26 of the world's weirdest food and drink museums
Lovefood Team
16 March 2017
Food for thought
Food museums aren’t just for aficionados, they’re for anyone who appreciates fascinating facts and quirky exhibits. There are chocolate, wine and salt museums in various parts of the world but here are some quirkier collections celebrating the likes of SPAM, potatoes and even burnt food.
Beer Can Museum & Hall of Fame, East Taunton, Massachusetts, USA
There are more than 5,000 beer cans dating back to the 1930s and a range of beer-related memorabilia on show in this charming museum that Associated Press called ‘a hidden gem’. As it’s a private collection there are currently only virtual tours unless a visit is arranged beforehand with the curator.
Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia, Burlingame, California, USA
This Californian museum’s proud claim is that it ‘features an example of every Pez candy dispenser every sold – over 1000 pieces!’ It’s certainly appealing enough to have featured in Time magazine’s Top 50 American Roadside Attractions.
Burnt Food Museum, Arlington, Virginia, USA
Arguably one of the odder food exhibitions, the Burnt Food Museum plays homage to culinary disasters such as the ‘Thrice Baked Potato’ and ‘Why, Sure You Can Bake Quiche in the Microwave’. Conceived and curated by performance artist Deborah Henson-Conant, it’s as much interactive theater as it is a museum.
Butter Museum, Cork, Ireland
The export of butter was integral to Ireland’s economy and Cork was once home to the Cork Butter Exchange, the largest butter market in the world. This museum tells that story. It is, according to the New York Times, ‘a surprisingly engaging and multi-faceted view of history’.
Deutsches Currywurst Museum, Berlin, Germany
Situated in the heart of Berlin, this interactive exhibition acts as a place of worship for the currywurst, a snack consisting of steamed-then-fried pork sausage smothered in a curry ketchup, which has been one of Germany’s favorite fast foods since it was invented in the late 1940s.
Dr Pepper Museum, Waco, Texas, USA
Soft drink enthusiasts will delight in this museum, housed in a former Dr Pepper bottling plant in the soda’s hometown, a building of historic and architectural value. It’s as much a journey into the past as it is a tribute to the drink.
Frietmuseum, Bruges, Belgium
Housed in a beautiful 14th-century building in Bruges this museum is devoted to potato fries. Although known as French fries to many, they are actually Belgian in origin. From the history of the potato to the evolution of this much-loved snack, you’ll be sure to be craving a portion by the time you leave.
Gelato Museum, Bologna, Italy
Gelato, an Italian variety of ice cream that many say is the best, has a museum dedicated to it northern Italy. Visitors can go on guided tours and to classes and there are special tasting events.
Herring Era Museum, Siglufjörður, Iceland
This award-winning 2,500 square meter maritime museum honors Iceland’s herring industry – from catching to salting to freezing. It’s a must for fish lovers and marine enthusiasts.
Idaho Potato Museum, Blackfoot, Idaho, USA
Humble it may be, but the potato is more than worthy of its own museum, given its long history. The Idaho Potato Museum attracts people wanting to learn about this essential food source and those curious to see the world’s largest potato chip, which is 25 x 14 inches in size and contains a whopping 920 calories.
International Vinegar Museum, Roslyn, South Dakota, USA
It’s a ubiquitous condiment so it’s only right that there’s a museum to sing its praises. Learn how it’s made and the countless uses for it beyond adding it to salad dressing.
Jell-O Gallery, LeRoy, New York, USA
Generations of Americans will remember that ‘there’s always room for Jell-O’, so there’s always time to visit LeRoy, the dessert’s birthplace in upstate New York, which is also home to the Jell-O Gallery. Here you can spend a couple of enjoyable hours perusing the history of the brand and browsing old recipe books, art and memorabilia.
Kimchi Field Museum, Seoul, South Korea
McDonald’s #1 Store Museum, Des Plaines, Idaho, USA
McDonald’s is synonymous with American food culture over the last 60 years and this museum, stuck in a 1950s timewarp, displays original equipment and décor and offers a nostalgic trip back to an era when fast food restaurants were a new, exciting concept. Tours are by appointment.
Musée du Champignon, Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Work your way through underground caves to learn about the history and cultivation of mushrooms, a food humans have been eating since the Stone Age.
Museum of Food Anomalies, online only
Pass a bizarre half hour browsing the Museum of Food Anomalies, ‘an online exhibition of the Art of Regular Food Gone Horribly Wrong’. Here you’ll see smiley or famous faces in food, religious markings, writing or numbers. Visitors are encouraged to upload their findings.
Pizza Brain, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Poli Grappa Museum, Bassano del Grappa, Italy
Grappa is an Italian pomace brandy taken as a digestivo after dinner. There is a museum honoring it housed inside a stunning 15th-century palace in Bassano del Grappa, the liquor’s birthplace, where it’s possible to learn about its history and distillation process, and sample a tipple or two.
Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum, Kōhoku-ku, Yokohama, Japan
Opened in 1994, Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum was the world’s first ever food-themed amusement park. It’s a temple to all things ramen: the main part is a faithful reproduction of a Japanese shopping street in 1958 – the year instant noodles were created – where there are a number of ramen restaurants to eat at as well as a dagashi-ya, an old-fashioned sweet shop. There’s also a bar and souvenir shop.
SPAM Museum, Austin, Minnesota, USA
A museum dedicated to a canned pork with ham product may seem a tad pointless but not when you know that the world eats 122 million cans of SPAM every year. Since its launch in 1937 it’s become an iconic brand, beloved of WWII Allied troups and hugely popular with busy families. Its versatility has spawned countless recipes and now a permanent exhibition of artifacts.
Spreewald Gherkin Museum, Lehde, Germany
The only pickle museum in Germany, if not the world, not only pays homage to the famous Spreewald gherkin (often called the best in the world), but to the local population, the Sorbs, for whom the gherkin played a large role in their community. Browse a traditional Sorbian house, and learn about pickling at this living museum.
Spring Onion Culture Museum, Yilan County, Taiwan
Housed in a rice store, this small government-run museum is a showcase for the spring onion, an important vegetable in Asian cooking. Signs in Taiwanese and English explain how it’s cultivated, grown and harvested in the region. The museum shop sells all things onion-y, including pancakes and even ice cream.
Taiwan Nougat Creativity Museum, New Taipei, Taiwan
If you’ve never associated this chewy, nutty confection with Taiwan before then it’s time for a re-think. Its origins lie in Central Asia and it’s popular enough for there to be a museum devoted to it in the Tucheng District of New Taipei City, courtesy of local producers the Hey-Song Corporation.
Teng Feng Fish Ball Museum, New Taipei, Taiwan
Taiwan clearly loves its cuisine, judging by its numerous food museums, including this one, also in New Taipei, which celebrates fish balls from production to the countless products available. Fish balls may not be a regular part of a Western diet, but they’re a big deal in Asia, as this museum proves.
The World Carrot Museum, online only
This virtual museum is dedicated to the ‘history, evolution, science, sociology and art of carrots’ and is the go-to destination for all things carrot-related, from varieties to nutrition to collectors’ items.
Wyandot Popcorn Museum, Marion, Idaho, USA
The Wyandot Popcorn Museum in Heritage Hall, Marion’s old US Post Office, houses an impressive range of popcorn poppers and restored popcorn antiques and is believed to be one of only two museums in the world dedicated to this light snack. Every fall the town also plays host to the largest popcorn festival in the world.
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