Maggot cheese or fermented shark, anyone?
Visitors to Hong Kong now can now test the limits of their taste buds with the arrival of the Disgusting Food Museum at AIRSIDE’s GATE33 Gallery in Kai Tak.
Running until 26 November, the touring exhibition from Malmö, Sweden, marks its Hong Kong debut with more than 80 foods from around the world that challenge conventional ideas of what is appetising, from maggot cheese and fermented shark to insects and cultivated meat.
The museum has previously appeared in cities including Los Angeles, Berlin, Bordeaux and Taipei, attracting more than 500,000 visitors.
Five zones, one strong stomach
Every visitor receives a vomit bag with their admission ticket, setting the tone for what lies ahead.
The exhibition is arranged across five themed zones exploring food traditions, cultural perceptions and the future of sustainable eating. Visitors can encounter real and replica exhibits, images, video, scent installations and interactive displays.
Among the most confronting entries are Swedish fermented herring, or surströmming; Icelandic fermented shark, hákarl; Sardinian maggot cheese, casu marzu; Greenlandic fermented seabirds, kiviak; and Peruvian frog juice. The exhibition also considers insect-based proteins and cultivated meat, positioning its more provocative exhibits within a wider discussion of future food systems.
A Hong Kong-specific version has been developed by the Swedish exhibition team in collaboration with local creatives. It includes scents created by a local perfumer, designed to amplify the smell-led experience of selected foods.
A display of mouse wine, rice wine traditionally infused with blind, hairless baby mice and matured for at least a year, at the Disgusting Food Museum. Photo Credit: Disgusting Food Museum
The visitor journey culminates at the Disgusting Food Tasting Bar, where guests can choose to sample a progression of unusual foods under staff guidance.
Less intimidating options include cricket snacks, sauerkraut juice and Vegemite. Those seeking a more formidable finish can try fermented herring or fermented shark, with successful participants earning the title of “Taste Bud Adventurer”.
Admission details
Opening hours are noon to 8pm from Monday to Thursday, and 11am to 9pm from Friday to Sunday and on public holidays.
Adult entry costs HK$68 from Monday to Thursday and HK$88 from Friday to Sunday and on public holidays. Tickets for children, students and seniors are HK$48 and HK$68 respectively. Children aged three and below enter free with a paying adult. Parent-child bundles and group tickets are also available.