reid fleming

November 29, 2002 3:37 PM

This stuff is nasty! Have anyone out there ever tried Marmite? It looks like something you might pack your wheel bearings in. The taste isn't much better. Maybe it's just a British thing?
posted by reidfleming (69 comments total)

Don't mock what you don't understand, you weak-palated poltroon. Thinly spread on buttered toast, marmite is the tasty ichor of the Dark Yeast Gods. Sour and bitter - the underrated tastes.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 3:51 PM on November 29, 2002

I thought it was an Australian thing. Or is that vegemite? Horrible stuff one way or the other. It smells like yeast and I haven't had the guts to try it yet. My Australian buddies couldn't live without it, though, it seems.
posted by cx at 3:51 PM on November 29, 2002

Yeah, I used to eat it as a kid. It has a nice kick to it without being mustard-spicy. A bit like HP sauce
posted by krisjohn at 3:56 PM on November 29, 2002

you're opening a whole can of worms here. if I were you I wouldn't mess with things you plainly know nothing about.

Bow before the Gods of Yeast Extract!

Bow damn you!
posted by gravelshoes at 3:56 PM on November 29, 2002

They ran an entire advertising campaign in the UK recently about how you either love it or hate it, but I'm too scared of the advertisingNazis to post a link, so you'll just need to take my word that it was jolly funny.

Me? I abhor the stuff. The things going in my mouth should be taste good immediately, not after years of training. And yes, I include whiskey and beer in that definition. Yeuch to the lot of them.
posted by bonaldi at 4:12 PM on November 29, 2002

Hey let's not pick on the Brits, we all eat pretty nasty stuff.

There's a perfect example here.
posted by hipnerd at 4:24 PM on November 29, 2002

i love sour and bitter. But the texture of marmite is just unfortunate. The taste is a little too salty for me and the texture is too viscous. if I wanted brown saltiness on my bread I'd go with miso paste.
posted by mdn at 4:26 PM on November 29, 2002

mdn, you must spread it thin. it's not meant be spread thick enough to have a discernable texture. scrape it across the bread, don't slather it on.


the marmite is not too strong for us. it is we who are too weak for the marmite.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 4:30 PM on November 29, 2002

A tablespoon of it in a mug with boiling water. . .delicious! Can't do that with Spam.
posted by Feisty at 4:53 PM on November 29, 2002

i love sour and bitter.

Well, you've come to the right place.
posted by jonmc at 4:55 PM on November 29, 2002

Marmite is vile. I find it impossible to stay in a room with a jar of the stuff open, let alone allow it anywhere near my tongue.
posted by zygoticmynci at 4:59 PM on November 29, 2002

One of my colleagues is an expatriate Englishman, and he positively insisted that I must try Marmite--which he served up to me on matzohs, with butter.

Apparently, my face was a true study in disgust.
posted by thomas j wise at 5:14 PM on November 29, 2002

Marmite is such a joy that I pity - yes, I do! - those who are unable to derive pleasure from it, except perhaps by destroying it.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 5:18 PM on November 29, 2002

Slightly OT, but funny: Yesterday I was editing the translated English version of a Japanese hospital health exam questionnaire, when this came up: "Do you prefer salty, spicy or sweaty foods?"
posted by planetkyoto at 5:29 PM on November 29, 2002

I have to agree with the Marmitians here. I love the stuff. Especially thinly spread on buttered toast, but pretty well any way will do (as long as it's not too much all at once, I think some people are put off by it because they treat it like peanut butter instead of with the respect it deserves). Bow before the Mar-Might.
posted by biscotti at 5:47 PM on November 29, 2002

marmite is ambrosia from the dark gods. all other spreads are bland, textureless and far too goody-goody.

and at least it's not peanut butter.
posted by anyanka at 5:52 PM on November 29, 2002

"This stuff is nasty"?? What a way to start things off!

Marmite's tasty and nutritious!
posted by hama7 at 5:54 PM on November 29, 2002

I love the stuff. Can't say enough good things about it. I was at a music festival in England and found a caravan in the food area selling nothing but Marmite on toast. Absolutely brilliant.
posted by Monk at 6:00 PM on November 29, 2002

I like the smell for some reason, but can't eat it.

Anyone ever had it on popcorn?
posted by wuakeen at 6:14 PM on November 29, 2002

all other spreads are bland, textureless and far too goody-goody.

