Food Museums: An Eclectic List

I love museums. They link our past, present and future, reminding us of what was, helping us to understand what is, and providing a foundation for what is to come.

Museums take many forms, and few people know about one of those forms – the food museum. So to help you on your way, here is an eclectic list of the world’s food museums (see also the symposium blog for the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, where I maintain and update the list). I particularly like the baked bean museum, and museums devoted wholly to single foods like prunes and carrots and, of course the wonderful Museum of Burnt Food!

Alimentarium Vevey, Switzerland

An eclectic collection viewable online

http://www.alimentarium.ch/en

Baked Bean Museum of Excellence Port Talbot, Wales

In the home of “Captain Beany”

http://www.captainbeany.com/baked_bean_museum_of_excellence.html

Bakkerijmuseum Hattem, The Netherlands

Bakery museum housed in sixteenth-century baker’s house

http://www.bakkerijmuseum.nl/

Barbaryannis ouzo museum Plomari, Lesvos, Greece

Now this really appeals!

http://www.barbayanni-ouzo.com/ouzo-museum-lesvos.html

Brogdale Collections Faversham, U.K.

National fruit collection with over 4000 varieties

http://www.brogdalecollections.co.uk/

Bruges Beer Museum Bruges, Belgium

Does just what it says on the tin

http://www.brugesbeermuseum.com/index

Burnt Food Museum On-line

“Celebrating nearly two decades of Culinary Disaster”

http://www.burntfoodmuseum.com/

Canada Agriculture and Food Museum Ottawa, Canada

http://cafmuseum.techno-science.ca/en/

Cork Butter Museum Cork, Ireland

The story of Ireland’s most important food export and the world’s largest butter market

http://www.corkbutter.museum/

Colman’s Mustard Shop and Museum Norwich, UK

The real deal

http://www.mustardshopnorwich.co.uk/our-shop-and-museum-pgid8.html

Corn Palace Mitchell, South Dakota, USA

A folk-art wonder

http://cornpalace.com/

Currywurst Museum Berlin, Germany

Near Checkpoint Charlie; devoted to the curry/ketchup covered steamed and fried pork sausage snack

http://currywurstmuseum.com/en/

Das Chocoladenmusem im Herzen Hamburgs Hamburg, Germany

Chocolate museum sponsored by Hachez, smaller than the one in Cologne

www.chocoversum.de

Deutsches Kochbuchmuseum Dortmund, Germany

Museum of cookbooks, due to (re)open at the end of 2015

http://www.dortmund.de/de/freizeit_und_kultur/museen/deutsches_kochbuchmuseum/startseite_dkbm/index.html

Économusée De La Brasserie St Paulin, Quebec

A microbrewery where the atmosphere and décor evoke the old-time taverns of New France

http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/attractions-directory/museum-interpretation-centre-historic-site/les-bieres-de-la-nouvelle-france-economusee-de-la-brasserie_23998514.html

Eesti Piimandusmuuseum Järvamaa, Estonia

Estonian dairy museum

http://www.piimandusmuuseum.ee/?Languages:in_English

Endangered Cake Museum New Orleans, USA

A wonderful concept! Now housed by the Southern Food and Beverage Museum

http://www.ediblegeography.com/endangered-cake-museum-update/

http://southernfood.org/

Escoffier Museum of Culinary Arts Villeneuve-Loubet, France

http://fondation-escoffier.org/

Frietkotmuseum Antwerp, The Netherlands

Detailed reconstruction of a chip stand from 1860, serving real chips in paper cones

http://www.frietkotmuseum.be/

Frietmuseum Bruges, Belgium

Dedicated to potato fries, and housed in one of Bruge’s loveliest buildings

http://www.frietmuseum.be/en/museum.htm

Gaziantep Culinary Museum Gaziantep, Turkey

Set in an old house down a cobbled side street; the cuisine of Southeast Turkey

http://turkishtravelblog.com/gaziantep-culinary-museum/

Grain Academy Museum Calgary, Canada

History of the grain industry in Canada

http://www.grainacademymuseum.com/

Ingersoll Cheese and Dairy Museum Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada

Replica C19 cheese factory

http://www.wedohistory.ca/cheese

International Vinegar Museum Roslyn, South Dakota, USA

All you wanted to know about vinegar

http://internationalvinegarmuseum.com/

Klippfish Museum Kristiansund, Norway

A museum of air-dried salted cod

http://www.nordmore.museum.no/artikkel.aspx?MId1=1782&AId=498&back=1

La Maison du Gruyère Pringy-Gruyère, Switzerland

Interactive exhibition of “the king of cheese” and restaurant

http://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/accueil/

Le Musée du Bonbon Haribo sur Uzès dans le Gard Uzes, France

A whole museum for this popular sweet

http://www.museeharibo.fr/fr/

Lofoten Stockfish Museum Lofoten, Norway

Norway’s oldest export commodity (apart from the Vikings)

http://www.lofoten-info.no/stockfish.htm

Maple Syrup Museum of Ontario St. Jacob’s, Ontario, Canada

Small but perfectly formed

http://www.attractionscanada.com/Ontario/Waterloo/Maple-Syrup-Museum-of-Ontario-St-Jacobs-ON/default.asp

