Marmite

Pot of Marmite

Marmite is a popular British savoury spread, made from yeast extract, a by-product of the beer brewing process. It is a sticky, dark brown substance, with a distinctive and powerful taste which polarises consumer opinion. It is similar to Australia and New Zealand's Vegemite and Promite, and Switzerland's Cenovis, and is suitable for vegetarians. As per the image on the front of every jar, a "marmite" is actually a "large covered earthenware or metal cooking pot", a word from French. [1] Marmite was originally sold in earthenware pots, although it is today sold in glass jars which approximate the shape of such pots. [2]

Introduction

File:Marmite on toast.jpg

Marmite on Toast

The Marmite Food Extract Company was formed in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England, in 1902, with Marmite as its main product. By 1907 the product had become successful enough to warrant construction of a second factory at Camberwell Green in London. [3] Today, the main ingredients of Marmite manufactured in the UK are yeast extract, with lesser quantities of sodium chloride, wheatgerm extract, nicotinic acid, thiamin, spice extracts, riboflavin, and folic acid, although the precise composition is kept as a trade secret. By 1912, the discovery of vitamins was a boost for Marmite, as the spread is a rich source of the vitamin B complex; vitamin B12 is not naturally found in yeast extract, but is added to Marmite during manufacture. Marmite is also manufactured in New Zealand, where the ingredients include sugar.

In 1990, Marmite Limited - which had become a subsidiary of Bovril Limited - was bought by CPC (United Kingdom) Limited, which changed its name to Best Foods Inc in 1998. Best Foods Inc subsequently merged with Unilever in 2000, and Marmite is now a trademark owned by Unilever.

Marmite's publicity campaigns initially emphasised the spread's healthy nature, extolling it as "The growing up spread you never grow out of". During the 1980s, the spread was advertised with the slogan "My mate, Marmite", delivered in television commercials by an army platoon (the spread had been a standard vitamin supplement for British-based German POWs during the Second World War). By the 1990s, another strand entered the company's marketing efforts; Marmite's distinctive and powerful taste had earned it as many detractors as it had fans, and it was commonly notorious for producing a binary and exclusive "love / hate" reaction amongst consumers. Modern advertisements play on this, and Marmite runs two websites, I Love Marmite and I Hate Marmite, where people may share their experiences of Marmite.

A 2004 UK TV advert, which parodied the 1958 Steve McQueen film The Blob, substituting Marmite for the original alien space menace, and including frightening scenes of fleeing people, was dropped after being screened on children's television: concerned parents reported that the advert had traumatised their children into having nightmares and vowing never to watch TV again. [4]

Marmite is not generally available worldwide, and is frequently cited as the most-missed foodstuff by British expatriates. Paul Ridout, a British backpacker kidnapped by Kashmiri separatists in 1994, was quoted as saying "It was pretty good. It's just one of those things - you get out of the country and it's all you can think about." [5]

Mosquito control

An urban legend suggests that the consumption of Marmite can ward against mosquitos [6], the reasoning being that the skin gives off a scent, unnoticeable to humans, but which mosquitos find unappealing, or that the vitamin B wards off the flying pests. British travellers to tropical locations sometimes take Marmite with them to eat during the trip, although there is no proven basis for the belief [7].

Serving suggestions

Marmite is traditionally eaten as a savoury spread on bread, and commonly toast. Due to its concentrated taste it should be spread thinly. Its powerful taste limits its applications otherwise; nonetheless, in 2003, the Absolute Press published Paul Hartley's "The Marmite Cookbook", containing recipes and suggestions on how to blend Marmite with other foodstuffs. [8] In New Zealand, it is sometimes spread thinly on bread with packet potato chips added to make a "Marmite And Chip Sandwich", or spread thickly on bread prior to toasting, cooked, then eaten slathered with butter.

Outlets

Marmite is widespread and available in most food stores in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India and Sri Lanka, all parts of the Commonwealth of Nations. The variety of Marmite available in Australia and New Zealand is however significantly different in taste to UK Marmite and comes in different packaging; it is manufactured by the Sanitarium Health Food Company. In Israel, South Africa, Canada and The Netherlands it is at least available in some supermarkets and health food stores.

Elsewhere, Marmite is still quite unknown, and not marketed by Unilever. It is however available over the internet, where the small size and weight of its containers, its long shelf life and its robustness make it practical for mail-order.

Nutritional information

Per 100 g

Energy - 996 kJ/234 kcal
Protein - 43.0 g
Carbohydrates - 14.8 g
of which sugars - 2.7 g
Fat - 0.4 g
of which saturates - 0.1 g
Fibre - 2.6 g
Sodium - 4.5 g
Thiamin - 5.8 mg - 414 % RDA
Riboflavin - 7.0 mg - 438 % RDA
Niacin - 160.0 mg - 889 % RDA
Folic Acid - 2500 µg - 1250 % RDA
Vitamin B12 - 15.0 µg - 1500 % RDA

Per 4 g serving

Energy - 39 kJ/9 kcal
Protein - 1.7 g
Carbohydrates - 0.6 g
of which sugars - 0.1 g
Fat - trace
of which saturates - trace
Fibre - 0.1 g
Sodium - 0.2 g
Thiamin - 0.23 mg - 16.6 % RDA
Riboflavin - 0.28 mg - 17.5 % RDA
Niacin - 6.4 mg - 35.6 % RDA
Folic Acid - 100 µg - 50.0 % RDA
Vitamin B12 - 0.6 µg - 60 % RDA

RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance

Suggested serving 4 g for adults, 2 g for children.

Marmite in fiction

In the New Year's Eve episode of Mr. Bean, the titular character serves pretzel like "snacks" (twiglets) dipped in Marmite to his friends. These "snacks" however were actually twigs taken from a tree outside of Bean's window.