Taste Matters—views on food and drink culture

The multisensory exhibition Taste Matters offers different perspectives on food and drink culture in Finland. What is it, how and by what is it formed and changed, and who affect it?

The exhibition takes you to places where food and drink culture is built and formed. In the exhibition you can sit down by a campfire like a hunter-gatherer. Feel the scent of new trends in the restaurant, taste equality through school lunch, and add a touch of luxury to the everyday in the café. Food and drink culture is never static. It changes constantly under the influence of individuals, communities, society and the state. Food and taste express social standing and identity. The exhibition raises questions about what food- and drink culture means to each of us, and how we affect its development.

The exhibition highlights individuals who influence our food choices and preferences, and the varied backgrounds these food influencers can have – a family member, a social media figure, an activist, or someone working in the food industry. The exhibition gives a window into the roles of home chefs, restaurant customers and professionals through a selection of museum items. A cheese mold, a cookbook, chopsticks, cocktail tools, a work calendar and many other items give a human and everyday insight into food culture.

The exhibition has been built in collaboration with the public, and food memories collected from visitors have been utilized. Many of us have memories of things like school lunch. In the background is felt the guiding hand of the state, be it through welfare policies and dietary recommendations or through restrictive alcohol regulation. A 1930s Alko interior highlights the strict regulations following the end of prohibition.

The exhibition combines museum items, old photos, art and technology with play in a creative way. All the senses are brought to play: food- and drink culture can be tasted, smelled, felt, seen and heard. At the same time the exhibition tempts the visitor to contemplate their own and others’ perspectives on food and drink, and to find their own taste in the matter.

Exhibition texts also in English.