My Malmö Highlight: Exploring the Disgusting Food Museum
Malmö, a vibrant city in Sweden, is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, picturesque landscapes, and captivating attractions. During my recent visit, one particular experience stood out among the rest – a visit to the Disgusting Food Museum. In this blog post, I will share my intriguing adventure, immersing myself in a unique culinary journey that challenged my perceptions of food and its cultural significance.
The Museum:
We ventured out to Malmö as a day trip from Copenhagen. Having seen our fair share of museums and shopping streets in Denmark, we sought something different upon our arrival. And boy, did we get it. The Disgusting Food Museum was a truly gag-worthy experience. In fact, I’d go as far as saying it is my favourite museum I’ve ever visited.
The concept of the museum is not to create the most disgusting food you can think of but rather shed light on our perception of food norms by showcasing unconventional food from around the world.
Its purpose is to provoke thought and discussion about our food choices. Now, don’t be offended if you feel as though it is unfair to call something disgusting from another culture. That’s the point!
Disgust has a very important evolutionary function; it warns us of weird foods that could be potentially dangerous or deadly. This means that anything that deviates too far from the foods of the culture we grow up in is seen as disgusting food. As a function of disgust, fermented foods remind us of rotten foods and are very often seen as disgusting.
A Brave Encounter:
Our visit began with a foul smell; that’s right, the disgust hits you as soon as you walk in. After buying tickets, we went over to a booth to get a picture taken. Little did we know that this picture was actually trying to capture our faces of disgust. Shortly before the image is taken, a putrid odour fills the booth, capturing our disgruntled expressions.
Moving along, there is an exhibit that showcases disgusting food from all over the world. You get to learn about how the food is made, who eats it, and why. In fact, some of these exhibits come with smelling jars that allow you to experience the foul odours of the food.
You might be surprised by what you see, not just because of its sheer grossness but also when many familiar foods pop up, making you question what you go home to eat.
The museum emphasizes cultural diversity and the role of food in different societies. The exhibits showcase foods that were considered delicacies or everyday staples in specific regions but are perceived as repulsive or strange in others.
Disgust is not solely defined by our senses at the museum. They also believe that the choices we make in how we source and farm our food can be detrimental, with a focus on ethical and environmental considerations. The exhibit sheds light on the impact of mass production, food waste, and unsustainable practices on our planet, encouraging visitors to reconsider their food choices and make more conscious decisions.
The Taste Challenge:
The best part of the visit comes at the end, after going through the exhibit, learning, and experiencing the smells of all the disgusting food. The museum has a bar that allows you, if you dare, to try some of the foods that were on display.
Here’s how it works: you start with a small group of four and are led by an instructor who serves you the food. The food at the beginning of the challenge is milder and gradually becomes worse. As you try the food, you get to tick off all the disgusting food you ate on a bingo sheet.
During the challenge, I was pushed beyond my boundaries. I clung to the cup of water I had and downed it every time I finished a gross snack.
in an attempt to suppress my gags. I owe all my thanks to my instructor, whose lax attitude towards the food and hatred of food weakness pushed me to try everything. There were times when he presented the food, and I gave it a hard pass, but that was impossible as he made sure to convince me that I didn’t want to try it. And for all you try-hards, act cocky, and you’ll get seconds.
The last part of the challenge is spice. The museum has an array of hot sauces to try, some famously from the show “Hot Ones.” After signing a safety waiver (yes, they are that spicy), we were given dabs of each sauce consecutively. The last sauce was so hot that we could only have a small dab off a toothpick. At the end of the challenge, you are promised as much milk as you need.
Feeling slightly out of body and thinking of all the gross food I just ate, I staggered out, purchasing a winning “I ate everything” shirt. Though I wasn’t victorious, thirty minutes after holding it all in, I grabbed the vomit bag they had prepared for me and spewed it all out on the streets of Malmö.
This experience will definitely stay with me for a lifetime, especially in my quest to try new foods. Anytime I travel and encounter something I wouldn’t normally try, I think back to this experience, knowing I have had worse. And as an added bonus, saying I’ve eaten rotting shark, or five different bugs is a great and easy icebreaker whenever I need to provide a fun fact about myself.
More Information about the Museum:
Address: Södra Förstadsgatan 2, Malmö, Sweden.
Hours: Monday-Sunday: 11:00-17:00 Last recommended entrance: 16:00
Prices:
- Adult: 195 kr
- Student/Senior: 160 kr
- Children 6-15 years old: 65 kr (only with guardians)
- Children under 6 years old: two children enter for free per parent/guardian.
Website: https://disgustingfoodmuseum.com/
if you aren’t planning on heading to Malmö, there is also a location in Berlin. More information can be found on their Berlin site: https://disgustingfoodmuseum.berlin/
Added bonus: Say you’ve seen their social media for a free goody bag!
