When asked about her secret to longevity, Emma always surprised her audience with her answer: a daily consumption of three eggs, two of which were eaten raw each morning. This particular eating habit, adopted following a diagnosis of anemia after the Great War, became her unchanging ritual. The typical menu? Two raw eggs upon waking, an omelet for lunch, and in the evening, a light meal, usually consisting of white meat.
Over the years, she simplified her diet even further, sticking to two eggs a day with dry biscuits. Contrary to current nutritional recommendations that advocate meals rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, her diet remained surprisingly basic.
To top it all off, she allowed herself a small glass of homemade grappa infused with medicinal herbs like sage, reminiscent of the traditional remedies that Italian grandmothers once prepared in their cellars.
An Indomitable Personality
But Emma Morano’s character was well worth her diet. After enduring an arranged and violent marriage, she made a revolutionary decision for her time: kicking her husband out of the marital home in 1938. A particularly courageous act in a society where married women had virtually no rights.
“I refused to submit to anyone,” she proudly declared to the New York Times. She maintained this separation until her husband’s death in 1978, without ever experiencing another union. This fierce autonomy was probably one of the pillars of her exceptional longevity.
