The world’s oldest woman, who lived to 117, ate the same meal every day throughout her life
Emma Martina Luigia Morano, born on 29 November 1899, got to live to 117, making it the world’s oldest woman.
She died in 2017, in Italy, where she had lived her entire life.
Born on Nov. 29, 1899, Morano is believed to be the last person living born in the 19th century.
She was raised in Vercelli and has lived in the same small apartment ever since. The super-centenarian loves her home, her collection of watches and her big bed, according to Guinness.
Morano is the eldest of eight children, five daughters and three sons, according to L’Italo-Americano.org.
Morano was the eldest of eight siblings and outlived them all. The story of her enduring life stunned the world and many were eager to learn the secret behind her longevity.
Morano married in 1926 and had a child, but experienced a terrible loss when he tragically died at 6 months old. In 1938, she left her husband and never married again.
“The oldest living person record category continues to capture the world’s collective imagination,” said Marco Frigatti, head of records for Guinness. “Ms. Morano has experienced things first hand that will soon be consigned to memory, and the record books. She can teach us all a lesson of the value of a life well lived.”
There have only been 12 more verified cases of people reaching Morano’s age.
Asked about her life and health, Morano once said it was due to genetics and a specific diet that included eating three eggs a day, two of which raw.
She took up this diet after being diagnosed with anemia after World War I ended.
In 2011, Morano was involved in a worldwide study on the secret to her longevity, conducted by George Church for Harvard Medical School of Boston.
As for her diet, Morano has followed the same routine for around 90 years — three eggs per day (two raw, one cooked), fresh Italian pasta and a dish of raw meat.
Morano also holds the record for the world’s oldest living woman and is six years younger than the oldest person to ever live — Jeanne Calment of France, who lived until 122 years and 164 days, Guinness said.
Morano only cut to two eggs per day and a couple of biscuits during the last years of her life.
According to her doctor, she barely ate any fruits and vegetables.
“When I met her, she ate three eggs per day, two raw in the morning and then an omelette at noon, and chicken at dinner,” Carlo Bava, Morano’s doctor of 27 years said.
According to the Mirror, Morano included in her diet a special touch of grappa—an Italian liquor—prepared with herbs like sage and rue, along with some grapes.
Throughout her life, which she had described as tough, she experienced an abusive marriage and the death of her only child. Morano lived through more than 90 different Italian governments and two World Wars.
The world’s oldest woman said that her longevity was part due to her decision to kick out her husband in 1938.
In fact, she was dragged into the marriage by threats, and didn’t want to be married after a boy she liked died in the war.
Although she and her abusive husband separated in 1938, they stayed married until his passing in 1978. She never remarried.
“I didn’t want to be dominated by anyone,” she told the New York Times.
Morano’s mother lived to 91 and most of her siblings reached to be centenarians.
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