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Gluttony is an overt sin. Those who overeat often gain noticeable weight, making it impossible to hide their indulgence in one of the seven deadly sins. In Christian Europe, where famine was common, the clergy condemned gluttony. Yet, history is filled with individuals who were perpetually hungry and could never sate their appetite.
Here are ten of the most insatiable eaters to ever threaten a feast.
10. Edward Dando
Today, oysters are considered a delicacy, but historically, they were a common part of many people's diets. During the mid-1800s, Londoners consumed hundreds of millions of oysters annually. Archaeological sites often reveal massive piles of oyster shells where large groups of people gathered. In Georgian London, oyster bars sold dozens of oysters for just a few pennies. Even with such a low price, some could not afford to feed their oyster addiction.
Edward Dando became infamous among Georgian oyster vendors. Trained as a hatter, he was often described as mad, much like the proverbial hatter. Some considered him a thief, while others dubbed him the 'celebrated oyster eater.' Dando was notorious for entering oyster bars, consuming up to 360 oysters in one sitting, and then confessing he couldn't pay for them. Outraged sellers would either beat him or have him thrown into jail. Occasionally, he'd be released and immediately head out for another feast. When facing a judge, he calmly explained, 'I was very peckish, your Worship, after living on a gaol allowance so long, and I thought I’d treat myself to an oyster.'
Oysters were far from his only indulgence. In 1831, Dando was arrested after consuming 'divers rounds of toast, and sundry basins of soup and coffee, at the Sun Coffee-house, Charles-street, Hatton-garden, without paying for the same.' Sadly, his frequent run-ins with the law led to his demise in 1832, when he contracted cholera in prison and passed away.
9. Nicholas Wood
When someone publishes a pamphlet about your eating habits, you know you’ve taken things to an extreme. In the 17th century, such a pamphlet was released, titled 'The great eater of Kent, or Part of the admirable teeth and stomacks exploits of Nicholas Wood, of Harrisom in the county of Kent, His excessive manner of eating without manners, in strange and true manner described.'
Details about Nicholas Wood are scarce, but the pamphlet's author provides some insight into his extraordinary appetite. Wood was known to consume 'a quarter of fat Lamb, and three-score Eggs had been but an easy colation, and three well larded Pudding-pies … [and] eighteen yards of black Puddings.' He was also said to have no qualms about eating an entire raw duck, guts and bones included. On another occasion, he ate a whole raw sheep, wool and horns intact.
Wood’s reputation as a voracious eater once got him into serious trouble. Sir William Sedley dared Wood to consume a feast intended for 30 people. Wood gave it his all but succumbed to a food-induced coma before finishing the meal. When he finally woke up eight hours later, he was dragged out of the house and placed in a pillory for the public to mock his failure to finish the meal.
8. Michel Lotito
Not everyone with a robust appetite confines themselves to eating what most would consider food. For Michel Lotito, the ability to consume nearly anything became his lifelong vocation. Known as “Monsieur Mangetout”—'Mister Eat-Everything'—he amused and shocked audiences for decades.
Lotito’s strange dietary habits began when he was nine years old, starting with glass fragments from a broken tumbler. Over the years, he reportedly consumed '8 bicycles, 15 supermarket trolleys, seven TV sets, six chandeliers, two beds, a pair of skis, a low-calorie Cessna light aircraft, and a computer.' To be fair, some of his meals were long-term projects. He claimed it took two years to eat the airplane, and the rubber tires were the least appetizing part.
While some of Lotito’s claims have been met with skepticism—did he really eat three bicycles a year?—there’s no doubt that he certainly ingested some very unusual items.
7. Vitellius
Some individuals become so notorious for their gluttony that it overshadows the rest of their life. Aulus Vitellius, a prominent figure in the first century AD, had a colorful career. He was rumored to have been one of Emperor Tiberius' young lovers, a companion to the deranged Emperor Caligula, and a general in Germany before his troops declared him emperor following Nero's death. But what history remembers most is his obesity. Any time a bust or statue of a rotund Roman is unearthed, it’s often attributed to Vitellius.
All historical sources agree that Vitellius had an insatiable appetite. According to the historian Suetonius, Vitellius was notorious for stealing food from street vendors and even from the gods' altars to quell his hunger. To continue eating without limit, he would take an emetic to purge himself of his previous meal, making space for another. When he became emperor, his brother hosted a lavish feast featuring 'no less than two thousand choice fishes, and seven thousand birds.'
One of Vitellius's culinary creations became legendary. He invented a dish called the Shield of Minerva, which consisted of 'the livers of char-fish, the brains of pheasants and peacocks, with the tongues of flamingos, and the entrails of lampreys, which had been brought in ships of war as far as from the Carpathian Sea, and the Spanish Straits,' as described by Suetonius. Vitellius was overthrown after a few months and killed by forces loyal to the rival emperor Vespasian.
6. George IV
King George IV is not remembered fondly in British history. As the son of George III, he was forced to serve as regent during his father's episodes of insanity. His public image was further tarnished by his immense debts, which totaled up to £650,000 in 1795 while he awaited the throne. These debts were covered by Parliament, and the public was none too happy about funding his extravagant lifestyle.
