I have devoted bits of time this week to trying to understand the concept of Marmite. My research reveals that it is yeast extract, and that you put it on toast and other things. And there are such things as Marmite-flavoured crisps.
Over here, we put sweet things on toast and savory things on crisps, which are chips. I’m having a difficult time imagining something that would be a good flavor for both. So I emailed my New Zealand friend who’s been living in London for a few years and asked her what it tastes like, and she is strangely silent. Either a) she doesn’t know, b) Marmite is too personal to discuss or c) it is a secret to be kept from Americans.
Only I could develop an intense curiosity about Marmite during finals week. Go figure. Possibly a visit International Foods will be in order tomorrow.
Welcome to Thinkery, est. 2003. At the moment, I'm an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing at Syracuse University. I'm interested in new media, historical conceptions of authorship, and human/machine agency. I write about all of that elsewhere, mostly, and keep this space for other areas of investigation about the world: namely, cooking, gardening, and travel.
Ah, Marmite.
You will get only highly polarized opinions on this topic.
People either love it or hate it. I have yet to encounter a single indifferent person.
I love it. The trick is that it must be spread on toast THINLY. It is very salty and somewhat malty (yeasty). It tickles the taste-buds on the wayback of your tongue.
In Australia there’s a competing product called Vegemite. If you think computer platform wars are spectacular, you should see the flames that arise from a Marmite/Vegemite debate. Yowza!
no way. it doesn’t matter how thinly you use it, it still tastes blargh! the only good thing about it is the tv adverts.
nice blog, btw.
Where are you? Let’s hear something more than Marmite!