How to Feed a Dictator

Food and politics are inextricably linked. The chefs of rulers remain in the shadows, but perhaps they know and understand those for whom they cook better than anyone else. After all, to satisfy the client, one must not only thoroughly study their tastes and habits but also be able to quickly respond to the slightest changes in circumstances or mood. Especially if your life depends on it. Polish journalist Witold Szablowski poses the question: what was on the plates of dictators in the second half of the 20th century when they made their terrible decisions? What did Saddam Hussein eat when he ordered the gas attack on tens of thousands of Kurds? What did Pol Pot eat while nearly two million Khmers were dying of hunger? What did Fidel Castro order when he brought the world to the brink of nuclear war? Combining the testimonies of personal chefs with a panoramic lens, Szablowski creates vivid portraits of famous tyrants, sometimes finding the most unexpected qualities in them.