January 2015
Favourite Food Museums
Len Fisher
Symposiasts and followers of our Facebook page responded enthusiastically when I asked about their favourite food museums. There is, in fact, a searchable online listing of some 1400 such museums compiled by Shirley Cherkasky and friends at http://foodhistorynews.com/directory.html.
But for the fun of it, here is a rather more selective listing of the ones that our symposiasts and Facebook followers came up with. Feel free to suggest others through your comments! My personal favourites are The Endangered Cake Museum and The Burnt Food Museum.
Alimentarium Vevey, Switzerland
An eclectic collection, with images 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/
Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University Providence, RI, USA
Expanding digital collection
https://www.culinary.org/
Currywurst Museum Berlin, Germany
Near Checkpoint Charlie; devoted to the curry/ketchup covered steamed and fried pork sausage snack
http://currywurstmuseum.com/en/
Das Schokoladenmuseum 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
Deutsches Museum fuer Kockkunst und Kochbuecher Frankfurt, Germany
Great historic cookery museum
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/
German Museum of Food Additives Essen, Germany
Does what it says on the tin. Sadly, according to Giano Balestriere, it is rarely open and hard to find
https://www.zusatzstoffmuseum.de/
Grain Academy Museum Calgary, Canada
History of the grain industry in Canada
http://www.grainacademymuseum.com/
HJ Heinz History Center Pittsburgh, USA
History of Heinz company and its products
HEINZHISTORYCENTER.ORG
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 Cité du Vin Bordeaux, France
A child-friendly wine museum! Even the shape of the building evokes a glass of wine.
http://www.laciteduvin.com/en
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/
Museo Della Pasta Rome
Temporarily closed for reservation; supposed to re-open in 2017. Has excellent publications devoted to history of pasta
Museon Arlaten Arles, France
Elisabeth Luard comments: similar ethnological rationale to the Pitt Rivers in Oxford but all about Provence. Worth it for the dried mole’s paws (so useful for weaving spells) alone, but most of all for the life-size panoramas of domestic scenes from trad Provençale life inc a gorgeous Souper Maigre
http://www.museonarlaten.fr/museon/CG13/
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 Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
“The world’s first large-scale food museum…”
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/
Pitt Rivers Museum Oxford, UK
Not strictly a food museum, but many food-related exhibits in which the Symposium is taking an interest under the guidance of Linda Roodenburg
https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/
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/
St Malo Butter Museum St Malo
Tiny private museum
http://www.saint-malo-tourisme.com/…/137679-la-maison…
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
http://www.twinings.co.uk/about-twinings/216-strand
Virtual Food Museum On-line
Linda Roodenburg’s great creation – an Internet food museum!
www.foodmuseum.nl
World Carrot Museum On-line
More about carrots than you ever wanted to know
http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/
