by a whole team of chefs.

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini loved a simple salad with coarsely chopped garlic, drizzled with olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. He believed that French cuisine was “no good.”

Mussolini, who founded the Fascist Party in Italy and built a totalitarian state, preferred to dine at home with his wife Raquela and five children. Lunch at Mussolini's house took place at a strictly defined time, and everyone had to sit at the table with full plates waiting for the head of the family.

The former dictator of Uganda, General Idi Amin, loved roasted kid, cassava and millet bread. He also ate 40 oranges a day, believing that it was “natural Viagra.” Later, when he lived in exile in Saudi Arabia, he enjoyed eating KFC chicken and pizza.

Idi Amin overthrew the elected government in a military coup and declared himself president. He ruled Uganda brutally for eight years. During his reign, about 300 thousand citizens died. Idi Amin had a period when he loved everything British and even started the tradition of evening tea. There were also rumors about his cannibalism.

Cambodian dictator Pol Pot loved venison, wild boar, snakes, fresh fruit, brandy and Chinese wine. He also liked the cobra roast.

Floor

Pot and his communist Khmer Rouge movement orchestrated a brutal program of social reconstruction that saw up to 2 million Cambodians executed, overworked, or starved to death. Pol Pot threw sumptuous feasts, and his subjects were only allowed to eat water with a few grains of rice.

Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu loved vegetarian lasagna with a sauce of eggs beaten with sour cream, Romanian jellied carp, as well as simple salads of tomatoes, onions and feta cheese with steak.

Ceausescu ruled socialist Romania from 1965 to 1989. He would not eat food that had not been properly tested and would throw food off his plate onto the floor at formal events by kicking it.

Francisco Macias Nguema, the first president of Equatorial Guinea, who exterminated or made political refugees from one to two thirds of the country's population and under whom Equatorial Guinea became known as the "Dachau of Africa", liked to drink bang tea from the female sprouts of hemp and iboga, the root of an African shrub with hallucinogenic properties.

Little is known about Nguema's drinking habits, but there were rumors that he was a cannibal and collected skulls in his refrigerator.

Haitian dictator Francois Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, was already diabetic and had heart problems when he came to power in the 1950s. By 1971, before his death, his wife was spoon-feeding him.

After dinner, Papa Doc liked to amuse himself by going down into the catacombs, the walls of which were painted blood red, and watching through a small crack as his enemies were tortured.

If Peter I had an appointment with a modern nutritionist, the doctor would certainly have had a heart attack. Early in the morning, before meals, the emperor drank a glass of vodka, and during the day he liked to indulge in kvass. At the same time, Peter never suffered from gastritis or ulcers.

The “diet,” which gave strength and vigor to the emperor, was considered extreme even by his contemporaries. Guests, accustomed to refined dishes, often had to endure gastronomic inconveniences at the emperor's receptions.

Why did Peter I not like overseas dishes, and how did the emperor’s body withstand the extreme diet? Faktrum collected Peter's strangest gastronomic preferences.

Without pathos

The most “European” emperor could not stand overseas cuisine. It was in vain that the peasants, watching how the emperor mercilessly chopped off the beards of his entourage, worried about the introduction of overseas dishes. Peter I adored Russian cuisine. In the morning, before meals, he drank a glass of vodka and only after that started breakfast. Peter I's favorite dish was pearl barley porridge with milk, which is why it appeared in the soldiers' diet. On fasting days, cow's milk was replaced with almond milk.

Vegetarians would not have approved of Peter’s “diet”. The emperor ate meat and dishes made from it every day: from baked pork to beef jelly. Peter had a special weakness for radish: he could eat it in combination with sweet or sour-spicy ingredients. At the order of the emperor, sea fish was introduced into the diet of wealthy people. However, Peter himself could not eat fish dishes due to acute allergies. The emperor was also partial to spices. Dishes were generously seasoned with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, saffron, and mustard.

