How Many Food Tasters Did Hitler Have during WWII?

Margot Wölk ate pretty well during World War II. While the rest of Nazi Germany struggled to find food, or even a decent cup of coffee, Wölk ate dishes such as white asparagus – peeled, steamed and served with a delicious butter sauce, as Germans traditionally like it. As one of Adolf Hitler's 15 food testers, she was forced to taste everything the paranoid Führer was going to eat.

In 2013, the 95-year-old former secretary first told her story to Spiegel Online International. According to Margot Wölk, she and 14 other young women were imprisoned in barracks near Hitler's infamous Wolf's Lair in Prussia and forced to taste the vegetables, pasta and exotic fruit destined for Hitler's dinner plate. There was never meat, she said, because he was a vegetarian.

Wölk was the only survivor from the group. When Hitler killed himself in April 1945, Wölk fled to Berlin. The other young women stayed behind, and were presumably shot by the invading Red Army.

More on Hitler's food tasters:

• Wölk said it took decades for her to overcome feelings of shame and speak publicly about her experiences, which included savage assaults by German and Russian soldiers. She was never able to bear children.
• She said the food tasters used to “cry like dogs” after each meal, overcome with relief that they were still alive.
• Wölk said security at the Wolf's Lair was extremely tight; she never actually saw Hitler. She did, however, see the Führer's dog, Blondi.