What about this stuff? I was raised on that shit...
posted by jonmc at 6:22 PM on November 29, 2002

I ate it when I lived in England, but I can't even stand the smell of it now. Huh.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 6:24 PM on November 29, 2002

For some reason I have never tried Marmite, despite being fairly partial to Twiglets. But then, Twiglets do have the seal of approval of Princess Diana. Apparently.
posted by MUD at 6:45 PM on November 29, 2002

As a teenager, when I lived in the UK, I didn't much care for it...but, I've been craving it constantly for most of my pregnancy. Marmite and butter on rye crisps has gotten me through most of my third trimester. :) Yum.
posted by dejah420 at 6:47 PM on November 29, 2002

Marmite is great! (Vegemite is the Australian version...it tastes the same to me but my grandmother insists it's slightly different.) But then again, I've been brought up on it.

I eat it on top of butter or margarine spread thinly for breakfast sometimes, like others have mentioned. The problem is, when some people try it for the first time they spread it like cream cheese or jam on top of a piece of bread and it's foul. Or otherwise, they just take a whiff of the jar and back down actually tasting it.

My friend who has an Australian mother actually eats it out of the jar which strikes me as a bit revolting, but to each his/her own, I guess. :)
posted by puffin at 7:16 PM on November 29, 2002

mdn, you must spread it thin. it's not meant be spread thick enough to have a discernable texture. scrape it across the bread, don't slather it on.

it's still oily though. Miso is nicely paste-y.

the marmite is not too strong for us. it is we who are too weak for the marmite.

strong, but blunt salt. Meh.
posted by mdn at 7:18 PM on November 29, 2002

Marmite might be alright but it will be forever the poor cousin of Vegemite which is thicker and saltier, basically everything that Marmite is, but more so!

People in Australia who prefer Marmite over Vegemite are regarded with a vague sense of mistrust, it's just not...usual.

Either spread is good to eat in the hot weather as a couple of slices of 'mite on toast will ensure your body's sodium levels are roughly equivalent to those found in Indian salt mines. The early heart-attacks are a small price to pay to ensure you're properly hydrated over the summer months, believe me.
posted by backOfYourMind at 7:20 PM on November 29, 2002

Thinly spread? Only if you're going to eat it by itself (or with a little butter). However, Marmite goes best with things like Marmalade, thickly slathered on a nice crispy piece of toast.

Vegemite is but a pale imitation of the true mother of all brown paste succor, it looks more like burnt peanut butter compared to the dark axle grease sheen of Marmite.

(Anyone have any idea what the shelf life of the stuff is?)
posted by tcskeptic at 7:25 PM on November 29, 2002

"you're opening a whole can of worms here."

Mmmm....... Worms.......
posted by y6y6y6 at 8:41 PM on November 29, 2002

Count me as one American who thinks Marmite is tasty stuff.

We're seeing it a bit here already, but what's really fun is to get your English friends and your Australian friends together and start them on a Marmite vs. Vegemite debate. Rarely gets violent but it can sure get snide. Great entertainment. (Dance, puppets, dance!)
posted by boredomjockey at 8:44 PM on November 29, 2002

I want to try it out but none of the super markets in NY or CT, that I've been to carry it.
posted by riffola at 9:06 PM on November 29, 2002

riffola, tea and sympathy has it, in the west village riffola (let me know how it is--sounds gross)
posted by amberglow at 9:11 PM on November 29, 2002

that got messed up...sorry
posted by amberglow at 9:12 PM on November 29, 2002

Listen to the Happy Little Vegemites Song. More Vegemite essentials. Children and vegemite:This is the time honoured way of eating a Vegemite sandwich. You lick off the Vegemite and butter then if you feel hungry you eat the bread. If you are really hungry you eat the crust as well but if no-one is looking you sneak up and drop the crust into the bin.
posted by ginz at 12:09 AM on November 30, 2002

If I want salty on toast, I'll take bone marrow! Yum!

Cooked, of course.
posted by alicesshoe at 1:11 AM on November 30, 2002

While we're on the topic...As an Australian, I'd like to introduce my favourite yeast based spreadable: Promite. I find Promite better than Vegemite - it's a bit softer and a bit sweeter. Wonderful with some melted cheese on top.

I'd just like to note, as well, that every time I've seen some Australian TV show head to the US and try to get Americans to taste Vegemite, they do it all wrong. You don't eat Vegemite with a bloody spoon! You spread these things thinly and delicately on your base material. It was never meant to be Nutella.
posted by Jimbob at 2:13 AM on November 30, 2002

People who don't like Marmite are Paedophiles. Fact.
posted by Jofus at 2:31 AM on November 30, 2002

Truly, madly, deeply. The stuff of life. Thick or thin, but absolutely with butter. What can beat a doorstep of fresh english bloomer or farmhouse loaf, covered with lashings of cold butter, topped with a silky, glossy layer of my mate marmite.

