Picture this. You walk into a museum and you’re immediately hit with the most pungent, grotesque smell. It’s something rotten. Something perhaps a little moldy. It’s a mix of too many smells that should never, ever be in a room together. That smell was my initial introduction to one of the most unique places to visit in the world: the Disgusting Food Museum in Malmö, Sweden.
I should probably back up a little bit to explain why I would put myself in such a situation, especially when you know what you’re getting out of the experience from the name of the museum! As always, I was on the lookout for unique places to visit and things to do during my day trip from Copenhagen to Malmö. I didn’t know much about Malmö going into it and didn’t know anyone else who had traveled there, so I had to do a deep dive. In my research, I stumbled upon the Disgusting Food Museum. I found myself immediately intrigued not by the activity of smelling or learning about disgusting foods, but rather by their mission statement.
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The Disgusting Food Museum’s Mission
The museum aims to highlight the evolutionary role of disgust in protecting us while also showcasing how our sense of disgust is deeply rooted in culture. The museum hopes to open people’s minds to show them that they may need to reevaluate which foods they find disgusting. I was sold and immediately put it on my itinerary.
Entering the Museum
So back to Malmö. I step foot in the museum, get hit with a pungent smell, and gasp when I notice there’s a tasting section. I do not know how it didn’t occur to me that in order to learn to have an open mind about new foods, I would need to experience them first-hand. My initial reaction was that I would look and smell, but that I had no need to eat whatever they were planning to serve me. But ultimately I’m never someone who is going to deprive myself of an authentic and original experience. So, I decided to commit to the full experience. And now I’m here to share everything you need to know if you too feel brave enough to explore the museum. Or, for you to live vicariously through my experience if eating fermented shark and salty licorice isn’t in your future.
When you purchase your tickets at the front door they hand you an entry pass. It turns out that entry pass is a bingo card to check off which foods you ate… and a barf bag. Yep, you read that right. A barf bag. My head was on a swivel as I took it all in, and I clocked a “Days Without Vomit” sign that alarmingly only had 4 days written below it. Yikes! To start the experience you read a sign that explains more about the purpose of the museum and lists out the different categories of disgust.
Sights & Smells to Expect
To begin the experience you follow the lines on the floor that guide you through the exhibit, and explore the models of all the disgusting foods from around the world. Alongside the models, you’ll get to read about the history of the foods and the purposes they serve in certain cultures. At some stations, there is also a jar for you to open and have an olfactory experience. Just don’t leave that jar open for too long! The scents escape faster than you’d hope. Pro Tip: If you ever need to clear your nose to make way for another scent, smell the inside crease of your elbow. This came in handy here for a multitude of reasons.
One of the wackier things I experienced walking around was a replica of a mellified man. This substance was once used to heal broken bones—made from a self-sacrificed corpse steeped in honey for 100 years. So crazy! There was also a liquor called Habushu, partially made with a snake in striking pose. Some of the animals on display completely shocked me because they’re so far removed from anything eaten in American culture. But they didn’t let Americans off the hook! There was a section dedicated to our own “disgusting foods,” featuring Pop-Tarts and Twinkies. It really made me rethink how our processed foods are perceived—and just how little nutritional value they actually have. This process of walking around and exploring the exhibits takes about 20-30 minutes. And it all culminates at the final station…
To Taste or Not to Taste…
Finally, after your stomach has churned for the past half an hour or so, you are ready for the tasting portion of the experience. Now I have to preface that I have a pretty strong stomach. I eat spicy foods like a champ, I am willing to try almost anything at least once, and I typically never get nauseous from foods. But after walking through the exhibit and immersing myself in this world, my stomach did not feel good. I decided it was best if I partook in certain foods, but didn’t push myself to check off everything on my Bingo card. I did feel like I got the whole experience by eating certain foods and then watching the reactions of people trying the others.
The first offering was insects. They had crickets, black ants, and mealworms to try. Messmör, a spreadable cheese, came next. Supposedly many people like this, but sadly I was not in that camp. Spoiler alert: It was my least favorite thing that I tried. We were then given an assortment of pungent cheeses. Some of these such as Mont Vully, weren’t so bad, while others would certainly be classified as an acquired taste. It was strange knowing what some of them would smell like based on the jars I had encountered earlier. But for some, the smell was far worse than the taste. There were other options such as durian fruit, sauerkraut juice, surströmming, and salty licorice. Why anyone would make perfectly good licorice salty is beyond me!
The Final Frontier
Finally, we reach the hot sauce portion. As I mentioned earlier, I’m a champ with spice. They gave us a few of the Hot Ones challenge sauces. If you’ve never seen the series Hot Ones, it’s a series where celebrities answer questions while eating incredibly spicy wings. Even the toughest people you can think of have struggled to get through the gauntlet of sauces. I, on the other hand, have done the challenge at home and passed with flying colors! So when I got to this portion, I knew I could handle whatever they gave me. I had The Last Dab, Da Bomb, and a couple of others.
Then they handed us a waiver requiring us to sign if we wanted to try the final sauce. For the other sauces, we used a small popsicle stick to place the sauce on our tongues. But for this one, we got only a teeny drop on the tip of a toothpick—it was that potent. They instructed us to hold the toothpick on our tongues for 30 seconds. The reason being, it would help our bodies digest the sauce better than if we just swallowed it at once. That could cause a serious stomach ache! Let me tell you, that sauce was hot. I will say though the best part of the experience was the men around me dripping sweat asking me how I looked so unbothered. Throughout the process of trying the hot sauces, you have the opportunity to bow out. Either way at the end you get a nice cold glass of milk to help soothe your mouth.
Tips for your visit
- Book your tickets in advance if possible. The museum is small so they could limit the number of people entering at a time.
- Have an open mind. We’ve flagged this as one of the most unique places to visit for a reason! Get curious about why certain items disgust you, and have fun with it.
- There is water available to you throughout the process. However, this is not the case during the hot sauce portion. You are told to not drink water as it exacerbates the heat. Milk is provided if needed.
- If you’re bold enough to try all of the food offerings and check off your bingo card, you can spin the prize wheel. Some of the prizes are definitely better than others given that some are t-shirts or magnets and others are more bugs to eat. So spin at your own risk!
Other Locations
There is another location of the Disgusting Food Museum in Berlin. So if you’re looking for unique places to visit in Germany, you’re in luck! However, the Malmö location is their main and most famous hub, so for the ultimate experience, I’d recommend visiting there.
More Unique Places to Visit in Sweden
Sweden is one of the most interesting places in Europe. There’s no shortage of unique locations or activities. Here are some other quirky places to visit in Sweden.
- Icehotel Sweden: If you’re visiting in the winter and are a glutton for punishment (which let’s face it, you are if you’re reading this page), opt for a stay in a hotel made of, you guessed it, ice.
- Abba Museum: Calling all Mamma Mia fanatics! Sing your heart out at this interactive museum in Stockholm.
We hope this post inspires you to try something new and original. We love unique places to visit like the Disgusting Food Museum because it really opens up your mind. This experience in particular makes you aware of how vast the world is, and how different every culture is! So be sure to check it out next time you’re in Sweden. Don’t just travel, Travel The Unexpected.
For more unique activities, check out our post on the can’t-miss celebrations and festivals of 2025!
