11 of the world’s top food museums

Colman’s Mustard Shop and Museum (Norwich, UK)

Colman’s Mustard first edged into fame in 1901, when explorer Robert Scott set sail for the South Pole with one ton of the stuff — the event was the first example of celebrity-endorsed advertising.

But the Colman’s Mustard Shop didn’t open until 1973, with the adjoining museum offering insight into the brand and its history.

For example, few know that the founders were pioneers when it came to employee social welfare.

Colman’s was the first company in the UK to employ an industrial nurse.

Highlight: The incredibly well stocked gift shop, though you run the risk of never wanting to see a Colman’s Mustard product ever again by the end of the visit.

Colman’s Mustard Shop & Museum, 15 Royal Arcade, Norwich; +44 1603 627 889

Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum (Yokohama, Japan)

The Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum is for those who can’t get enough of Japan’s classic noodle dish.

On the first floor there’s an exhibition about the history of ramen that includes displays of traditional bowls alongside the more recent invention every college student is all too familiar with — instant ramen.

The two basement floors are a replica of Shitamachi (Tokyo’s old town) and house nine restaurants, each of which serves up different regional varieties of ramen.

Highlights include the world’s largest exhibition of potato-related farm machinery and the world’s largest potato sculpture.

Once you’ve worked up an appetite, you can stop by the Tater Kitchen and enjoy a range of potato-based treats — or simply a slice of cake.

Highlight: The super-sized potato sculpture outside the museum.

Canadian Potato Museum, 1 Dewar Lane, O’Leary, Prince Edward Island; +1 902 859 2039

Museum of Olive Oil Production (Lesvos, Greece)

This museum focuses specifically on how Greece’s olive oil industry was transformed by the introduction of machinery, a far more interesting subject than you might think.

The museum, housed inside a beautiful stone building, allows visitors to learn about everything from the mass cultivation of olive trees to the machinery used to crush olive pulp and separate the oil from water.

Highlight: The exhibition that explains the science behind the acidity test, which checks the quality of olive oil.

You’ll be an expert in no time.

Museum of Olive Oil Production, Agia Paraskevi 811 02, Lesvos, Greece; +30 2253 032 300

Tamara Hinson is a UK-based freelance journalist who has written for publications and websites including the Daily Mail, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Observer, the Express, BA High Life, Sainsbury’s magazine and CNN.

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