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Vegemite (Template:IPAAusE) is a dark brown, savoury food paste made from yeast extract, used mainly as a spread on sandwiches, toast and cracker biscuits, as well as a filling of pastries like Cheesymite scroll, in Australia and New Zealand. It is similar to British Marmite, New Zealand 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 salty, slightly bitter, and malty - somewhat similar to the taste of beef bouillon. The texture is smooth and sticky, much like peanut butter. It is not as intensely flavoured as Marmite, and is also less sweet than the New Zealand version of Marmite.
Vegemite is popular with many Australians and New Zealanders, who often consider it a "national food." It is considered an Australian cultural icon and can be found in shops around the world, particularly where there are large populations of Australian expatriates. It has not been successfully marketed in other countries, apart from New Zealand, and has failed to catch on in the United States, despite being owned by US food giant Kraft.
Vegemite was invented in 1923 by food technologist Dr. Cyril P. Callister when his employer, the Australian company Fred Walker & Co, gave him the task of developing a spread from brewer's yeast, following the disruption of Marmite imports 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. In 1919, New Zealand company Sanitarium had started manufacturing a version of Vegemite's biggest competitor, Marmite, and was shipping it to Australia.
The name "Vegemite" was selected out of a hat by Fred Walker's daughter, Sheilah. Faced with growing competition from New Zealand Marmite, the product was known from 1928 to 1935 as "Parwill", allowing a convoluted advertising slogan that said "Marmite but Parwill" — that is, "Ma (mother) might like the taste but Pa (father) will." This attempt to expand market share was unsuccessful and the name was changed back to Vegemite. Today Vegemite far outsells Marmite and other similar spreads in Australia.
Vegemite and cheese
During the '90s Kraft Foods released a product in Australia known as "Vegemite Singles". It combined two of Kraft's major products into one. The product consisted of Kraft Singles with Vegemite added to the ingredients of the cheese, thus creating Vegemite flavoured cheese. It was an attempt by Kraft at an experimental product to expand the Vegemite product further and was developed due to the enormous popularity of Vegemite and cheese sandwiches (made by placing a slice of cheese into a Vegemite sandwich). Vegemite Singles were later taken off the market, possibly due to poor sales.
U.S. ban rumor
In October 2006, the Melbourne newspaper, the Herald Sun incorrectly reported that Vegemite had been banned in the United States, and that the U.S. Customs Service had gone so far as to search Australians entering the country for Vegemite. The origin of the story appears to have been an anecdote from a traveler who claimed to have been searched, and a spokesperson for Kraft Foods who made a misinformed comment to reporters. The story led to some anti-American comments in blogs and newspapers. The Herald Sun blamed the U.S. President for the ban, and encouraged readers to post comments on its website and send emails to the White House.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration later stated that although it is technically illegal in the U.S. to add folate to food products other than bread or cereal, there were no plans to investigate whether Vegemite contains folate, to subject it to an import ban, or to have it withdrawn from U.S. supermarket shelves. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection also tried to dispel the rumour, stating on its website that "there is no known prohibition on the importation of Vegemite" and "there is no official policy within CBP targeting Vegemite for interception". The story of the "ban" later took on the status of urban legend. While Vegemite has never been abundant in the U.S., it can still be purchased at some stores that stock imported foods.
Nutritional information
Vegemite is rich in B vitamins, but unlike Marmite and some other yeast extracts, it is not artificially fortified with the essential B-12 vitamin and thus not as good a nutritional choice for vegetarians or non-eaters of red meat.
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Per 5 g suggested serving size
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Per 100 g
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RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance.
Advertising and branding
Vegemite's rise to popularity was helped by marketing campaigns begun in 1954, using groups of smiling, attractive healthy children singing a catchy jingle entitled "We're happy little Vegemites". The two young twin girls who sang this advertising jingle were known as the "Vegemite Twins". In March 2007, Kraft announced that they are trying to trace the original children from the campaign to celebrate the advertisement's fiftieth anniversary.
Australian slang usage
This jingle gave rise to an Australian slang expression "happy little Vegemite" – a happy person. This first became popular in the 1950s. Since then it has also been extended, ad hoc, to various complimentary expressions utilising the same structure, such as "good little Vegemite", "clever little Vegemite".
Popular culture
- Vegemite came to the attention of many people outside the region in the lyrics of the 1982 worldwide song "Down Under" by Men at Work:
- I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
- He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich.
- The original 1986 lyric to the John Williamson song True Blue included the lines "Is it standing by your mate/ When he's in a fight? Or just Vegemite?" When Vegemite was sold to Kraft, Williamson changed the final line to "Or will she be right?"
- The West End theatrical comedy The Vegemite Tales written by Melanie Tait tells the story of a group of young Australians living in a London flatshare.
References
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"Why is CBP Seizing Vegemite?". U.S. Customs and Border Protection (via www.cbp.gov). October 31, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-31.
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"Vegemite Ban". Snopes (via snopes.com). October 28, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
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"US denies Vegemite ban". AAP (via News.com.au). October 25, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-25.
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See also
- Marmite
- Aussie Mite - created because Vegemite is now owned by an international corporation
- Mighty Mite (Yeast Extract Spread) - an Australian Made and Owned Yeast Extract Spread made by Three Threes
- Cenovis
- Promite
- Vitam-R Mite - especially popular in Germany, but available in health food stores in the UK
- Viandoxen - a liquid form of a marmite-like substance, sold in France
- Bovrilimite
External links
| Mondelez International | ||
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