Everything about Vegetarianism Of Adolf Hitler totally explained
Scholars agree that, in addition to being a
teetotaler and a non-smoker,
Adolf Hitler practiced some form of
vegetarianism. The
vegetarianism of Adolf Hitler is thought to have been based on
Richard Wagner's anti-Semitic historical theories which connected the future of Germany with vegetarianism. In spite of these beliefs, reports state that Hitler occasionally ate meat during the 1930s. While Hitler reduced his meat consumption, he may have not eliminated it entirely, with culinary accounts indicating a sporadic preference for sausage,
squab, liver dumplings, ham, and
caviar. As a result, many vegetarians dispute the claim that Hitler was a vegetarian.
Hitler's diet
Most of
Adolf Hitler's biographers assert that he was a vegetarian from 1931 until his death in 1945. They believe that Hitler's
diet was influenced by essays of composer Richard Wagner which promoted
vegetarianism. Hitler idolized Wagner as a young adult, saying: "I don't touch meat largely because of what Wagner says on the subject."
When Hitler was 22 years old and living in
Vienna, he first experimented with a vegetarian diet in an attempt to cure a chronic stomach ailment. In a 1911 letter Hitler wrote: "I am pleased to be able to inform you that I already feel altogether well....It was nothing but a small stomach upset and I'm trying to cure myself through a diet of fruits and vegetables." Biographers Robert Proctor and John Toland propose that Hitler may have interpreted his stomach cramps as an early sign of
cancer, a disease that killed his mother
Klara Hitler when he was 18. Proctor describes Hitler as "a vegetarian, of sorts" who ate meat on occasion: "Hitler was indeed, for the most part, a vegetarian — though he did occasionally allow himself a dish of meat."
Biographies by the
German journalist
Joachim Fest and
British historian
Ian Kershaw also state that Hitler almost became a vegetarian after the 1931 death of Geli Raubal, an event which is said to have left Hitler in great distress. American author and historian
John Toland concurs, noting that after Raubal's death Hitler almost became a vegetarian: "...he meant it. From that moment on, she [FrauHess] said, Hitler never ate another piece of meat except for liver dumplings. 'Suddenly! He ate meat before that. It is very difficult to understand or explain."'
However, accounts differ as to the exact nature of Hitler's "vegetarianism". Six years after Raubal's death, Hitler was still said to be eating the occasional dish of meat, including pork and fish eggs. In a May 30, 1937 article in
The New York Times entitled "Where Hitler Dreams and Plans", Otto D. Tolischus wrote: "It is well known that Hitler is a vegetarian and doesn't drink or smoke. His lunch and dinner consist, therefore, for the most part of soup, eggs, vegetables and mineral water, although he occasionally relishes a slice of ham and relieves the tediousness of his diet with such delicacies as caviar, luscious fruits, and similar titbits. He is outspoken about having a sweet tooth and loves confectionery, especially chocolates."
Hitler as a vegetarian
According to
stenographic transcripts translated by
Hugh Trevor-Roper of conversations between Hitler and his inner circle which took place between July 1941 and November 1944, Hitler regarded himself as a vegetarian (however, British historian
Alan Bullock argues that Hitler wouldn't allow the use of a tape recorder and that the written transcripts were edited by Bormann). According to these transcripts dated November 11, 1941 Hitler said, "One may regret living at a period when it's impossible to form an idea of the shape the world of the future will assume. But there's one thing I can predict to eaters of meat: the world of the future will be vegetarian." On January 12, 1942, he said, "The only thing of which I'll be incapable is to share the sheiks'
mutton with them. I'm a vegetarian, and they must spare me from their meat."
In a November, 1939 article for the English magazine
Homes & Gardens describing Hitler's mountain home,
The Berghof, Ignatius Phayrethe wrote, "A life-long vegetarian at table, Hitler's kitchen plots are both varied and heavy in produce. Even in his meatless diet Hitler is something of a gourmet—as Sir
John Simon and
Anthony Eden were surprised to note when they dined with him in the Presidial Palace at Berlin. His
Bavarian chef, Herr Kannenberg, contrives an imposing array of vegetarian dishes, savoury and rich, pleasing to the eye as well as to the palate, and all conforming to the dietic standards which Hitler exacts."
In a diary entry dated April 25, 1943,
Joseph Goebbels described Hitler as a committed vegetarian, writing, "An extended chapter of our talk was devoted by the
Führer to the vegetarian question. He believes more than ever that meat-eating is harmful to humanity. Of course he knows that during the war we can't completely upset our food system. After the war, however, he intends to tackle this problem also. Maybe he's right. Certainly the arguments that he adduces in favor of his standpoint are very compelling."
Martin Bormann, who as head of the
Party Chancellery (and private secretary to Hitler) is considered by most historians to have been the second most powerful Nazi official in Germany, built Hitler a large
greenhouse at
Berchtesgaden in order to keep him supplied with fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the war. Personal photographs of Bormann's children tending the greenhouse survive, and by 2005 its foundations were among the only ruins associated with the Nazi leadership still visible in the area. Finally, in his personal life Hitler showed anti-meat tendencies. Hitler disapproved of cosmetics since they contained animal by-products. He frequently teased his mistress Eva Braun about her habit of wearing makeup.. In his post-war reminiscence
The Enigma of Hitler,
Belgian SS General, and friend of Hitler's,
Léon Degrelle wrote: "He couldn't bear to eat meat, because it meant the death of a living creature. He refused to have so much as a rabbit or a trout sacrificed to provide his food. He would allow only
eggs on his table, because egg-laying meant that the
hen had been spared rather than killed."
Questioning Hitler's vegetarianism
Author Rynn Berry maintains that although Hitler reduced the amount of meat in his diet, he never stopped eating meat completely for any significant length of time. Berry argues that many historians use the term 'vegetarian' incorrectly to describe someone who simply reduced his meat consumption.
Traudl Junge, who became Hitler's secretary in 1942, reported that he "always avoided meat" but that his Austrian cook Kruemel sometimes added a little animal broth or fat to his meals. "Mostly the Fuehrer would notice the attempt at deception, would get very annoyed and then get tummy ache," Junge said. "At the end he'd only let Kruemel cook him clear soup and mashed potato."
In 1943, Marlene von Exner became Hitler's
dietitian and reportedly added
bone marrow to his soups without his knowledge because she "despised" his vegetarian diet.
From 1936 almost until his death by suicide in 1945,
Theodor Morell, Hitler's personal physician, gave him "quack supplements" which contained animal components.
Hitler has also been quoted as saying, "there's nothing better than a liver dumpling."
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