Frietmuseum

This is the world's first and only museum dedicated to the potato fry, and only Belgium could make this feel like a legitimate cultural institution rather than a joke. The Frietmuseum is housed in the Gothic Saaihalle — a former wool hall dating from 1399 — at Vlamingstraat 33, one of the oldest buildings in Bruges' World Heritage-listed centre. The contrast between the medieval architecture and the subject matter is part of the charm: you are learning about frying potatoes inside a 600-year-old trading hall.

The museum was founded in 2008 by Eddy Van Belle, who had already opened Choco-Story (the chocolate museum) and Lumina Domestica (a lamp museum with a 6,500-piece collection). Van Belle clearly understood something about Bruges that most tourism operators miss: the city's relationship with everyday pleasures is as much a part of its heritage as its churches and paintings.

The exhibits trace the history of the potato from its origins in Peru through the Spanish colonial period to its arrival in Europe, using dioramas of Peruvian farmers, Inca-era ceramic vases, and vintage advertising posters. There is an extensive collection of potato cutters that is either fascinating or deeply eccentric, depending on your interest in kitchen equipment. The museum makes the case — convincingly — that the Belgian fry is a national art form: twice-fried in beef tallow, served in a paper cone, and eaten with mayonnaise, not ketchup.

The medieval cellar at the bottom serves fresh frites, which means you end the visit by eating the subject of the museum. This is either brilliant museum design or a conflict of interest, and in either case the frites are excellent.