When traveling the world, you should definitely visit at least one of the museums dedicated to food. Sometimes, such a visit can be an exciting adventure.
Big Mac® Museum (Big Mac Museum, USA, Pennsylvania, North Huntingdon)
While in Pennsylvania, the Big Mac Museum is worth a look. Even if the famous sesame bun is not your favorite food, the facts about creating a fast food can seem quite amusing.
Big Mac owes its “birth” to Jim Delligatti. He is also one of the first sales representatives of the McDonald’s chain. That is why, in honor of the 40th anniversary of fast food, a museum was founded in 2008 on the initiative of Deligatti.
In front of the diner building, there is a plastic monument to the Big Mac with a height of almost 4 meters. Inside are a large number of photographs, advertising posters and items related to the famous fast food. The materials allow us to trace the history and transformation of food, which is one of the most popular in the world. The visit will definitely appeal to those who would like to drop by McDonald’s and still make their visit extraordinary. The entrance to the museum is free…
MUSEO DEL Prosciutto di Parma (Parma Ham Museum, Italy, Parma)
Cured Parma ham, one of the varieties of prosciutto, is known to gourmets far beyond the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. This delicacy is a welcome guest on any table, especially in Italy. The famous ham is served with thin melon slices and is also used in many signature and traditional Italian recipes.
The exposition presented in the museum clearly shows the entire technology of making meat delicacy. Its connoisseurs will discover the secrets of unsurpassed taste, tell about the intricacies of production, but, most importantly, they will offer exquisite tasting of various varieties. Well, after that, how can you resist and not buy at least a piece of the world’s best ham in the museum shop!
The cost of the entrance ticket is 4 €, on weekdays, preliminary registration by phone…
Peking Roast Duck Museum (Peking Duck Museum, China, Beijing)
Peking duck is an incredible dish, cooked for several days. Traditionally, delicate poultry with a thin crispy crust is eaten with pancakes and cucumber straws. We can say that this is a specialty Chinese food – it is more than 2 thousand years old, and the dish owes its origin to the city of Nanjing, located in the eastern part of China.
The Peking Duck Museum is located in the famous Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant. The creation of the original exposition in 2014 marked a round date – 150 years since the opening of the first restaurant of the Quanjude chain (“Quanjuide”).
The exhibition includes more than 500 exhibits, but the most remarkable – a golden statue of a duck – will meet you in the hall. In addition to her, in the museum you can see many advertising posters and photographs depicting how the powerful of this world eat a delicious dish. Among them: Mao Zedong, Kim Jong Il and Richard Nixon. The restaurant staff promise an interesting story about how food appeared and how to cook it correctly. The entrance to the museum is free…
Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum (Ramen Noodle Museum, Japan, Yokohama)
Ramen is a traditional Japanese noodle soup. It spread throughout the country at the beginning of the 20th century, and won universal recognition due to its relative cheapness and satiety. The surge in popularity of food came in 1958, when instant noodles were invented.
The Yokohama Museum was founded on March 6, 1994. It is made in an unusual concept of a shopping and entertainment center, which makes it possible to learn many interesting facts about popular food and fully enjoy its taste. The lower floors of the museum are stylized as the Tokyo street of the last century, on which a dozen ramen shops are crowded. They prepare Japanese soup according to recipes from different regions of the country. Want to try everything? You can buy a special ticket from a nearby vending machine.
In the exhibition part of the museum there are several halls dedicated to ramen. Historical allows you to get acquainted with the history of the emergence of soup in Japan, as well as teach you how to distinguish it from its “brother” – Chinese noodles. An original interactive game at a separate stand will allow you to independently cook a unique ramen and name it after yourself.
Entrance ticket per day: visitors over 13 years old – 310 ¥, children from 6-12 years old and visitors over 60 years old – 100 ¥, children under 6 years old – free…
The museum should not be confused with the exhibition that tells about the instant noodles and their “discoverer” Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum. Located in Osaka, near Ikeda Station on the Hankyu-Takarazuka Line (free admission).
Deutsches Currywurst Museum (Currywurst Museum, Germany, Berlin)
Currywurst, a German sausage made from finely chopped pork, is perhaps the most famous fast food in Germany. A special “charm” is given to it by a sauce invented in 1949 in Berlin. A mixture of American ketchup, English dressing and Indian curry, Hertha Hoyver decided to use it for the first time in her diner. The unusual combination quickly gained popularity and has kept it ever since.
The opening of a museum dedicated to iconic food took place in 2009. It was timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the emergence of fast food on the streets of Berlin.
The museum is interactive. The original exhibition provides a fascinating insight into the history, composition and recipe of currywurst. The multimedia installations turn the visit into a real entertainment show with entertaining 3D images and video games.
Young visitors to the museum can follow a special path and see with their own eyes what is happening behind the scenes of the “sausage” van. For example, when you press a button in a sausage trolley, you hear the sound of butter hissing. And adult visitors will be offered to try their hand at being chefs or relax on a “sausage” sofa.
Additional advantages in favor of visiting the museum are documentaries and interesting photo and audio materials that recreate a picture of life in Berlin at the end of the 40s of the XX century. The museum shop offers a selection of over 70 souvenirs. And, of course, once inside, you automatically get the right to taste the legendary currywurst – it is included in the ticket price.
Entrance – 11 € (for adults), 7-8.50 € (children and adolescents). Children under 6 years old – free. Approximate visit time is 60-90 minutes.
The opening of the world’s first Museum of Disgusting Food is scheduled for late 2018-early 2019 in Malmo, Sweden. The incredible exhibition will acquaint visitors with branded “delicacies” from around the world. Rotten shark meat, cheese with larvae, bovine genitals – this is not a complete list of controversial exhibits. The entrance ticket is 185 kr.
There are many other original food displays around the world dedicated to foie gras (France), French fries (Belgium), marzipan (Germany), popcorn (USA), cheese (Netherlands) and even burnt food! In a word, in every trip you will certainly find something that you can be surprised at.