The secret life of the woman who tasted food for Nazi boss Hitler

For more than two years, Margot Wolk and 14 other women performed the silent but dangerous task of tasting food to ensure that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's meals were not harmed. Although they were served delicious dishes, they lived in constant fear that it could be their last meal.

Living in fear and lavish meals

In 1941, after her family’s Berlin apartment was bombed, Wolk, then 24, was forced to move to live with her mother-in-law in rural Poland. Soon after, she was taken by Nazi soldiers to a barracks near Hitler’s “Wolf’s Lair” headquarters and told she was one of 15 people selected to taste the food before it was sent to Hitler’s table.

Their work began early in the morning, when the chefs prepared a variety of vegetables, noodles, rice and sauces – all vegetarian, as Hitler was a strict vegetarian. Each member of the group had to eat their food in silence, then wait an hour to ensure safety. If there were no signs of abnormalities, the food was delivered.

“The food was always wonderful – fresh vegetables, asparagus, peas, bell peppers… but the fear never went away,” Ms. Wolk once shared in an interview. “We knew about the rumors about Hitler and were always afraid that we wouldn’t survive the meal.”

Life in the Shadow of War

Although Hitler was rarely seen by his staff, the tasting team was closely monitored. Not only did they perform stressful work, but their freedom of movement was also restricted. Security became tighter after the failed assassinatio.n attempt on Hitler in 1944, which added to the stress of those working close to him.

At that time, the Soviet army was closing in on the headquarters. With the help of a German officer, Ms. Wolk was lucky to escape and board a train to Berlin. When she returned, she learned that she was the only one of the 15 food tasters to survive. However, the journey back was not smooth. She was arrested and held under house arrest, and was not released until the end of the war.

Those memories left her with many physical and mental scars. She once shared that that period seriously damaged her health, affecting her ability to have children. "I have never felt so helpless," she said in a conversation with German media.

The story is retold after 70 years of silence

After the war, Ms. Wolk chose to live quietly in Berlin, working in administrative positions and trying to forget the past. For decades, she never mentioned her extraordinary experience, not even to her relatives.

It wasn't until her 95th birthday, when a journalist approached her for an interview, that she decided to share her story. "I don't want to take those memories to the grave," she said. "It's time the world knew what really happened."

Her story quickly attracted public and academic interest. Teachers sought her out for history lessons, and museums sought to learn more about wartime life through the testimon.y of a living witnes.s.

From there, Italian novelist Rosella Postorino was inspired to write the book At the Wolf's Table - based on Ms. Wolk's life. The main character Rosa in the story is a combination of fictional elements and real experiences of women living during the fierce war period. The book became a bestseller and was translated into many languages.

Long silence and sleepless nights

In her final years, Ms. Wolk lived alone in a small apartment in Berlin. Due to her advanced age and poor health, she was unable to leave the house. Nurses came to care for her every day, and her granddaughter visited regularly.

“For years, I tried to forget,” she shared. “But the memories kept coming back every night – as if I was still there, still eating those anxious meals, and still unable to escape.”

Wolk died in 2014 at the age of 96. Although she carried heavy memories of the war years, telling her story helped her feel better.

"Hitler was a terrible man, and what I experienced was a very small part of the terrible crimes of that regime," she said in her final comments to the media. "I just hope that when this story is told, people will never forget what happened in the past."

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