As Prince of Wales, George IV’s love of food led to his considerable weight gain, earning him the nickname 'Prince of Whales' in the press. A popular cartoon from the time shows him reclining after a feast, picking his teeth with a fork, while his waistcoat struggles to cover his bloated belly, clinging on by just one button. When he finally became king, he celebrated with a lavish banquet costing £27 million in today’s money, featuring over 7,000 pounds of beef, 7,000 pounds of veal, and 20,000 pounds of mutton. To his credit, he did not consume it all by himself.
At one of his final recorded meals, King George was joined by the Duke of Wellington for breakfast. On the table was a gigantic pie stuffed with beef steaks and pigeons. The duke asked how many others would be joining them, but it turned out it was just the two of them. The king ended up devouring most of the pie himself.
5. Competitive Eaters
Competitive eating, as a form of sport, traces its origins back to the 19th century. The first known pie-eating contest took place in Canada in 1878. Competitive eaters gather to compete and see who can consume the most food within a specific time frame. Over the years, everything from garlic to stinging nettles to insects has been consumed in these contests.
One of the most iconic events endorsed by Major League Eating is the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, which takes place every 4th of July in New York. The contest duration has varied, lasting anywhere from just three and a half minutes to twelve minutes. Participants must consume as many hot dogs as they can during this period. Penalties are given for messy eating that results in food being dropped, and participants are disqualified if they experience 'reversal of fortune'—more commonly known as vomiting.
Surprisingly, the top competitive eaters are not generally obese. They tend to overeat only during contests. Takeru 'The Tsunami' Kobayashi, a dominant figure in the 2000s, was remarkably slim. Research has demonstrated that competitive eaters can stretch their stomachs to two or even three times the normal capacity of non-competitive eaters.
4. William Buckland
William Buckland wasn’t known for consuming large amounts of food at once, but he had a strong inclination for trying a variety of unusual and exotic foods. A renowned geologist and paleontologist of the 19th century, Buckland is credited with writing the first scientific description of a dinosaur. His fascination with fossilized dung, or coprolites, was so great that he had a table in his home inlaid with slices of it.
Buckland’s curiosity about the natural world led him to experiment with the tastes of all kinds of animals. He became a dedicated zoophage, sampling an eclectic array of creatures. Throughout his life, Buckland is known to have eaten mice on toast, puppies, panthers, porpoises, hedgehogs, crocodiles, and ostriches. Not all of his culinary experiments were successful, however. Blue bottle flies were reportedly repulsive, and the mole was said to be the worst food he ever tasted.
Buckland's appetite wasn't restricted to animals alone. When he was presented with a portion of King Louis XIV's preserved heart, he remarked, 'I have eaten many strange things, but have never eaten the heart of a king before,' and promptly consumed it. His son, Francis, continued the family’s unique eating tradition, indulging in kangaroos, exotic birds, and even elephant trunks.
3. Tarrare
Some people experience hunger far beyond the typical. For these individuals, the signal indicating that they are full never reaches the brain, leaving them in a constant state of gnawing hunger. The most infamous case of this condition occurred in late 18th century France with a man named Tarrare.
Tararre’s insatiable hunger led his parents to expel him from their home, unable to afford his constant need for food. He took to performing on the streets, swallowing stones and live animals to earn money. Eventually, he enlisted in the army, but even with four sets of rations, he was never satisfied. Tarrare began scavenging food from gutters to feed his unending appetite.
Despite consuming large quantities of food, Tarrare remained severely underweight and was hospitalized. During his stay, he snuck out of his ward to fulfill his cravings, consuming butchered offal, drinking blood, and even raiding the morgue for corpses to devour. Tarrare was expelled from the hospital only when he was suspected of eating a 14-month-old infant. After his death, it was revealed that his stomach was abnormally large, far beyond the size of an average person’s.
2. Charles Domery
In 1799, when a Polish soldier in the French navy was captured by the British, one of the most extreme cases of uncontrollable hunger was uncovered. Dr. J. Johnston was tasked with attending to Domery and documented his findings.
"The way he devours his beef, when his stomach is not already full, is like that of a starving wolf, eagerly tearing and swallowing it with animalistic greed. When his throat becomes dry from constant eating, he moistens it by chewing the grease off candles, consuming them in just three bites. He even swallows the wick, ball and all. If there are no other options, Domery can satisfy his hunger by eating raw potatoes or turnips, though he has no desire for bread or vegetables."
Throughout the day, Domery’s meals included four pounds of raw cow’s udder, ten pounds of raw beef, and one pound of candles. When his prison rations proved insufficient, he resorted to eating a cat and twenty rats. It is even said that while still serving on his ship, when a crew member had their leg blown off by a cannon, Domery tried to grab the severed limb in an attempt to eat it.
1. Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley, known as the King of Rock and Roll, was one of the most iconic musical legends of the 20th century. However, in this context, we're examining him as one of the era's most notorious eaters. Stories of his extravagant appetite are legendary, often exaggerated in the telling. While some accounts claim he consumed 65,000 calories daily, more reliable sources suggest a still remarkable 12,000 calories—five times the average recommended intake.
Elvis had a deep love for the culinary traditions of the American South. Fried chicken and indulgent side dishes were among his go-to favorites. His most famous food-related story comes from 1976, when he chartered a plane to fly his friends to what he believed to be the best sandwich in the world: the Fool's Gold Sandwich. This creation involved a loaf of bread, generously buttered and layered with peanut butter, jelly, and a full pound of bacon. Though it was meant to feed eight people, Elvis devoured an entire one by himself.
