Think of Belgium – jazz, moules e frites and chocolate. Well the stereotype isn’t that far off and Belgium is embracing its potato based heritage with a whole museum. Tomas Mowlam investigates Bruges’ Frietmuseum.

The Frietmuseum aims to show the entire world of the humble fry, broken down into three sections: the history of the potato, the history of the fry and then when you’ve had your fill of starchy information you can then taste some traditional Belgian fries.

Humans eating and enjoying the tuber dates back over 10,000 years, and wild potatoes have been found in tombs in Peru and Chile, the Frietmuseum itself even has Inca vases representing the potato (above).

The museum goes onto detail how the snack made it from the wilds of America to Europe, potato recipes, and how it goes from the ground to your plate.

The main attraction is the final section where you can sample fries with traditional Belgian food such as stews, moules and other delights.

If fries seems bit of an esoteric subject for a museum then check the lighting museum, Lumina Domestica, and chocolate museum, Choco Story, all created by Cédric and Eddy Van Belle.

The museum is also housed in a surprisingly grand building, the Saailhalle built in 1399, and a second building built a few years later as a centre for the Genoan consul and trade in medieval Bruges.

On the museum website Eddy explains why they chose the Saailhalle, calling it a “one of the masterpieces of Bruges.”

“This house certainly deserves to escape from the major building work which would very likely have been needed had it been converted into anything other than a museum.

“It is one of the great advantages of our project that we can show off this magnificent building to the many people who visit it, not only from the outside, but the inside as well.”

The museum is open daily from 10 am – 5 pm and for prices and more information check out the website, frietmuseum.be.

Image Credit: Friet Musuem

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