Remarkable appetite

It is interesting not only what the emperor ate, but also in what quantity. For one lunch, Peter could eat six pounds of cherries and four pounds of figs, which is equal to about five kilograms (one pound is about 500 grams). Once, during a visit to the British embassy, ​​Peter and his entourage ate about 16 kilograms of lamb tenderloin, eight chickens, eight rabbits and almost a whole lamb. At the same time, Peter I promoted moderation in food and tried not to overeat.

A supply of provisions was sent with the emperor on any trip. The courtiers knew that Peter could get hungry at any moment. The provisions were accompanied by a set of personal cutlery. It was the norm for the emperor to eat a lot and often. This was required by the emperor’s impressive dimensions (height 203 centimeters, weight almost 100 kilograms) and active lifestyle.

Imperial dessert

It is believed that as a child Peter was partial to candy. Usually for dessert, young Peter was served two-pound gingerbreads, sugar “parrots” and marzipan dishes. The mature emperor was indifferent to sweets. For dessert, he preferred to eat fresh fruits and berries. By the way, it was thanks to Peter that peaches, pears, oranges, and grapes began to be grown in Russia. The emperor washed down the fruits with plain water. For dessert, Peter also loved to eat flavored cheese. Well aware of this predilection, Dutch merchants sent the best wheels of Limburg cheese to the high table.

Dessert could consist of only watermelons. Peter loved berries very much and ate them in any form. And, again, the emperor’s passion was reflected in gastronomic production. Peter I built several greenhouses for growing watermelons. We can say that modern watermelon August is a continuation of the tradition established by Peter.

Kvass was an invariable part of the meal. Under Peter, recipes for its preparation became more varied. In addition to traditional kvass, they began to produce drinks with berries, herbs and birch sap. The emperor loved to wash down his food with sbitny - infusions of spices, honey and berries.

Roast cobra. Hallucinogenic root. Chicken from KFC. All these are the favorite dishes of the most brutal dictators of the 20th century. Victoria Clarke and Melissa Scott's book Dictators' Dinners: A Bad Taste Guide to Entertaining Tyrants reveals surprising facts about the lives of dictators, including table manners, food habits and poisoning fears. Some recipes are also provided here.
Kim Jong Il loved soups made from shark fin and dog meat, as well as lard. The North Korean dictator thought dog meat soup made him invulnerable and masculine. In addition, Kim Jong Il was considered a big fan of Hennessy cognac.
Kim Jong Il ruled from 1994 to 2011, and while he was in power, North Korea plunged into a deep crisis that resulted in mass famine. While the Koreans were starving, the leader kept a large team of specially trained women who were supposed to check that all the grains of rice in his plate were the same size, shape and color.
Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian and at the end of his life he ate only mashed potatoes and broth. Some believe that his adherence to a vegetarian diet was driven by ideological motives, but it is believed that he believed that abstaining from meat was a way to combat chronic bloating and constipation.
Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, is known for seizing vast areas of Europe and North Africa during World War II and massacring Jews, Gypsies, Slavs and others. He was so afraid of being poisoned that he kept a group of 15 tasters and only ate if none of them died within 45 minutes of eating.
USSR leader Joseph Stalin was very fond of his native Georgian cuisine, which was dominated by walnuts, garlic, plums, pomegranates and wine.
He liked to compete in the amount he drank and enjoy feasts that could last for six hours at a time. The complex menu was prepared by a whole team of chefs.
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini loved a simple salad with coarsely chopped garlic, drizzled with olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. He believed that French cuisine was “no good.”
Mussolini, who founded the Fascist Party in Italy and built a totalitarian state, preferred to dine at home with his wife Raquela and five children. Lunch at Mussolini's house took place at a strictly defined time, and everyone had to sit at the table with full plates waiting for the head of the family.
The former dictator of Uganda, General Idi Amin, loved roasted kid, cassava and millet bread. He also ate 40 oranges a day, believing that it was “natural Viagra.” Later, when he lived in exile in Saudi Arabia, he enjoyed eating KFC chicken and pizza.
Idi Amin overthrew the elected government in a military coup and declared himself president. He ruled Uganda brutally for eight years. During his reign, about 300 thousand citizens died. Idi Amin had a period when he loved everything British and even started the tradition of evening tea. There were also rumors about his cannibalism.
Cambodian dictator Pol Pot loved venison, wild boar, snakes, fresh fruit, brandy and Chinese wine. He also liked the cobra roast.
Pol Pot and his communist Khmer Rouge movement orchestrated a brutal program of social reconstruction that saw up to 2 million Cambodians executed, overworked, or starved to death. Pol Pot threw sumptuous feasts, and his subjects were only allowed to eat water with a few grains of rice.
Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu loved vegetarian lasagna with a sauce of eggs beaten with sour cream, Romanian jellied carp, as well as simple salads of tomatoes, onions and feta cheese with steak.
Ceausescu ruled socialist Romania from 1965 to 1989. He would not eat food that had not been properly tested and would throw food off his plate onto the floor at formal events by kicking it.
Francisco Macias Nguema, the first president of Equatorial Guinea, who exterminated or made political refugees from one to two thirds of the country's population and under whom Equatorial Guinea became known as the "Dachau of Africa", liked to drink bang tea from the female sprouts of hemp and iboga, the root of an African shrub with hallucinogenic properties.
Little is known about Nguema's drinking habits, but there were rumors that he was a cannibal and collected skulls in his refrigerator.
Haitian dictator Francois Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, was already diabetic and had heart problems when he came to power in the 1950s. By 1971, before his death, his wife was spoon-feeding him.
After dinner, Papa Doc liked to amuse himself by going down into the catacombs, the walls of which were painted blood red, and watching through a small crack as his enemies were tortured.

