Lovely Vegemite

[helenjp]

I'm hoping that the manufacturers make a statement, because I'm curious to know whether the folate is actually "added" or not! I know that several news sources have said so, but since vegemite is already rich in B vitamins, I'm still curious about the facts...

[Pat Churchill]

There was an American reporter worked on a New Zealand newspaper with me. She became a great Vegemite aficionado to the extent she kept some in her handbag - it was packaged in a container like a toothpaste tube - and would just squeeze a little along her finger, pop it in her mouth and smile...

[PCL]

I've been away from Australia for some 6 months or so now... and I've been craving the stuff...

I wandered into an all night 'coffee shop' in downtown Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia (formerly British North Borneo) and was like, totally surprised to see on the handwritten menu 'Charcoal grilled toast with butter and vegemite'... I ate two plates. And then returned for breakfast the next morning.

The coffee-shop is known as a kopi-tiam in the local parlance, and serves up colonial and traditional favourites. The vegemite was introduced by diggers who fought in Sandakan... and the owners of the cafe, who participated in the Death March anniversary decided to put it on the menu after approaching a local supermarket owner to import a few crates of Vegemite... lovely!!

[The Old Foodie]

IMHO the *-mites have untapped potential as savory-taste enhancing cooking agents.  Is anyone aware of recipes that use Vegemite or Marmite as a flavoring agent?

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The only recipe I use it in is a tiny tiny tiny amount in carrot soup. Not so much that guests say "did you put Vegemite in this?" - but it definitely adds umami.

It is usual here to put a tiny amount in your baby/toddlers mashed veggies - adds Vitamin B and gets them used to the flavour!

When my daughter was at pre-school, I used to go to a great deal of trouble to try to give her interesting lunches. One day - aged all of just-5 years, she handed me her lunchbox at the end of the day, and - said (exasperated tone) - "Cant I just have a Vegemite sandwich and an apple like everyone else?". And that is all she wanted for her entire primary school career.

[Kouign Aman]

The putative Vegamite ban:

FDA requires manufacturers to provide their processes. Apparently since 9/11 they've been cracking down, and there is no process on file for vegemite (source www.fda.gov). There may be more involved but I could not find it on their website or via Google.

They have stated that its not something that would be stopped by customs if brought in for personal use. So if you have friends and family a'traveling, ask em to stock up for you. My transatlantic trips always involve taking See's Candy east and Marmite west.

Its not a concern about added folate so far as i can tell

1) the folate is naturally occurring in both Vegemite and Marmite, as well as a number of fruits and veggies.

2) the FDA made a statement its not about naturally occurring folate.

3) Dosage: I cant imagine eating enough Marmite to hide the symptoms of pernicious anemia. Plus, a person can buy folate supplements as tablets. But the FDA is not always commonsensical.

[PCL]

It seems like the FDA have nothing better to do than fluff around banning stuff that's good for you while approving massive amounts of proprietary pharmaceuticals that make fat cats richer...

A little bit of Vegemite goes a long way towards producing healthy sporty kids... I for one believe truly madly deeply in the adverts

[Shalmanese]

There was no ban

[Kouign Aman]

Aint that a confusing "it aint so" (the Snopes article, which I've read before, and which is why I went to FDA website).

1) no impact on personal travel and bringing souvenirs

2) Kraft says they cant wholesale, the FDA says "we didnt tell em that"!

3) Kraft says its because of folate, FDA says if the folate is naturally occuring its not a problem.....

Wonder if Kraft is trying to drive up sales here by starting a rumor of shortage?

[whisks]

have i missed something or hasn't anyone mentioned tiger toast???

toast spread with butter, vegemite, then sprinkled with grated cheese and grilled until bubbly n golden....very morish and quite addictive for a number of days

Edited January 2, 2007 by whisks (log)

[chappie]

Mmmm. I am going to try the Tiger Toast today.

My friend brought me a tiny jar last week of Vegemite, mostly as revenge for a prank we played on him some 14 years ago when he was 14 -- held him down and forced a container of Crystal Light powder (concentrated to make a couple gallons, I think) into his mouth. Intense!

So he wanted me to eat the entire Vegemite jar. Of course, this was impossible as it is saltier than salt.

But, days later I tried it proper, thinly spread on some buttered toast, and now am addicted. In our small town in Maryland, I can only get Marmite (British kind), so that will have to do for now.

I simply can't eat enough of it, and my bread-and-butter intake has risen accordingly. Is this common? Do most people who grow up on either yeast extract spread want to eat it all the time?

[insomniac]

yep

[chappie]

Being that these spreads basically evolved from the desire to find a marketable use for the leftover yeast from brewing, it's not too far-fetched to say Vegemite and Marmite are, in essence, concentrated beer.

So perhaps it is not a B-vitamin deficiency I am satisfying but a beer deficiency. Time to drink more beer!

[chappie]

Aha — Great news today. It turns out my wife's coworker will be spending her honeymoon in Australia, so I have a now have a one-time source for Vegemite! I better slip her some cash and have her bring back the largest container available. Any other Australian delights she should bring back (ooooh... I like Violet Crumble)?

Do they sell the NZ Marmite there? I would like to do a taste comparison between Vegemite and both Marmites. I probably shouldn't bog her down with a big list though; she should be focusing on more important matters (hopefully) on her honeymoon than fulfilling a coworker's husband's culinary curiousities.

