The Vegemite wars

Grey Havoc

Grey Havoc

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j86xydjpro
A convicted murderer serving a life sentence in Australia is challenging a ban on prisoners consuming Vegemite - the polarising, salty spread that has become a national symbol.

State authorities say inmates may use the strong-smelling condiment to disguise contraband substances or brew alcohol behind bars.

But Andre McKechnie argues that the ban, in place in the state of Victoria since 2006, denies him the right to "enjoy his culture as an Australian", according to court documents seen by AFP and AP.
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Vegemite sparked an international dispute in April this year when an Australian cafe owner in Canada was told to remove jars of the condiment from his shelves as it did not comply with local health regulations.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese intervened in the row, saying it was "rather odd" that Canada allowed the sale of Vegemite's "rubbish" rival product Marmite. The Canadian agency soon changed course and allowed the cafe owner to continue selling the spread.
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I am an occasional consumer of Marmite, but this to and fro makes me curious about what Vegemite tastes like. There's only one way to find out. Wish me luck :)
I am old enough to have learned to be cautious when engaging in culinary experiments, so I shall be looking for a modest quantity to acquire.
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Here in New Zealand we get British Marmite (rebranded My Mate to avoid conflict with the local spread), New Zealand Marmite, and Aussie Vegemite.

Obviously, growing up in Britain in the 70s and 80s, British Marmite is part of my DNA. Of the three, New Zealand Marmite is the obvious outlier, as it contains a lot of sugar. This really messes with the salty umami flavour profile in my opinion. Not for me, but my wife and daughter like it.

British Marmite is what I grew up on. Its more brown in colour and a bit thinner in consistency than Vegemite which is thicker and blacker. My first exposure to Vegemite was when my sister made our mum buy a jar at the height of Aussie soap opera popularity (Neighbours, Home & Away). She claimed to like it, but we never bought another jar. I disliked it because it tasted different to Marmite.

As an adult, moving to NZ, I have been exposed to Vegemite more, and I'm now pretty 50/50 on British Marmite vs Vegemite. They are conceptually pretty similar, Vegemite being an Aussie's attempt to reverse engineer British Marmite, and broadly speaking they succeeded. The flavour differs in detail, but you can learn to like both.

I actually buy the lower salt Vegemite, which is 40% less salt than standard Vegemite, which is nice. It also cheaper than British Marmite, so I probably buy it a bit more often. It also seems to last a bit longer before I've eaten it, while British Marmite mysteriously goes quicker.
 
Marmite or Vegemite is not so bad
i would eat for breakfast on toast
Would not be issue, it's hard to find in German supermarket...
 
I'm curious whether I could find that thing in France. Well this is a globalized economy so the answer is probably yes.
 
I was in a B&B in Kew a few years back and two of my fellow guests were Japanese tourists. At the communal breakfast table was an array of jams, marmalades, curds etc. And Marmite.

I watched as the Japanese bloke picked up a slice of toast and put it on his plate. He then perused the jars, picking each one up and discussing it with his missus and asking me 'Good, yes?' until he reached the Marmite.

'Good, yes?'

'Errr...' (my Japanese starts and finishes at Hayabusa and Okha) so couldn't say 'It's an acquired taste.' so I nodded.

He opened the jar sniffed it with an approving nod and picked up his knife.

I was thinking it would be smeared across the the toast like a skidmark on a road but no...

I watched in horror as he dug his knife into the Marmite and like a brickie applying mortar, slapped it onto his toast, twice. And ate the lot! As did his missus!


Chris
 
Michel Van said:
Would not be issue, it's hard to find in German supermarket...
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It appears that the German equivalent is a product called 'Vitam-R'.

For our French compatriots, a Swiss product called 'Cenovis' is apparently marketed as 'Sonaris'.

All of which sounds very medical to Anglophone ears, but evidently it works.
 
Yellow Palace said:
It appears that the German equivalent is a product called 'Vitam-R'.

For our French compatriots, a Swiss product called 'Cenovis' is apparently marketed as 'Sonaris'.

All of which sounds very medical to Anglophone ears, but evidently it works.
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Indeed it sounds like a brand of suppository - or hemorroids medecine.
 

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