I am not terrymiles, just borrowing his post, so as he is not a true afficionado, I am duty bound to offer in payment the mention of his God of All Spreads, sweet and tangy, sharp and citrussy, smooth and silky, LEMON CURD.....

Now put that on your bread and eat it!!!!
posted by terrymiles at 3:25 AM on November 30, 2002

anyone else eat it with dripping as a kid? i found this memory (although in our household we were still eating dripping and bread in the seventies...).
posted by andrew cooke at 4:26 AM on November 30, 2002

Marmite....if you look closely at the jar - is made by god....and packaged by jesus...
posted by mattr at 4:28 AM on November 30, 2002

The slogan is true, you either love it or hate it - I've never met anyone indifferent. Personally, I think its foul, though I used to eat it when I was little.
posted by Orange Goblin at 4:31 AM on November 30, 2002

I'd like to register my pro-Marmite vote please.

I'd also like to give Appelstroop an honourable mention.
posted by chrid at 5:11 AM on November 30, 2002

There was once a radio program on the CBC about Marmite and they had a psychologist of some sort on talking about it's taste. He said that unless a person eats Marmite before age three, it's likely they will never be able to stand it.
posted by hughbot at 5:45 AM on November 30, 2002

So it was originally made by babies?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 6:48 AM on November 30, 2002

Marmite is, as the slogan said, "the growing up spread you never grow out of".

I admit to a brief fling with a supermarket own-brand version but I was on the dole at the time and now only buy the real stuff.

Bovril is, obviously, Evil.
posted by anyanka at 7:23 AM on November 30, 2002

Marmite - can't stand the stuff. Patum Peperium, The Gentleman's Relish is the one true salty spreadable.
posted by jack_mo at 7:55 AM on November 30, 2002

Count me among the lukewarm likers of Marmite. I generally only hanker for it on cold mornings with buttered whole wheat toast and double-plus strong coffee. At those times though, it is divine.
posted by Fezboy! at 8:17 AM on November 30, 2002

Inspired by Cockeyed: How much is inside marmite?
posted by jazon at 8:33 AM on November 30, 2002

Damn! I've never tried Marmite but now I want to more than ever!
My favourite spread? Bedstemors fedt med løg (fat with roasted onion). Great stuff from Denmark.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 8:55 AM on November 30, 2002

Marmite and twiglets are the world's greatest brands.

Marmite might be alright but it will be forever the poor cousin of Vegemite which is thicker and saltier, basically everything that Marmite is, but more so!

Simply bollocks.
posted by niceness at 9:37 AM on November 30, 2002

Noooo...everyone insists twiglets have marmite on...but twiglets are nice...so it can't be!
posted by Orange Goblin at 9:49 AM on November 30, 2002

Great stuff! I also really liked the Marmite crisps (translation = potato chips) that Walkers did - yummy!
One of my cats loves Marmite - she'd eat it right out of the jar if I'd let her!
posted by tabbycat at 10:04 AM on November 30, 2002

amberglow, thanks for the info, I'll let you know how it is.
posted by riffola at 10:27 AM on November 30, 2002

really do, riff, e-me and let me know...whenever i've been in London, the smell of the jar alone made me gag...i guess it is an acquired taste...

and soundsofsuburbia, that sounds just like shmaltz (rendered chicken fat and onion)
posted by amberglow at 10:54 AM on November 30, 2002

Toast with peanut butter and Marmite. Wish I had some right now.
posted by theora55 at 11:54 AM on November 30, 2002

Native Californian and I love it. Go figure.
posted by eperker at 12:56 PM on November 30, 2002

Another Yea vote for Marmite. You must be very very gentle with dabbing it on toast w/butter because a little goes a long loooong way. You can find it at Dean & Deluca in NYC. (Ridiculious overpriced "gourmand" place...but hell they got Marmite...). BTW the Dooyoo review says it lasts forever. Which is good cos I've had the same jar for like 5 years now....it's like refrigerator furniture. Which might make you think I don't care for it, but every once in a while it truly hits the spot.
posted by BruceLee_Archdiocese at 12:58 PM on November 30, 2002

Dooyoo review originally mentioned by Andrew Cooke.
posted by BruceLee_Archdiocese at 1:02 PM on November 30, 2002

marmite on toast - (hardcore version)
toast bread (pref wholemeal) under grill, one side only.
spread copious amount unsalted butter and marmite to taste (experimentation). return to grill, toast until bread, er toasted.
caution - do not bite straight into toast immediately, unless you want molten marmite stuck to your gums.
the same effect cannot be acheived with vegemite.
but, half a foccacia spread with butter and vegemite under the grill will result in a crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle experience, covered in pools of molten butter/vegemite.
vegemite was originally marketed as 'pawill', as i remember the story. slogan: 'marmite, but pawill!'
very reminiscent of caviar, without the fishiness. a much cheaper 'aquired taste', and full of b12 to boot.
jack mo, patum peperium is a truly eye watering spread. as salty as a salt flavoured salty salted salt on national saltiness day, with extra salt.
posted by asok at 3:48 PM on November 30, 2002

