Sachin tendulkar with his son arjun

ADOLF HITLER

Believe it or not, the German dictator was vegetarian! Although some later historians have refused to believe that no meat made its way to Hitler’s table, there is ample evidence to suggest that for the last 14 years of his life, Hitler refused to eat any kind of meat or fish, only allowing the occasional egg. Hitler loved onion soup, rumoured to be prepared according to his own recipe. For a dictator, he had quite a sweet tooth and loved crystallised fruit, candy and cream cakes. He drank tea and coffee drowned in cream and sugar.

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU

India’s first Prime Minister was a true gourmet, with or without Edwina Mountbatten for company. Tandoori chicken was his favourite. So much so that he made it a regular at official banquets. His breakfast every morning was typically English. Apart from giving in to tandoori chicken and rogan josh on occasions, Nehru largely avoided rich and spicy food. An official note issued from his office in 1956 read: “The Prime Minister…is not used to spice and chillies at all. While he eats meat, he does so sparingly and has far more vegetables. He likes a full vegetarian meal… Normally he takes coffee with hot milk in the morning and a cup of weak tea in the afternoon.”

RABINDRANATH TAGORE

Did you know that Rabindranath Tagore loved pies, patties, roasts and kebabs? He was a true foodie and would often bring back recipes with him so that these could be tried out at the Jorasanko kitchen. Lamb and chicken roasted with crumbs, prawn cutlets, prawn and ham patties, macaroni paneer, chicken and mutton pies figure on the list of Tagore’s food faves. He was also fond of Bengali cuisine. Kosha mangsho and luchi and steamed rice with maachher jhol were pop picks. Food for thought, eh?

BARACK OBAMA

America’s 44th President loves Italian food, especially pizza. Obama describes himself as “a comfort-food guy” and his favourite grub is a steaming bowl of beef and bean chilli served with reduced-fat sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, chopped scallions and chopped fresh tomatoes. Obama also enjoys seafood, especially shrimps. He has a weakness for chips and salsa and tends to put hot sauce on everything. He likes vegetables too, more so broccoli and spinach. Obama doesn’t have a sweet tooth, but can’t resist pumpkin pie.

AMITABH BACHCHAN

He was Asia’s Sexiest Vegetarian of 2008. Bachchan Sr loves his veggies and is known to consume bowlfuls of steamed vegetables for lunch and dinner. But that doesn’t mean he stays away from fried foods. Aloo puri, pakodas, dhoklas and parathas make his mouth water. Besides Indian fare, it is Italian food — especially pasta and risotto — that the 66-year-old actor digs into.

SACHIN TENDULKAR

The Master Blaster loves seafood, especially prawns cooked by his mother and crab stuffed with spices. He savours a good steak too, but digs into bhindi masala with equal gusto. Tendulkar’s favourite pastime is collecting recipes and his restaurant Tendulkar’s in Mumbai serves a lot of dishes that are his personal favourites.

BRANGELINA

Angelina confesses to dig into fast food from McDonald’s and Cheerios cereal, even going to the extent of describing Cheerios as the “greatest food in the world.” Brad, on the other hand, loves pizza, but is now completely sold on Indian food.While in London for the Baftas in February, Brad, Angelina and a gang of 12 headed for Noor Jahan in South Kensington for a hearty meal of vegetable samosas, tandoori lamb chops and lamb pasanda.

MICHAEL JACKSON

When his nose isn’t falling off and when he isn’t buried deep under a million lawsuits, the King of Pop likes pampering himself with his favourite foods. Mexican food, sushi and pizza can be found on the Jackson dining table very often. Popcorn, vanilla ice-cream with cookie pieces, glazed doughnuts and frosted flakes with milk are some of his other indulgences. The quirky singer has some quirky faves too, like roasted sunflower seeds. But like the rest of the world, he loves M&Ms too!