Vegemite
is a dark brown, salty food paste
made from yeast extract, used mainly
as a spread on sandwiches and toast,
and occasionally in cooking. It is
similar to British Marmite and Swiss
Cenovis.
Vegemite
is made from leftover brewers' yeast
extract, a by-product of beer manufacture,
and various vegetable and spice additives.
The taste may be described as extremely
salty, slightly bitter, and malty,
similar to the taste of beef bouillon.
The texture is smooth, resembling
margarine, although somewhat firmer
and sticky.
It
is firmer and slightly sweeter than
other yeast extracts.
Vegemite is popular
with many Australians and New Zealanders
at home and abroad, such that it is
often playfully described as a "national
food". However, it is not liked
by all Australians — some find
it far too salty to be palatable —
and it has not been successfully marketed
elsewhere, with some developing an
intense dislike to Vegemite's distinctive
taste. Nevertheless, Vegemite is an
Australian cultural icon and can be
found in various shops around the
world, particularly where there are
large populations of Australian expatriates.
Vegemite was invented
in 1923 by food technologist Dr. Cyril
P. Callister when his employer, the
Australian company Fred Walker &
Co, tasked him with developing a spread
from brewer's yeast, following the
disruption of supplies of imported
yeast spreads after World War I. Vegemite
was registered as a trade mark in
Australia that same year. The registration
was later transferred to Kraft Foods,
a U.S. multinational, which has maintained
an interest in Vegemite since the
1920s.
TM
