Marmite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marmite is a British savoury spread made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing.
It is a sticky, dark brown paste with a distinctive, powerful taste that polarises consumer opinion. This is reflected in the company's marketing slogan: "Love it or hate it". It is similar to the Australasian Vegemite and Swiss Cenovis, and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. There is also an Australasian version of "Marmite", although this uses a different recipe, and has a much stronger flavour that is comparatively sweet.
The image on the front of the British jar shows a marmite (French, "large covered earthenware or metal cooking pot").[1] The British Marmite was originally supplied in earthenware pots, but has long been sold in glass jars that approximate the shape of such pots.[2] A thinner version in squeezable plastic jars was introduced in March 2006.
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[edit] History
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[4] of Marmite manufactured in the UK are yeast extract, with lesser quantities of sodium chloride (common salt), vegetable extract, niacin, thiamine, spice extracts, riboflavin, folic acid, and celery extracts, although the precise composition is 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.
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: a few concerned parents reported that their children were scared by the ads and had nightmares after viewing them.[5]
Marmite is less common outside of the United Kingdom (see Availability worldwide). It 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."[6]
Bill Bryson, in Notes from a Small Island writes: "There are certain things that you have to be British, or at least older than me, or possibly both, to appreciate: skiffle music, salt-cellars with a single hole, [and] Marmite (an edible yeast extract with the visual properties of an industrial lubricant)...."[7]
In 2006, a new "squeeze" jar of Marmite was released. It was released to make the Marmite easier to get out. The "squeezy" jar is made of plastic, and when first launched the "Marmite" logo was replaced by the words "Squeeze me".
[edit] Serving Suggestions
Marmite is traditionally eaten as a savoury spread on bread, toast, and savoury biscuits. Due to its concentrated taste it is usually spread thinly with butter or margarine. 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] Some people have been known to eat spoonfuls of Marmite by itself, liking the strong taste of the spread.[citation needed]
Marmite also works well with cheese (such as in a cheese sandwich) and has been used as an additional flavouring in Mini Cheddars, a savoury cheese-flavoured biscuit snack. Similarly, it has been used by Walkers Crisps for a special-edition flavour and has introduced, with local Dorset bakery Fudges, Marmite Biscuits in the UK.
Sandwiches using this prime ingredient often consist of spreading one slice of toasted bread with margarine and Marmite, another slice of toasted bread with margarine and peanut butter, then putting the two together for a fine Vegan sandwich; another popular combination being the use of digestive biscuits instead of bread.
Nigella Lawson's recipe for Marmite sandwiches:
Whisk soft unsalted butter with some Marmite and then spread the peanut-butter coloured mix on to sliced white bread. 100g butter is enough to sandwich the slices of one loaf, the quantity of Marmite depends on whether you want a mild-tasting, buff-coloured cream or a salty-strong, sunbed-tan glaze.
In New Zealand, Marmite is sometimes spread thinly on bread with packet potato crisps added to make a "Marmite And Crisp Sandwich".
In Sri Lanka it is dissolved in boiling water and some lime juice and a fried, sliced onion is added, allegedly an excellent pick-me-up drink for recovering from a hangover.
Marmite (and Bovril) can also be dissolved in boiling water to make another hot drink.
In Malaysia, Chinese restaurants use Marmite as a marinade for stir-fried pork spare ribs. Upon frying, the heat caramelises the Marmite-based marinade into a sweet-savoury glaze.
[edit] Product Range
- Marmite 125g
- Marmite 250g
- Marmite 500g
- Marmite 1000g (Catering size, in a plastic tub rather than the normal glass jar)
- Marmite Love portions (6x8g) (Also sold individually in some cafés)
- Marmite Squeeze 200g
- Limited Edition Guinness Marmite
[edit] Availability worldwide
Marmite is widespread and available in most food stores in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa, all parts of the Commonwealth of Nations.Marmite is also relatively popular and well known in the Netherlands. It is available there in most supermarkets and small shops.
Countries where (Unilever UK Export) Marmite export has some availability, such as some supermarkets, local shops and health food stores are:
Elsewhere, Marmite is still quite unknown, and not marketed by Unilever. Nominated UK food traders (Lynton Exports Ltd and Pelam Foods Ltd) by Unilever do export Marmite to remote parts of the globe.
Marmite available in Australia is actually manufactured in New Zealand, although this isn't widely publicised. This Marmite is significantly different in taste from UK Marmite—the ingredients include sugar—and comes in different packaging; it is manufactured by the Sanitarium Health Food Company, which started importing it from Britain in 1910, gained the exclusive agency to sell in New Zealand in 1919, and in the 1930s started experimenting with blends that led to today's independent product.
