Marmite
Marmite is a food spread that is made from yeast extract, it’s a brown paste with a quite distinctive salty flavour. Its inception was in 1902, when it was invented by German scientist Justus Lon Liebig, although being created in the United Kingdom; what was to become of Marmite started being produced in the late 19th century by its German creator when he realised that brewer’s yeast could be concentrated, bottled and then consumed. Marmite was popular during World War 1 as the spread was a rich source of vitamin B, it was later included as part of troops’ rations, it was also popular for both civilians and soldiers in World War 2!
The origins of the word marmite are French, as it means a large cooking pot, which is also expressed on the front label of the Marmite jar. In New Zealand and Australia there is a different Marmite, although bearing the same name it is made differently and includes caramel and sugar and is also produced by a different company. For a while Marmite was produced in London, at the time it had become so popular that the company’s factory could not keep up, so they converted an old brewery in Vauxhall into a second factory, it closed in 1967. (probably after many complaints of the horrible smell!)
Marmite is usually eaten as a savoury spread on things like bread, toast, biscuits or crackers. It is often spread with butter; it is often paired with cheese too. In 2009 Unilever, the manufacturer of Marmite, partnered with Walkers to create Marmite flavoured crisps. In my opinion compared to normal Marmite they don’t taste that bad. In 2011 the Danish government banned Marmite because of the number of vitamins and minerals it contains.
Random Marmite Facts
Did you know the singer Britney Spears is a fan of Marmite? Or that Madonna thinks Marmite is vile? I truly am the fact master of Marmite. Marmite has been used as an ingredient in cocktails too! Starbucks has a cheese and Marmite panini on its menu as well. It has been labelled as a “superfood” just because of its nutritional value. Marmite can help you sleep and can also keep your skin and eyes healthy too.
A similar yeast extract is called Vegemite and is from Australia and was produced because of the disruption of British Marmite imports during World War 1 but still gets produced to this day!