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Taste is something that develops in us in childhood. Consciously or not, we develop preferences in music, choice of clothing, book authors and... food.

Restaurant industry professionals often complain that our country’s recent past has had a detrimental effect on the taste preferences of Russians. Soviet cuisine can easily be called a black gastronomic stain, even though it brought into everyday life recipes for such popular dishes as chicken Kiev, beef stroganoff, Leningrad rassolnik and many others. The creation of such a kitchen was provoked by the policy of slogans from the “Catering for the Masses” series, the post-war economic crisis and for a number of other reasons. But this was not always the case. Russia, being at the crossroads of continents, has for centuries absorbed the food culture of its neighbors and enemies: the French, the Nords, and the Asians. But because of the Soviet sausage and canned food tinsel, it is sometimes very difficult for restaurant guests to switch to something “less understandable,” because the notorious “taste of childhood” has not been canceled.

The same French have their own gastronomic peculiarities. Firstly, the lexical vocabulary of gastronomy in their language tends to infinity, trying to convey all shades of taste as accurately as possible in words. Secondly, food is not just a meal, it is a whole philosophy called savoirvivre (translated from French as “to be able to live”), which regularly appears on the pages of the media in the rather voluminous column of the same name. And, apparently, the French begin to learn aspects of this cultural movement from childhood. For example, in Paris there is an Institute of Taste (Institut de goût), which educates children and adults. The goal of this institute is to help open the world of taste, different aromas and the variety of textures of products, for which various tastings and seminars are organized. If you are not ready to plunge headlong into your studies, but would like to slightly change your gastronomic preferences and develop your taste, we have collected some tips for you from chefs and restaurant business specialists.

How are taste preferences born?

First of all, our taste depends on what preferences and passions you developed in childhood. They are formed in a person in childhood and then rarely change seriously. Even we, restaurateurs, when we come home, when asked “What should I cook for you?” We answer: “Dumplings.” But why? We are cool restaurateurs, we eat and develop cool, delicious dishes! But at home we really prefer dumplings because it tastes better to us. Everyone eats dumplings: from Rappoport to Novikov.

I'm still looking for an answer to this question. I believe that preferences, as well as food prejudices, are born from childhood. Thanks to my work, I know exactly which products are least liked in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Everything is banal: pumpkin, liver, white fish, duck fillet with skin, pearl barley. Anything that has a specific smell or reminds you of the worst lunches in kindergarten.

But how is love for specific products born? At home, when I was a child, liver was cooked very poorly. She was like rubber. But I still loved her. But it didn’t work out with the pumpkin. I can't stand it. And I don’t know how to explain this yet.

