Unbelievable things eaten by performers -

Eating huge amounts of food and—most impressively—eating inedible things is quite the feat. Indeed, the people who perform these stunts are unique in their own way. Some of them even suffer from medical conditions that allow them to perform these acts safely. Most people would probably die after consuming copious amounts of metal and glass, but these folks turned it into an artform!

Browse through the following gallery and discover the unbelievable things eaten by performers. It goes without saying that you shouldn't try this at home!

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Abel Azcona -

Spanish artist Abel Azcona pushed the boundaries of contemporary art; first in Berlin in 2012, and then in Copenhagen in 2013. The artist's performance was entitled 'La Ingesta,' or 'Eating' in English. Over the course of a few days, Azcona would sit and eat a Bible, a Torah, and a Quran, for nine hours.

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Abel Azcona -

It goes without saying that the whole thing was heavily criticized by various religious organizations. He did, however, eat a lot of paper!

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Leon Samson -

Greek-born strongman Leon Samson became famous in Australia for his performances. Samson is said to have swallowed 22,000 razor blades over a 10-year period.

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Leon Samson -

Though his most impressive feat was triggered by a bet. In 1969, a Darwin businessman challenged Samson to eat a car, in exchange of AUD$30,000. Over the course of four years, Samson would munch on about a pound and a half (680 g) of the car. The strongman eventually moved to the US without finishing eating the whole car, but he did eat enough of it to win the bet!

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Tarrare -

Eighteenth-century French showman and soldier Tarrare is one of history's most famous people when it comes to eating weird objects. Corks were one of those items.

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Tarrare -

Tarrare apparently had an insatiable appetite, and would eat huge amounts of food, but oddly not gain weight (he likely suffered from a medical condition). The Frenchman wouldn't shy away from an entire bushel of apples, for instance.

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Tarrare -

But as far as eating bizarre things is concerned, perhaps the most impressive was eating live animals. Tarrare is said to have eaten live snakes and eels—without even biting them!

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Tarrare -

Due to his "talent," Tarrare was once sent as a spy to Germany to try and deliver a message to a captive French colonel. The message was inside a wooden box he had swallowed. Tarrare was captured, but it turned out the method worked.

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Charles Domery -

Eighteenth-century Polish soldier Charles Domery is next on our list. Like Tarrare, he too had an insatiable appetite. Domery is reported to once have eaten four pounds (1.8 kg) of raw cow udders.

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Charles Domery -

If that wasn't enough, Domery added five pounds (2.2 kg) of raw beef to the menu!

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Charles Domery -

And because Domery was probably hungry after eating almost an entire cow, he topped it off with 12 tallow candles. Now, that's a three-course meal!

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Hadji Ali -

Hadji Ali was an Egyptian performer who became famous for his controlled regurgitation acts.

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Hadji Ali -

Ali would do so with both liquids and solids (he's said to have regurgitated 40 hazelnuts once). His continuous water spouting performance was probably the most famous.

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Hadji Ali -

Hadji Ali reportedly drank a hundred glasses of water and was able to produce a controlled, non-stop stream.

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Hadji Ali -

But Ali wasn't just about regurgitating water and hazelnuts. He would also eat jewelry, coins, kerosene, and live goldfish!

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Todd Robbins -

The American magician is famous for his  performances, including swallowing swords.

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Todd Robbins -

But Robbins has more than just a taste for metal. He's also a fan of glass. Well, lightbulbs, to be more exact.

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Todd Robbins -

So much so that his biggest achievement is to have eaten over 4,000 of them!

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Branko Crnogorac -

If you think 4,000 lightbulbs is a lot, think again. Serbian stuntman Branko Crnogorac beat Robbins, by having eaten 25,000 of them!

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Branko Crnogorac -

But Crnogorac was not just about chewing on pieces of glass. He is said to have eaten around 12,000 forks and 2,000 spoons. Oh, and he also munched on about 2,600 plates!

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Branko Crnogorac -

It sounds like nothing could stop this man. Except a bicycle pedal, which he choked on. Branko Crnogorac survived, but he decided to retire after the incident.

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Michel Lotito -

French performer Michel Lotito was also known as Monsieur Mangetout ("Mr. Eat-All" in English) for a reason. He had an insatiable appetite for metal and glass.

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Michel Lotito -

Lotito got a spot in the Guinness World Record book for the "Strangest diet." What did this consist of? According to GWR, he ate "18 bicycles, 15 supermarket trolleys, seven TV sets, six chandeliers, two beds, and a pair of skis."

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Michel Lotito -

Lotito suffered from an eating disorder known as Pica. One of the symptoms is an appetite for things such as rocks and metal. According to exams performed by gastroenterologists, his stomach was able to handle and digest such materials.

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Michel Lotito -

But perhaps the most impressive feat by Lotito was the time when he ate an airplane!

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Michel Lotito -

Michel Lotito ate a Cessna 150 light aircraft! Can anyone top that?

Sources: (Listverse) (Guinness World Records)

See also: Come one, come all! Discover the evolution of the circus

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