[whisks]

chappie - ever had tim tams? i think the closest thing i can think of is an oreo with a chocolate filling and coated in chocolate. ppl usually eat a whole packet at a time (not i) and the true connosieurs have it with a hot coffee and the following ritual - take a small bite out of one corner and another small bite out of the corner diagonally across from the first bitten corner; hold the tim tam with one bitten corner in the hot coffee and the other bitten corner in one's mouth and suck through the bitten corner in one's mouth....the filling should melt as it is sucked into one's mouth...i have never tried this personally, but u might like it.....i'll just stick to tiger toast.

[insomniac]

the biggest vegemite jar is 910 grams hehehehe..............big,

but vegemite comes in squeezy tubes now, which are light to carry.

can recommend the tim tams; have you tried cherry ripe ?(chocolate bars)

[Shalmanese]

Aha — Great news today. It turns out my wife's coworker will be spending her honeymoon in Australia, so I have a now have a one-time source for Vegemite! I better slip her some cash and have her bring back the largest container available. Any other Australian delights she should bring back (ooooh... I like Violet Crumble)?

Do they sell the NZ Marmite there? I would like to do a taste comparison between Vegemite and both Marmites. I probably shouldn't bog her down with a big list though; she should be focusing on more important matters (hopefully) on her honeymoon than fulfilling a coworker's husband's culinary curiousities.

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When I moved to the US, I did a giant supermarket sweep. Here is what I brought over:

Vegemite

Tim Tams

Cherry Ripe

Violet Crumble

Caramello Koalas

Minties

Fantails

Tiny Teddies

Fruit Rollups

Pizza Shapes

Thats a reasonably comprehensive list of Australian stuff you could ask to be brought back.

[whisks]

Shalmanese's list is almost the same as mine for the things i like to get for my friends o/s, altho i do add "connector" pens to the list for those friends with children. i also like to get ppl twisties....i love twisties.

isn't it ironic that the company which makes tim tams, shapes and tiny teddies (arnotts) is american, as is the company which makes vegemite (kraft) and americans have to have their friends bring over american branded items???

[orangewasabi]

Aha — Great news today. It turns out my wife's coworker will be spending her honeymoon in Australia, so I have a now have a one-time source for Vegemite! I better slip her some cash and have her bring back the largest container available. Any other Australian delights she should bring back (ooooh... I like Violet Crumble)?

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add minties to your list.

but seriously, maybe not the largest container available.

My grandparents bring over cans of vegemite -- they're the huge. I dunno exactly how much the cans hold . . . they are the size used for commercial canned fruit etc. It's a lot.

[Cadbury]

Aha — Great news today. It turns out my wife's coworker will be spending her honeymoon in Australia, so I have a now have a one-time source for Vegemite! I better slip her some cash and have her bring back the largest container available. Any other Australian delights she should bring back (ooooh... I like Violet Crumble)?

Do they sell the NZ Marmite there? I would like to do a taste comparison between Vegemite and both Marmites. I probably shouldn't bog her down with a big list though; she should be focusing on more important matters (hopefully) on her honeymoon than fulfilling a coworker's husband's culinary curiousities.

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I think you would be better off asking for several smaller jars of vegemite, that way it remains fresh. Unopened jars will last for a long time, well passed the use-by/best-by date.

I've not seen NZ marmite - but then I've never looked. We're vegemite and promite eaters in this house. I know that shops specialising in NZ products can be found.

I can recommend toasted/grilled cheese and vegemite sandwiches as well as vegemite and finely grated cheese sandwiches (untoasted).

If you ask for Tim Tams, go the regular variety not the double choc, cuppacino or other varieties - there are more in the regular pack.

[Shalmanese]

I think you would be better off asking for several smaller jars of vegemite, that way it remains fresh.  Unopened jars will last for a long time, well passed the use-by/best-by date.

I've not seen NZ marmite - but then I've never looked.  We're vegemite and promite eaters in this house. I know that shops specialising in NZ products can be found.

I can recommend toasted/grilled cheese and vegemite sandwiches as well as vegemite and finely grated cheese sandwiches (untoasted).

If you ask for Tim Tams, go the regular variety not the double choc, cuppacino or other varieties - there are more in the regular pack.

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Vegemite? Fresh?

[infernooo]

Vegemite? Fresh?

Unopened they are OK, but once opened they really don't last as long as one would think.. they don't go off per'se, but the flavour does degrade into something not too pleasant!

Edited February 4, 2007 by infernooo (log)

[insomniac]

Unopened they are OK, but once opened they really don't last as long as one would think.. they don't go off per'se, but the flavour does degrade into something not too pleasant!

and many would ask, 'How can you tell?'

[Cadbury]

Vegemite? Fresh?

Unopened they are OK, but once opened they really don't last as long as one would think.. they don't go off per'se, but the flavour does degrade into something not too pleasant!

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Yup, and if the lid is left off, it will dry up somewhat and become harder to spread. That said, i have been known to use vegemite from a jar three years past its date (what can I say - I was desperate!!)

[Ce'nedra]

That said, i have been known to use vegemite from a jar three years past its date (what can I say - I was desperate!!)

You win

Has anyone tried cooking with vegemite? That should be interesting!

[Amarantha]

Vegemite makes a great background-flavour addition to stews and the like - it's a bit like a really rich, reduced stock.