What influences the perception of a dish?

How the food is made, how it is served, how the table is set, who sits at it with you - all this influences. But the main role is played by how clear these dishes are to us and how comfortable we feel in a particular establishment. Everything comes from childhood. After all, we eat at home most of the time, and the closer what we eat in restaurants and what the environment is like there, how close it is to what surrounds us at home, the more comfortable and tastier it is for us. We will go to a restaurant where we really feel good.

Of course, our mood, atmosphere, and how hungry we are affect our food experience. And there is nothing wrong with that, the main thing at the table is to have fun. If you have a goal to evaluate the taste of dishes, concentrate on the food. Eat slowly. Evaluating the balance of five flavors in each dish and the quality of preparation. It’s better to write down your impressions right away. Ask yourself a question. Would I like to eat this dish again? What is missing from it? What would I change or improve? Also evaluate the presentation. Not only from the point of view of effectiveness, but also whether it is convenient for the guest, whether it emphasizes the appearance and taste of the products. At one time, it was fashionable for restaurants to serve dishes on craft paper. But, for example, having ordered a juicy lamb shoulder with confit tomatoes and garlic, it was impossible to separate the meat from the paper, as it was soggy from fat.

How to learn to distinguish the taste difference of one dish in different establishments?

The main difference between a restaurant and fast food is the price-quality ratio per dish, relative to the market price of meat. There is also a difference in how the finished burger ends up on your plate. The restaurant is distinguished by an individual approach to preparing dishes: all the ingredients in the establishment (good, of course, but not necessarily expensive) are fresh, of high quality and come from under the knife. And also here the guest can specify how exactly he wants his dish to be, for example, by asking for a certain cutlet frying.

The goal of fast food is to cook quickly and inexpensively. The volume of products sold in a fast food restaurant does not allow cooking under the knife. This means that all preparations are made in advance and the products are not so fresh.

What prevents us from perceiving a dish correctly?

Photo: Dinner at Home | Buckwheat noodles with shrimp

The habit of flavor enhancers and salt makes it difficult to distinguish flavor shades. A person may experience a dull perception of salt, for example, due to regularly increasing the serving of soy sauce. This is why the Chinese have a hard time getting used to European cuisine. Soy sauce contains monosodium glutamate, which is a flavor enhancer. In small quantities it is harmless, but in large quantities it is addictive.

However, regular meals at chain canteens can spoil the taste. Why is there simple chicken soup that tastes better than at home? Why is even buckwheat tastier? If, half an hour after lunch there, you want water, but you can’t quench your thirst, most likely, vegetables, bouillon cubes and other seasonings with glutamate are added to the dishes. But unlike soy sauce, it is an artificial glutamate that enhances the flavor even more. There is nothing harmful to health in this. But a month of food in these canteens, and my mother’s borscht will no longer seem the most delicious in the world.

Therefore, to develop gastronomic taste, it is important to first give up foods that spoil it. It is also worth adding more fresh vegetables and fruits to your diet, reducing the amount of sweets and eliminating sugar from drinks.

Photo: Dinner at Home | Pasta carbonara

Gastronomic taste develops with experience. First, learn how to taste dishes and products. Don’t eat in a rush of hunger, but savor every bite, mentally dividing the dish according to its composition.

Order, for example, pasta carbonara, a popular dish in our country that is so easy to spoil. What kind of bacon is this? Crispy or boiled? Salty or fresh? Fat or moderate? What kind of spaghetti? Thicker or thinner than I tried before? Al Dente or too soft? And so on. Try this pasta at a budget coffee shop. And then order it in an average restaurant where guests have good reviews. Then try pasta carbonara at an expensive Italian restaurant. Then appreciate it in Italy. Also read the theory. What was pasta carbonara originally intended to be? There should be pork cheeks instead of bacon. Instead of cream - raw yolk and olive oil. The cheese is not only Parmesan, but also Pecorino Romano. You will inevitably feel the difference. But which version of pasta you like best is individual.

