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Food: Our Global Kitchen

Two teenagers stand over an interactive table showing a projection of meals being cooked
Examine the intricate system that brings what we eat from the farm to our tables.

Taking visitors on a journey around the world and through time, this exhibition explores the common interactions we have with our food.

Through digital interactives, rich dioramas, cultural artifacts, and striking models, visitors will experience stories of how humans have shaped the foods we know, and how food has shaped us.

With opportunities to taste seasonal treats in a tasting kitchen, cook a virtual meal, and peek into the dining rooms of famous figures throughout history, visitors can enjoy the journey through this intersection of food, nature, culture, health, and history.

A young girl touches an interactive computer monitor displaying a map
This interactive game demonstrates the challenges associated with transporting items like bananas, apples, tuna, and lamb around the world.
D. Finnin/© AMNH
A kitchen workspace including cooktops, a venting unit, sinks, and a full size refrigerator
The exhibition's 735 sq ft custom-designed kitchen is ideal for live programming exploring the complexities of flavor and the biology of taste.
D. Finnin/© AMNH
A stack of three models of square watermelons are displayed against a wall of colorful graphics and text about food
See how humans have modified crops and livestock, as well as potential new growing techniques.
D. Finnin/© AMNH
A boy and a girl lean over a clear acrylic case to smell the contents of the vessel it holds
Engage your sense of smell at stations that disperse puffs of air scented with lemon, lavender, and more.
C. Chesek/© AMNH
A diorama of a high class 1800s English dining room includes a candle chandelier, a white fireplace and a dark wooden table
Sit down at the tables of some illustrious individuals throughout history, including 18th-century author Jane Austen.
D. Finnin/© AMNH
A family of four looks at colorful infographics featuring text and oversized images of breakfast foods
Explore common breakfast foods from around the world, from Greek pancakes to Colombian changua soup.
C. Chesek/© AMNH
Models of fruits, vegetables and cultural items in front of a painted backdrop of a bustling market
This re-creation represents a small corner of a giant marketplace that served the capital city of the thriving Aztec Empire in what is now Mexico. 
D. Finnin/© AMNH

Reviews

“An ambitious feast of a show, with offerings for every taste, even the most exotic” – The New York Times

“Really shines… in its exploration of the future of food through the lens of its past” – HuffingtonPost.com

“Appealing to both gourmands and cooking novices” – Time Out New York

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Cover of the Educator's Guide for the exhibition Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture featuring icons of various food items.

Educator’s Guide

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Food: Our Global Kitchen is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org).