There are people who love eating and they can eat more than an average person. The reason is simple: They love food and they love eating; it’s not like they are hungry 24X7! But wait, did you ever imagine how it to be hungry all the time is? Can you imagine being so hungry that you will eat anything: raw meat, live animals, garbage, and even dead bodies?
This is the story of a tragic real-life monster; who was always hungry and always wanted…er…needed to eat; and he would eat anything. Let me tell you about the hungriest man to live: Tarrare.

Tarrare was a French man who is still remembered for his abnormal and scary eating habits. His parents turned him out of their house just because they were unable to provide for him. Tarrare travelled France with thieves and prostitutes; begging, stealing and doing anything just to get anything to eat. He eventually became a street performer and his act was to eat anything! He would eat stones, live animals, baskets of apples, etc.
Usually, a person who eats a lot is obese but that rule never applied on Tarrare. He was slim and had an average height. However, his appearance was unusual. Tarrare had an unusually wide mouth, almost invisible lips, and his teeth were badly stained. His skin was loose, especially the skin of his cheeks. He could hold a dozen apples or eggs in his mouth. When he was full, his abdomen would look exactly like a huge balloon. His eyes were bloodshot red, his body temperature was much higher than normal, and he had an extreme foul body odor. His body odor became worse after he had eaten. Tarrare suffered from chronic diarrhea and despite his frequent and large food intake, he didn’t gain weight.
Later in life, Tarrare joined the “French Revolutionary Army” The military rations were naturally insufficient for him. Military surgeons tried their best to understand Terrier’s condition but couldn’t find anything. Once as an experiment, Tarrare was given the food of 15 laborers, which he ate in front of them. He was offered a live cat, which Tarrare tore open with his teeth, drank its blood, and ate the entire cat. Later he was offered puppies, lizards, snakes, and even an eel; Tarrare ate all of them.
Military doctors tried everything, but couldn’t find a solution. Tarrare’s hunger became worse. He started eating from gutters, and rubbish heaps. He was even caught drinking human blood and attempting to eat dead bodies. One day a 14-year old child went missing and everyone thought Tarrare responsible for that; he was chased away from the hospital and the place.

After four years, Tarrare was found; bedridden and weak. He told the doctor that he swallowed a golden fork and it was making him weak. He requested the doctor to remove it surgically, but it was later discovered that he had advanced tuberculosis. Tarrare died shortly. His corpse rotted quicker than a normal corpse. When an autopsy was performed, the doctors didn’t find any fork inside Tarrare; instead, they discovered he had an abnormally large stomach covered in ulcers and pus.
Nobody knows exactly when Tarrare was born or what his real name was. He will always be remembered as the hungriest man to live.
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