I tried some Marmite last week. The first challenge was finding the stuff. Greg Harper suggested a small grocery shop in the University district of Seattle that might carry Marmite. They had it hidden away in a corner.
I tried it on buttered toast. I didn’t dislike it. In fact it wasn’t bad at all. I was expecting it to have a stronger and more obnoxious odor that would turn my stomach, but it wasn’t that strong and it didn’t turn my stomach. It’s downside is the rather strong aftertaste that lingers and won’t go away. I tried washing away the aftertaste with root beer but that didn’t work.
Now I won’t be afraid if at some time in the future I get offered some hors d’oeuvres made with Marmite. Wouldn’t that be a fun trick to play at a party.
I wonder why Marmite is so difficult to find in Seattle? I live with a Marmite-addict, and we have no trouble finding Marmite in local grocery stores. (Apparently, it is good as a spread on toast topped with eggs…I’ve never quite been able to get into the Mar/Vegemite phenomenon, but to each his/her own). Maybe we have a higher ratio of British/Austrialian/NZ ex-pats who crave the spreads of their homeland? Or perhaps it is the Queen gently insisting that every member country in her Commonwealth have an ample stock of Marmite…
This is a bit off topic, but have you tried Ajvar? This is often near the Marmite in our stores (many of which are Italian delis and groceries). It is a striking reddish-orange vegetable spread from Bulgaria that contains peppers, eggplant, garlic, salt and spices. I believe the brand we find is Bellissima, and it comes in Mild and Extra Spicy. Now THAT is good on toast, in sandwiches, in pasta sauces, in turkey burgers, etc. My friends and I are rather smitten. However, it is not as common in Canada as Marmite, as a friend in North Bay, Ontario, reports that she can easily obtain Mar- and Vegemite, but nary a tub of Ajvar is to be found…
Mmm…bizarre condiments…
(No offence to anyone of Bulgarian orgin who may think that Ajvar is terribly common and not bizarre at all, thank you )
Up there in Vancouver there is a very noticable British flavour to things that we don’t have down here. You’ve got proper tea, proper pubs, proper hand pumped cask conditioned beer, and proper spelling, and all sorts of other British things. We threw the British out down here and now have nothing more to do with them.
There are at least two places in Seattle where you can get Marmite. There’s a Scottish shop in downtown Seattle that sells tartans and such that also sometimes has Marmite, but they don’t have any right now. The little grocery store in the University District had about two jars when I got mine and they both said best if used before the end of 12/02 (I’d better finish it off quick). Marmite must not be a big seller down here.
I could learn to like the stuff. I’ll try it on toast topped with eggs tomorrow morning.
I’ve never heard of Ajvar. But given how hard it was to find Marmite I’m not expecting to find it in any local stores.
As an aussie I’m supposed to love vegimite and as a kid I was force fed it…
but now as a patriotic young man I won’t touch the stuff as it is now owned by kraft which is owned by phillip morris (I hate smokers/smoking)…
To fill the gap, aussie electrics icon Dick Smith has created aussiemite (as well as a plethora of other ‘aussie’ products with his name on them (instead of redhead matches he makes dickhead matches, and instead of normal cheese he makes a product called dickcheese…)
I hate marmite. My grandma eats it all the time, she was born and raised in Wales. I can’t stand the stuff. I suppose I can tolerate it more than olives though.
After being an adamant pro-vegimite anti-marmite person my entire life Tony and I performed a blind taste test for the Marsh sisters at Unicon in Washington.
Much to our disgust we were unable to tell the difference. I blame it on the fact that it was on bread, not toast as I am accustomed too.
I’ve been informed that marmite and lettuce sandwiches are nice but am a little loath to try this combination.
On the other hand peanut butter and tomato go wonderfully well together and that sounds like a wierd combo too.
As an aussie I’m supposed to love vegimite and as a kid.
I’m with you Samuel. I love my vegimite and yeah!!! Flaming Kraft by Phillip Morris. But Marmite…! Have tried it.
But I didn’t like it. Anyone have heard this symbal Catchprash
Coffee Tea or Bonox… Bonox Please?
David.
i wouldn’t know about marmite and lettuce
sounds a bit skimpy to me
a sarmy that does do damage to a hunger is on white bread, liberally spread with marmite and filled with lettuce, tomato, sliced cheese, gherkins and some onions (for flavour)
named after a character in a TV commercial (a couple of years ago) who prepared simmilar sarmies for her family, these creations are known as 'Linda Fourie Sandwiches"
I just back from England on Sunday and spent a good part of our time there with a friend who has Marmite on his toast every morning. I had tried it 15 years ago when we last were in England and hated it.
This time I liked it very much and went out yesterday evening to a market in Colts Neck, NJ that carries it. I’m looking forward to my buttered toast with Marmite in just a half hour or so. Excellent stuff.
i find the trick to Vegemite is to spread it thin on toast with a layer of penut butter or tahini on top of that. really really tasty.
its so good for you, i dont eat any of the stuff i really should be half the time, using vegemite i can add a little extra nutrients (all your B vitimins) to my otherwise plain dry toast.
marmite is disgusting and horrible… same with promite and dickmite… shudders at the thought of dick mites
vegimite is the true spirit of australia and there is no other alternative to it…
although you cant neglect you other preads such as peanut butters and jams etc just for your love of the black australian gold spread
anyways you arent australian unless you have vegimite on toast for beakfast… (please include butter or some sort of margarine as well otherwise it does taste really bad)
It has been a long time since this thread about marmite was made. I just got an e-mail (because I was automatically subscribed to this thread) that someone had responded! That was weird. But I guess one of you had searched for something on the subject of marmite, and continued with this already-existing thread. I don’t know. It has been a while since I posted on unicyclist.com. I have been much more into juggling the past two years. That doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten my uni skills. I can still walk-the-wheel, one-foot ride, hop all over the place, and do my crazy mounts (including kick-up which is really cool to non-uniists). Any way, Very soon, I will be idling on my 6-footer, whilst juggling in a 5-club cascade.
)
