Saturday I am volunteering at the
Wordstock Festival. I don’t know much about it except that it is a big book festival featuring lots of amazing authors (including Steve Almond of Candyfreak fame as well as the one-and-only Dave Eggers and the notorious Chuck Barris of the Gong Show [and maybe even the CIA, if you believe everything you read]). I’m helping at the information booth (I know, ironic, considering I know nothing) from 1:30-5pm, so stop and say hey if you’re there and feel like it.
*I realize Vegemite and Wordstock have nothing in common, but I like to include photos with my posts. Speaking of Vegemite, what is it with this stuff? I thought I might like it, but I put a teeny little smear on the edge of an English muffin the other day, and whoah but it almost knocked me out! That stuff is strong and salty! Is it really meant to be consumed on bread?
Ha! My best friend just started dating an Australian, and we recently had a heated discussion about Vegemite. If you don’t already know what it’s made of, you probably don’t want to. I had the stuff once when I was younger – harsh!. It IS meant to be had with bread, yes, but try it with butter or maybe cheese as well?
All I know about vegemite is that it’s an aquired taste and that information is based only on what I’ve read about Austrailia. I do love that it’s “Kraft” vegemite. Seeing Kraft and Vegemite on the same label made me laugh. Just seems so wrong.
it is an acquired taste and i loooove it, but have eaten it since i was a kid, the best thing to do is to eat it on toast, slather with butter and a tiny bit of veg…literally not even 1/16th of a teaspoon. if you slather it, it will be nasty. and it is made from veg bullion, basically. not anything bad. my best directions are to toast your bread, but a big glob of soft butter on your toast, a teeny bit of vm and smear them together. and enjoy, or not. my husband makes vomiting gestures if i even bring it near him.
Vegemite’s definitely an acquired taste, and I love it, but then I’m an odd American. I used to know some one from New Zealand and she introduced me to it a long time ago; I have it on a slice of toast every morning with my Earl Grey tea. My friend told me that it’s best on a slice of buttered toast or a cracker and with just a smear of Vegemite; try starting out with a faint smear, and you may find that you like it so much, that you’ll move up to a thicker smear. She also said that they have it for breakfast everyday in Australia & New Zealand, and that it’s great for hangovers and for morning sickness. As I understand (i.e., I could be wrong), it’s a by-product of the beer-making process and is from yeast. In England they eat a similar product that has had pureed onions and I think carrots added to it, and it’s called Marmite, and it’s more easily found in the US. I don’t like Marmite much, and apparently you like one or the other, but not both. Maybe you could say it’s sort of like Japanese natto? If you don’t want the Vegemite, I’ll trade you something for it. I live in the Seattle area; let me know.
Vegemite comes in a squeeze bottle? As if it needed to look more like poo… Blech.
I really enjoy the vegemite with peanut butter. The key is to use the thinnest layer of vegemite. A little goes a long way.
I agree – Vegemite is nasty stuff. I lived in Australia for 5 months and could never choke it down. But my host dad loves the stuff and eats it every morning on toast with a fried egg on top. I’ll stick to butter, thanks.
YUM! Vegemite comes in a tube? I ate it for the first time in Japan and I have to say, I’m a fan. But it’s true that you only need a teeny bit to get the idea. Try it with peanut butter or cheese–it’s good!
Haha vegemite! We have a thing that you’re meant to tell foriegners to slather it on thickly to eat it, mwahahahaha.
But really, just have it very thinly spread on a slice of toast. I don’t eat Vegemite, we get one called MightyMight which is pretty much the same but Australian made and owned. I have is thinly spread on Saladas with cheese 🙂
my daughter lived in nz for about 7 months and said something else was better/more palatable – i think it’s marmite as mentioned above by lydia….
OMG Vegemite….it’s perfect on white bread (with no nutritional values at all!) with butter and vegemite. Or crackers with BUTTER and vegemite hmmm. Also good to add to stews/soups to add flavour to stock 🙂
Yummy!! The best way to eat it is with buttered white toast and real english tea (has to have milk and sugar). Personally, I go for Marmite. It’s made from yeast extract. Potent dose of vitamin B. I was told that it is from stuff left from the beer brewing process. The yeast fermentation or something. Came around WWII during food rationing because is a good source of riboflavin and vitamin B.
Oh, I’m so jealous you’ll be in the same place as Steven Almond!! I just finished reading Candyfreak last week and I really enojoyed it. Have fun at Wordfest – it looks like a great event.
Oops…I meant Steven Almond.
ARGH! I need sleep. I meant Steve Almond, though I suppose his name is possibly Steven. Sorry for the multiple comments.
Vegemite is made primarily from yeast extract (brewer’s yeast from making beer), salt, malt and vegetable extract. Nothing gross in there. 🙂
As people have already said, it is best on white bread with butter. Real butter, not margarine. Nice with cheese too. Mmmm.
Vegemite is austrailian marmite. The marmite site might be useful.
http://www.marmite.com/
They sell marmite cookbook (though also available on amazon). They also tell you about its history and nutrician. I love the stuff. Very good for PMT.
There is much brit/auzzie debate over vegemite vs marmite. Personally I think vegemite tastes like soap.
And I’m lactose intolerant so have with marg rather than butter, or just on naked toast. its also good dissolved in hot water as a drink. See also “Bovril” – http://www.unilever.co.uk/ourbrands/foods/bovril.asp
I am a true blue dinky di fair dinkum Aussie and I bloody hate the stuff. Never liked it, never will.
Marmite wins every time!!!
When I was preggers, I had a liking for Marmite on Chocolate covered oatmeal cookies. Hmmmm – might revisit that old friend right now!
Vegemite is scrumptiously delicious — but it’s definitely an acquired taste. As someone who was born in Australia, it was ubiquitous. In moving to North America, I was disgusted by Peanut Butter & Jelly (and still am, 30 years later).
The best way to have vegemite is on toast that has lots of melted butter. And if you can’t, well then ship it to me! 🙂
One more thing about vegemite — it is chock full of nutrients. It’s an excellent source of folic acid, so it’s a great thing to have when you’re pregnant.
There is another brand called Promite, I believe.
nah -vegemite is full of seaweed! bovril rules everyday – yummy on white toast with lots of butter or if you’re feeling adventerous as a drink with cubes of cheese and black pepper mmmmmm
marmite’s good for cooking too!
sometimes with chicken or prawns. i’ve tried stir-frying it with prawns / shrimps.
it’s yum!
but only a little amount is required.
also, sometimes i have it with oats / porridge (for those in the UK).
not sure how different it is from vegemite..
but vegemite is an aussie thing!
remember that song, “Land Downunder.”
there was something about a vegemite sandwich
I think its like marmite, you either love it or you hate it, I hate it!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL LOL LOL
Perhaps this might help???
http://eatstuff.net/2005/08/05/vegemite-for-non-aussies/
But I would say use even less vegemite than that….
It is definately made from only yeast extract and is one of the top sources of antioxidents 🙂
Hi! an auzzie here. Vegimite needs to be eaten with butter or margerine. personally i like lots of butter and little vegimite. try mixing butter and veg together till it kind of looks like peanut butter. thats the ratio i use on my vegimite sandwhich.
btw – marmite and promite are GROSSS!!