Musée de Champignon Saumur, France

Mushrooms in caves, mushrooms in cases, mushrooms on plates …

http://www.musee-du-champignon.com/

Musée du Foie Gras Frespech, France

One of many French Foie Gras museums, recommended by Kate Hill – history nd tastings!

http://www.souleilles-foiegras.com/boutique/fr/

Musée du fromage cheddar Saint-Prime, Quebec, Canada

Cheddar cheese museum

http://www.museecheddar.org/

Musée du Pruneaux Granges sur Lot, France

A museum devoted to prunes!

http://www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com/lot-et-garonne/ferme-ferme-berino-martinet-musee-du-pruneau-149317/contact_plan_acces

Musée et Bibliothéque de la Gourmandise Hermalle-sous-Huy, Belgium

“The curious and entertaining history of cookery and food”. Wonderful!

http://www.musee-gourmandise.be/en/homepage-en

Musei del Cibo Parma, Italy

The food museums of Parma: Parmigiano Reggiano; Prosciutto di Parma; Salami; The tomato

http://www.museidelcibo.com/

Museo del Frutta Turin, Italy

The fruit museum of Turin

http://www.museodellafrutta.it/

Museo del Jamon Madrid

Really a delicatessen devoted to ham, with close to a thousand cured hams hanging from the ceiling like chandeliers

http://www.museodeljamon.es/

Museu da Gastronomia Baina Salvador, Brazil

A museum of Afro-Brazilian culinary history

http://www.ba.senac.br/

Museum de Locht North Limburg, The Netherlands

A museum of life on the farm, focusing on asparagus, mushrooms, bread and beer – what could be better!

http://www.delocht.nl/

Museum of Bread Culture Ulm, Germany

http://www.museum-brotkultur.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&Itemid=59

Museum of Food and Drink On-line

An upcoming ambitious project

http://www.mofad.org/

Museum of Iberian Ham Aracena, Spain

Shares premises with a mushroom museum

http://www.museodeljamondemonesterio.com/

Museum PSYRI Athens, Greece

A museum of Greek gastronomy

http://www.gtp.gr/GastronomyMuseum

Museum of the American Cocktail New Orleans, USA

Mouthwatering

http://www.cocktailmuseum.org/

Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil in Sparta Sparta, Greece

Looks beautiful! There are also olive museums in Naxos, Crete and Kefalonia

http://www.oliveoilmuseums.gr/ecportal.asp?id=55&nt=18&lang=2

Mustard Museum Doesburg, The Netherlands

http://www.doesburgschemosterd.nl/

National Museum of Pasta Foods Rome, Italy

Temporarily closed; reopening in 2015 (hopefully)

http://museodellapasta.it/wp/296-2/

National Mustard Museum Middleton, Wisconsin, USA

Runs the “world-wide mustard competition”

www.mustardmuseum.com

Norwegian Canning Museum Stavanger, Norway

http://www.museumstavanger.no/home/

Ponterfract Museum Ponterfract, UK

A combination of liquorice and art nouveau!

http://wakefieldmuseumsandlibraries.blogspot.com.au/p/pontefract-museum.html

Potato museums

Wikipedia has a huge list, although it seems not to be up to full wiki standards

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_potato_museums

Pulmuone Kimchi Museum Seoul, South Korea

Currently closed; may be reopening in new venue, March 2015

http://www.kimchimuseum.co.kr/foreigner/english/intro.asp

Sanliurfa Kitchen Museum Sanliurfa, Turkey

Preserving local food traditions in city nominated for UNESCO’s city of gastronomy

http://www.dailysabah.com/food/2014/12/18/sanliurfa-gets-museum-dedicated-to-food

Schokoladenmuseum Cologne, Belgium

The diverse history of cocoa and chocolate, sponsored by Lindt

http://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/start.html

Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum Shinyokohama, Japan

“The world’s first food-themed amusement park”

http://www.raumen.co.jp/english/

Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SOFAB) New Orleans, USA

Food of the deep South

www.southernfood.org

Stichting Behoud en Bevording Fruitcultuur Doesburg, The Netherlands

A museum of old fruit varieties

http://www.tolderas.nl/

Strange and Unusual On-line

A listing of strange and unusual food museums, including a fish ball museum and a museum of celebrity leftovers, together with many that already appear in this list

http://www.atlasobscura.com/categories/food-museums

Tiptree (jam) Museum Tiptree, Essex, UK

With a rather nice tea shop

http://www.trooms.com/goto.php?sess=+A5C51465C5959+F1D42131744505D1D1D58+E+C57+9+95B57405F475A1B125D14+543&id=34

Torino wax fruit museum Torino, Italy

Over a thousand “artificial plastic fruits”, all modeled by the same man

http://www.comune.torino.it/musei/en/elenco/museofrutta.shtml

Truffle Museum Cahors, France

Run by Pebeyre family on their farm

http://www.thefrenchfarm.com/brands-of-products/pebeyre

Twinings Tea Museum London, UK

A small museum in a large tea shop that is a museum in itself