Disgusting Food Museum

You can test your tastebuds’ limits with small samples of the foods at the tasting bar. But the exhibition is more than just a show. Visitors are also encouraged to think about the meaning of food and tastes in different cultures.

Become a food rebel

Disgust is a fundamental human reaction, but not a universal one. What’s delicious for one person, can be utterly repulsive to the next. When you visit the Disgusting Food Museum, you’ll quickly realise which foods trigger you the most. Some of the exhibits include frog smoothies from Peru and maggot cheese from Sardinia. You can also marvel at the foul-smelling Thai durian fruit or surströmming, the legendary rotten herring from Sweden.

The stinky cheeses or edible insects like grasshoppers and Maybugs aren’t just there to be gawked at. At the end of the exhibition, you get to try some of the horrid dishes at the tasting bar. You can also take small samples home with you. Take a photo of your disgusted face while trying the food and you could appear on the Disgusting Food Museum’s social media channels where they publish the best photos.

Question your cultural perceptions

The Disgusting Food Museum is much more than an exhibit with uneatable eatables on display. The operator Philoscience also wants to encourage visitors to reflect on their tastes. Why do I find this disgusting, but not this? How do people eat in other continents and cultures?

The exhibition makes you aware of what is possible in the culinary world, and how much of what we eat is shaped by culture. A food that triggers disgust in you may be an everyday part of the menu for someone from another tradition.

The exhibition also raises ethical and political questions: Where does our food come from? How high a price can we put upon our enjoyment of food? How and what do we want to eat in the future?

Highlights from the Disgusting Food Museum in Berlin

• Permanent exhibit of the most disgusting foods in the world.
• Over 90 revolting food exhibits.
• Trying the foods at the tasting bar.
• Food samples to take home.
• A chance to have your best disgusted-face photos published.

Tips for your museum visit from visitBerlin

To get to the Disgusting Food Museum by public transport, go to the U-Bahn stations at Stadtmitte or Kochstraße at Checkpoint Charlie. The museum is also easily reached with the M29, 200 and 265 busses. If you are coming from the Stadtmitte U-Bahn, first cross Leipziger Straße and then turn into the Schützenstraße.
The Disgusting Food Museum is directly next to Checkpoint Charlie—this famous German border crossing was the setting for many Cold War novels and films. Today, the Checkpoint is a popular photo opportunity. While you’re there, visit the Wall Museum to learn more about the Berlin Wall and the Cold War.
For serious shoppers, there are lots of shops along the nearby Friedrichstraße. The Mall of Berlin, with its 300 or so stores, is also just a short walk from the Disgusting Food Museum.