Taste is experience and culinary literacy. Pay attention to the composition of the dish, taste and presentation. Prepare yourself so that you understand at what stage the mistake was made. Why is pasta soft like porridge? This means the pasta was overcooked. Why fat? The bacon wasn't cooked through. Learn recipes in theory and practice.

Varvara Croz

Whether exotic food preferences contribute to reaching the top or whether reaching the top leads to gastronomic perversions is difficult to say. But the fact that successful people, as a rule, prefer some kind of delicacy in food is for sure.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is less picky about food and prefers to drink tea from a thermos in his office. When Roman Abramovich was the governor of Chukotka, he liked to eat pilaf with venison meat. These and other examples of how politicians and other famous people surprise with their preferences at the table are in this collection.

1. Francois Mitterrand

One of his favorite dishes was roasted oatmeal garden birds, which are considered a delicacy in France and are especially prized for their tenderness and delicate taste. The oatmeal is drowned alive in Armagnac and cooked whole.

2. Vladimir Putin

In 2012, Putin celebrated his 60th birthday and a program on NTV showed footage from his office. Spectators saw how, during a short break, Putin took out a thermos from under the table, poured something into a cup and put the thermos back. They say there is some special tea there.

3. George H. W. Bush

The former American president hated broccoli and did not allow it to be cooked in the White House. When reporters asked the reason for the ban, Bush replied: “I don't like broccoli. I haven't liked it since I was a child and my mother made me eat it. Now I'm the President of the United States, and I won't eat broccoli anymore!

4. Barack Obama

Current US President Barack Obama returned broccoli to the White House menu, who even called this vegetable his favorite food because of its beneficial properties. At the same time, Obama was repeatedly spotted with pizza, hamburgers, steaks and other junk food. In 2012, Obama set up a microbrewery on the White House grounds, where he brews his own brand of beer called White House Honey Ale.

5. Roman Abramovich

“Venison broth, roast venison, almost compote and venison tea. And so every day,” sighed Roman Abramovich in 2001 in Anadyr, speaking to journalists for the first time as governor of Chukotka. Venison chops were then offered to the press. Abramovich even tried to organize the processing of reindeer meat on an industrial scale.

6. Steve Jobs

In the 1970s, Jobs became interested in the fruitarian diet - eating fresh or dried fruits, as well as nuts and seeds. He tried eating the same thing for weeks, for example, only apples or carrots. Jobs believed that abstaining from food causes a feeling of euphoria, and the body of a person who eats fruit emits less odor, which allows him to shower less often and spend more time working or sleeping.

Jobs gradually moved away from fruitarianism, but remained a strict vegetarian. During the filming of the movie Jobs, actor Ashton Kutcher, who played the role of the founder of Apple, switched to fruitarianism to better understand his character, but ended up in the hospital.

7. Mark Zuckerberg

The creator of the most popular social network unexpectedly announced in 2011 that he would now eat meat from animals killed only by him. Zuckerberg started with a live-boiled lobster, then moved on to larger animals, learning the most painless way to slaughter chickens, goats and pigs. He posted dishes made from them on his Facebook page. Subsequently, however, Zuckerberg abandoned this practice and decided to simply limit himself to animal protein.

8. Henry Ford

The creator of the Ford Motor Company believed that a person, like a car, needs regular fuel, without gourmet delights, and even weeds can be used for food. Ford is known to have tasted them by making salads, boiling them, and adding them to sandwiches. For example, burdocks and cottonweed.

9. Howard Hughes

Billionaire Hughes had many oddities, including food. He had a weakness for green peas, which had to be a certain size. Hughes sorted the peas on a plate with a special fork. The businessman's other passion is Baskin Robbins banana-nut ice cream.

10. Kim Jong-un

The gastronomic preferences of the North Korean leader became known thanks to his former chef Kenji Fujimoto, who fled to Japan. Fujimoto said that Kim Jong-un is very fond of shark fin dishes. In September 2014, The Daily Star newspaper wrote about the new passion of Kim Jong-un, who by that time had noticeably gained weight. According to the publication, this happened because of the Korean leader’s love for Emmental cheese. Now this cheese is imported to North Korea specifically for Kim Jong-un.