I'm on a mission to try Marmite out now, this stuff seriously sounds delicious. I'm not being facetious. "very reminiscent of caviar, without the fishiness" and comparisons to HP Sauce? Yum.
posted by Big Fat Tycoon at 6:16 PM on November 30, 2002

I tried it out. I got a small bottle from Todaro Bros. across the street from the Loew's Kips Bay Theatre on 2nd Ave. It was $7.39 + tax.

I'd decided I wouldn't make up my mind just based on the smell. Boy did it smell! It smells like antibiotic capsules. I applied a very thin layer of it on a toast, as soon as the marmite touched my mouth, I recoiled from the saltiness. I didn't give up, I chewed it, and realised it didn't taste half as bad as I thought it would. I finished an entire toast, and while eating I kept reacting to the bitterness and the saltiness, but as I said I didn't hate it. I then had another toast, again with a thin layer, this time I noticed that the marmite accentuated the sweetness of the wheat of the bread. The bitter and salty taste that filled my mouth when the marmite touched it made the toast itself taste really good. I liked that.

Next time I am going to have it with marmalade or peanut butter, that should be much better. I honestly thought I'd hate it, but I don't, I like it, I don't love it for sure, but that's just toast and marmite. I might like it more eventually.
posted by riffola at 7:44 PM on December 1, 2002

The slogan is true, you either love it or hate it - I've never met anyone indifferent.

i'm pretty indifferent. actually i'm not sure i've tried marmite; vegemite is the stuff my mom eats: i can take it or leave it.
posted by juv3nal at 12:12 AM on December 2, 2002

Count me among the indifferent. I eat it round other people's houses but I wouldn't actually buy it. My problem is getting it spread thin enough so it's palatable. Get it wrong and you've just ruined your toast. The lovely Nigella Lawson has a great tip - mix it with the butter first, then spread it.
posted by Summer at 2:03 AM on December 2, 2002

A lot of vegetarian recipes from the Cranks restaurant actually use a blend of Marmite and vegetable stock as a substitute for meat stock. As a meat eater (and Marmite lover) I have to say it kind of does the job in an odd kind of way...
posted by monkey closet at 4:15 AM on December 2, 2002

"...only if it's spread thinly"

Many of you appear to be 'nouveaux' Marmite eaters...

For those of us with a (generational) history of Marmitery, you dabblers and your 'just-a-skidmark-on-toast' attitude is to be discouraged - there are plenty of new-fangled spreads, dips and ethnic nibbles for those who can't manage 'a truly interactive spread'.

All or nothing! If you can't enjoy Marmite as it should be - straight up, hardcore from a knife or spoon - run home to your houmous and taramasolata or drift back to your jams and peanut butters - you don't deserve My Mate.
posted by niceness at 5:52 AM on December 2, 2002

All or nothing!

I'll take all: marmite, vegemite, houmous, taramasalata, olive tapenade, tomato tapenade. Yum Yum.
What I need is FoodFilter.
posted by ginz at 9:08 AM on December 2, 2002

Losers! If you haven't tried Vitam-R then you really don't know jack about yeast exract products. I used to eat Marmite (& Vegemite) until I discovered the real deal...
posted by i_cola at 9:45 AM on December 2, 2002

Yes, the Holy Black Stuff. A lot of people (Dutch, Canadian, etc) seem to think it is an Australian thing. Well, I have been eating it all my life here in the Netherlands.
I don't know if they are selling Vitamin_R down here. What I do know: You ain't alive if you ain't had Marmite!
(and don't start to me about spreading it thin on bread or toast, drown em in that shit)
posted by roel at 2:35 PM on December 2, 2002

Vegemite for me.
White thick toast heaps of butter,plenty of vege.
Now just scoop that soft boiled egg out,roll her up and shove her in.
(watch the run off)
posted by johnny7 at 1:12 AM on December 3, 2002 [1 favorite]

Just wanted to add, as a late update, that I finally did get a hold of some Marmite, the real deal from Burton-on-Trent, and it's definitely not the horrific, stinky spread that people who hate it seem to believe it is. It's pungent, and has a flavour not unlike some cheeses, but I've taken a small liking to it. I think I'll end up being one of the few people who don't fall in the "loved it, hated it" categories; it's not a bad snack, but I doubt I'll be hoarding cases of it anytime soon.
posted by Big Fat Tycoon at 5:26 PM on December 18, 2002