The pop-up museum which opened in Malmö, Sweden this week features 80 exhibits from 35 countries around the world and three classic Aussie dishes have made the cut – Vegemite, musk sticks and witchetty grubs.
Other notable inclusions include fruit bat soup from Guam, Cuy (roasted guinea pigs) from Peru, Casu marzu, a maggot-infested cheese from Sardinia, century eggs and wine made with baby mice from China, Hákarl (fermented shark) from Iceland and Sweden’s own surströmming (fermented herring).
Predictably, many Aussies were outraged by the ‘slur’ – with some even labelling Vegemite’s inclusion as “blasphemy”.
“I don’t care that Swedes think Vegemite and Musk sticks are nasty. I love them. More for me I say,” one social media user wrote.
Love it or hate it?
However, the museum’s co-curator and “disgustologist” Dr Samuel West has assured the ABC that some people thought the musk sticks in particular were “nasty” and they couldn’t have a Disgusting Food Museum without Vegemite.
“I love Vegemite so I’m kind of sad that it’s in the museum,” he laughed.
I have to say I’m not a huge fan of our black yeasty spread (don’t throw me out of the country), but to say it’s on par with fruit bat soup seems a bit out there to me.
But Dr West says it’s a reminder that disgust is different from person to person and country to country – in short, my Vegemite may just be your Nutella.
The Disgusting Food Museum will be open until January 27, 2019 if you fancy trying some of its delicacies for yourself – and don’t worry, if you feel like throwing up, the ticket doubles as a sick bag.
Check it out here.
Care for some Casu marzu, a cheese infested with maggots, from Sardinia?