UK Marmite is available in Australia in the 125g size from several small imported food stores. There is also an imported version called "Our Mate" which is produced and exported by Unilever's UK export division. (Unilever UK Export) These are also sold in the 125g size, and are produced in Burton on Trent the home of Marmite and Bovril. The label states "Made in the UK by Unilever UK". Austalia's national distributor Manassen Foods works with Unilever UK Export to sell 'Our Mate' (Marmite) in Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand Marmite is available in the UK through KiwiFruits NZ store in London. It's sold under the brand name Vitamite.
In February 2007 Marmite produced a limited edition Guinness Marmite of 300,000 250g jars of their yeast extract with 30% Guinness yeast.
The Guinness Marmite has a more subtle and smoother taste. Although it is alcohol free, it still retains a noticable hint of "Guinness" flavour. Its consistency is rather more runny than the normal Marmite and care might be needed when opening the white and black liveried jar.
[edit] Manufacture
Whilst the actual process is secret, the general method for making yeast extract on a commercial scale is to add salt to a suspension of yeast making the solution hypertonic, which leads to the cells shrivelling up; this triggers 'autolysis', in which the yeast self-destructs. The dying yeast cells are then heated to complete their breakdown, after which the husks (yeast have thick cell walls which would detract from the smooth texture of the final product) are separated out. As with other yeast extracts, Marmite contains free glutamic acids, which are analogous to monosodium glutamate (MSG).
[edit] Nutritional information
Marmite has useful quantities of vitamins, even in small servings. Sodium (salt) content of the spread is high and has caused concern, but the amount per serving, not the percentage in bulk Marmite, is the significant factor.
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Per 100 g of UK Marmite
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Per 4 g serving of UK Marmite
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RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance.
Suggested serving 4 g for adults, 2 g for children.
[edit] Trivia
- February 16, 2007 Guinness announced that together with Marmite there would be a St Patrick's Day edition of Marmite limited to 300,000 jars. "This unique product has been created using a special recipe with 30% Guinness yeast." The distinctive black Marmite jar with a white lid resembled a pint of Guinness. It will cost 2.49 pounds[citation needed].
- In a New Year's Eve episode of Mr. Bean, the titular character serves "Twiglets" (Marmite-flavoured pretzel-like snacks) to his friends. These "snacks", however, are actually twigs taken from a tree outside Bean's window and dipped in Marmite .
- In 2006, a Vancouver, Canada radio station mentioned Marmite in advertisements for their "What's in The Van, Man?" British Invasion contest.
- In August 2006 as part of the launch of squeezy marmite celebrity chef Gary Rhodes created a dessert consisting of Coffee Ice Cream topped with Chocolate Sauce with a dash of marmite. It was served for one week only in his London restaurant - since this it has been reported that a handful of ice cream bars in some parts of the UK are now offering this topping. (One that does is in the shadow of the Marmite factory in Burton-On-Trent)
- The French have been known to refer to it as "La Confiture Anglaise" (English Jam).
- If you put a dollop of Marmite on a plate then hit it with a spoon, it will steadily grow paler in colour (photo of Marmite colour change). Reports suggest that it's possible to turn it white with enough hitting, but these are unconfirmed.
- Some suggest that the consumption of Marmite can ward off mosquitos[9], the reasoning being that the skin gives off a scent, unnoticeable to humans, but which mosquitoes find unappealing, or that the vitamin B content wards off the flying pests. British travelers to tropical locations sometimes take Marmite with them to eat during the trip, although it has been shown that the B vitamin complex does not repel mosquitoes.[10]
| “ | The two things given to each patient were a bottle of the standard quinine mixture and Marmite rolled into the form of vederala’s pills. The latter was said to have been the idea of the late Dr. Mary Ratnam and to have been more effective than the quinine itself, such was the degree of starvation among the peasantry. The Suriya Mal workers were amazed to see how this little Marmite revived them and put some life back into them. | ” |
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—George Jan Lerski, [1] |
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[edit] References
- ^ Dictionary.com "Marmite"
- ^ Marmite.com "Origins of the Design" (company website)
- ^ Accomodata.co.uk "The Marmite Story"
- ^ Marmite ingredients (company web site)
- ^ BBC News "Marmite ads 'terrified' children"
- ^ Guardian.co.uk "It must be spread thinly. T-h-i-n-l-y...."
- ^ Ladyshrike.com "Lissuns in the Galley: Bill Bryson on M*rm*te"
- ^ Absolute Press "The Marmite Cookbook"
- ^ Guardian newspaper "The Body Beautiful"
- ^ National Center for Biotechnology information "Testing vitamin B as a home remedy against mosquitoes"
