A food taster is a person who ingests food that was prepared for someone else, to confirm it is safe to eat. One who tests drinks in this way is known as a cupbearer. The person to whom the food is to be served is usually an important person, such as a monarch or somebody under threat of assassination or harm.

Role

Food tasters have several functions:

Examples

In ancient Rome, the duty was often given to a slave (termed the praegustator). Roman Emperor Claudius was allegedly killed by poison in AD 54, even though he had a food taster named Halotus. Tasters were sometimes coerced. Over history, presidents and royal families have hired food tasters or sacrifices, over fear of being poisoned. Queen Durdhara, the Mauryan empress, ate food that was prepared for her husband and died. Adolf Hitler's food taster Margot Wölk tried the food at 8:00 am every day, and, if she did not fall ill, the food would be sent to Hitler's military headquarters. President Vladimir Putin has hired a food taster who is part of his security staff to protect himself as well. In recent times, animals such as mice have been used to detect impurities in food produced for humans, such as during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. In the United States, a number of recent presidents, including Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, have been known to employ food tasters.