The Mighty Fight for Vegemite
Vegemite on toast, courtesy Flickr user StephenMitchell
The Australian snack spread Vegemite, a yeasty brown goop, is one of those taste sensations—like cilantro—that inspires either fierce loyalty or disgust.
I know it has a lot of nutritional value, but personally, I can’t think of anything less appetizing than “a food paste made from yeast extract.” (Well, maybe aspic; I’m with Colin Flynn there.)
So I was bemused to read recent news articles about the “storm of complaints” that erupted from the Australian public when Vegemite’s maker, Kraft Foods Australia, announced plans to make a new “cheesy” version of this odd food product. It wasn’t necessarily the new product itself that bothered people (although my first reaction was amazement: There IS something less appetizing than yeast paste! Yeast paste mixed with cream cheese!), it was the new product’s name: Kraft proposed naming it iSnack 2.0. (Wow, something even less appetizing: Yeast paste mixed with cream cheese and named after an inedible electronic device!)
After polling some 30,000 consumers, Kraft has since settled on a new name: Vegemite Cheesybite, which beat out Smooth, Snackmate, Vegemate, Vegemild and Creamymate. (The company apparently did not consider a few of the more creative names suggested by some online commenters: “Veg-I-Mite-Not,” anyone? How about “Vegemort, the snack which cannot be named?”)
“We have been overwhelmed by the response from the public; it clearly demonstrated your passion for this brand,” Kraft writes on the Vegemite web site. (It almost sounds like they were surprised to realize people liked it, too!)
I know, I know…I really should try the stuff before I knock it. But there’s a very similar product called Marmite in England, where I studied abroad in college, and if it didn’t have a label I would have sworn it was some sort of industrial glue or solvent.
Have you tried Vegemite (or Marmite)? Did you like it?
Oh, and just for fun:
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“Vegemort, the snack which cannot be named?”
So awesome that Kraft should have used it, copyright violation be dammed.
PS – You are no longer allowed to diss a food you haven’t eaten. Imagine how embarassed you’d be if you discovered you liked it after all.
Comment by WilliamB — October 20, 2009 @ 9:54 pm
I’m actually having a pregnancy craving for Marmite right now. I think I’ve gone through phases in the past of liking it and then getting sick of it. Maybe I should break down and invest in one of those little jars……
Comment by Heather L. — October 21, 2009 @ 8:31 am
Vegemite is actually pretty tasty, especially spread thinly on buttered toast. It has a sharp, tangy flavor, almost like a combination between sharp cheddar and wheat beer. It’s very intense, though, so you have to go light. Marmite, in my opinion, is too bitter and intense.
Comment by Lisa Bramen — October 21, 2009 @ 11:00 am
Mmmm… Marmite. Not only do I love English Marmite, I love it so much that the thought of Vegemite is too horrible to contemplate. It’s ever so slightly dissimilar, which is just enough to completely ruin the taste. Kind of like the mayonnaise-Miracle Whip problem. If I had to put it into words, I’d say Vegemite is too sweet and too pasty. Marmite is like drowning your taste buds in the La Brea tar pits, leaving them to an eternity or at least several minutes of tangy and savory dreams.
And I do specify English Marmite for a reason. I ran across New Zealand Marmite once and found it contained a bunch of sugar and some actual spices. Like cloves or something. Yecch.
Comment by Hugh — October 22, 2009 @ 10:59 pm
My husband is Australian and I actually *like* vegemite. Here’s the best way to try it for the first time: Toast some of your favorite bread, put lots of butter on it. When the butter has melted, dip the tip of a clean knife into the Vegemite jar and spread it out thinly on top of the butter. The mistake most people make with Vegemite is treating it like peanut butter, a little goes a long way. If you decide you like it you will probably end up putting a little more on top of your butter over time, but start out very lightly.
Comment by Kathryn McGowan — November 4, 2009 @ 8:59 am