A Hunger No One Could Satisfy
Born near Lyon around 1772, Tarrare’s appetite was evident early. By his teens, he could eat a quarter of a bullock in one day. Turned out by his family, he joined a group of thieves and performers, astonishing crowds by eating corks, stones, and live animals.
From Performer to Soldier
Tarrare joined the French Revolutionary Army, but even quadruple rations left him starving. Hospitalized for exhaustion, he became a subject of medical experiments. He consumed meals for fifteen men, swallowed eels whole, and ate live cats, snakes, and puppies under observation.
A Most Unusual Courier
General Alexandre de Beauharnais employed Tarrare to smuggle documents in his stomach. On his first mission, he was captured in Prussia. After thirty hours, he passed the hidden message, only to be beaten and released when the letter proved trivial.
The Final Years
After being suspected of eating a missing toddler, Tarrare fled. He reappeared in 1798 suffering from tuberculosis and died after a month of exudative diarrhoea. An autopsy revealed an abnormally large stomach and organs—but no sign of the golden fork he claimed was lodged inside him.
Tarrare could eat more than anyone alive.
Born near Lyon around 1772, he roamed France devouring corks, stones, snakes, live animals—even a basket of apples in one sitting.
But when he joined the French army, his appetite became both a mystery and a military experiment…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/O0BepZx4Ut
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) May 13, 2025