ProverbHuman Nature
Greek origin
Greek originHunger is the best sauce
Meaning: Food tastes better when you're truly hungry.
Origin: Cicero reports in De Finibus that Socrates said hunger is the best seasoning for food. Cervantes has Sancho Panza repeat it in Don Quixote — la mejor salsa del mundo es el hambre — and it has been proverbial across Europe ever since.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Portuguese, and 3 more languages
French: Il n'est sauce que d'appétit (literally: There is no sauce but appetite)
Spanish: A buen hambre no hay pan duro (literally: To a good hunger there is no hard bread)
Japanese: 空腹は最高の調味料 (Kūfuku wa saikō no chōmiryō) (literally: Hunger is the best seasoning)
German: Hunger ist der beste Koch (literally: Hunger is the best cook)
Portuguese: A fome é o melhor tempero (literally: Hunger is the best seasoning)
Dutch: Honger is de beste saus (literally: Hunger is the best sauce)
Russian: Голод — лучший повар (Golod — luchshiy povar) (literally: Hunger is the best cook)
Polish: Głód najlepszy kucharz (literally: Hunger is the best cook)
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