Food Museums: A Place to Ponder (and Eat)
Originally published on TasteTalks.com in 2016
Think of the word museum. What do you see? Historic paintings depicting scenes from worlds past. Large walls cascading up towards high ceilings. Barrels and barrels of rich, decadent ice cream, giving off a sweet aroma. Okay, maybe not that last part. But why spend your free time in classic museums when you could be spending that time learning bizarre food facts (and eating free samples)? Food museums are becoming all the rage, so here are some you need to know about.
Austin, Minnesota
Don’t let your negative opinions on SPAM keep you from trying out this museum. While meat in a can is as unappealing as unappealing gets, the SPAM Museum gives an entertaining and interactive view on this food’s history. Live a little.
Blackfoot, Idaho
We all grew up hearing that Idaho potatoes were the best potatoes in the country. Turns out, Blackfoot, Idaho is actually “The Potato Capital of the World”, and now that we know they have a museum dedicated to this beautiful starch, we have no choice but to believe it.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This is the world’s first pizza museum. It’s also community-driven, environmentally sustainable, and home of the largest collection of pizza memorabilia. We lost you at pizza museum, didn’t we?
Waco, Texas
The Dr. Pepper Museum’s website states that the goal of the museum is “to educate and entertain” about the free enterprise economic system. But if you’re like us, you’re more interested in sitting at that soda fountain and buying an “I’m a pepper” ringer tee.
New York City, New York
The universe lost it when the Museum of Ice Cream opened in Manhattan. A pool of sprinkles and enormous ice cream sundae easily drew us in, but the waiting list for tickets sadly kept us out. But no line is too long to wait in for ice cream.
The Museum of the American Cocktail
New Orleans, Louisiana
This museum explores the importance of the cocktail in American history. It’s the perfect place to visit for any cocktail connoisseur seeking to enhance their knowledge on mixology (or just for fun, because why not).
LeRoy, New York
Jell-O is the all-American dessert. This colorful gelatin has given us funky looking holiday treats, classic pranks on The Office, and a new way to take shots. Hopefully the museum can give us some recipes for our next poolside extravaganza.
Online only
The Cheetos “Museum” is an online gallery of all the oddly shaped cheetos people find. Anyone can add a submission to the community gallery, and might we say, we’re pretty impressed with a few of the portraits.
Middleton, Wisconsin
Mustard is not number one on anyone’s list, but this free museum features more than 5,676 mustards. They come from all 50 states and 70 different countries. Pretty impressive, we must say. You win this round, mustard.
Arlington, Massachusetts
This museum is proof that making mistakes is a good thing. While most people throw away their culinary disasters, this museum puts them on display. Afterall, nobody’s perfect.
Vidalia, Georgia
The website describes the Vidalia onion as “a legacy with layers” and a “cultural contagion.” This museum hypes up this pungent vegetable so much, we’re more than willing to check out what they have to offer us. But no samples, please. The last thing we need is onion breath.
Southern Food and Beverage Museum
New Orleans, Louisiana
Southern food is making a comeback, and the SFBM dives into the rich history of this comfort-style cooking. Visitors will learn about all the different cultures infused in this southern foods, and hopefully get to taste some as well.
Roslyn, South Dakota
Prepare to pucker, because this is the world’s only museum dedicated to vinegar. It focuses on how and why this product is made and what chefs can use it for.
Marion, Ohio
The Wyandot Popcorn Museum has the world’s largest collection of popcorn poppers and peanut roasters, plenty of them being antique and classics. If you’re looking for a poopin’ good time, this is the place to go.