Marmite vs Vegemite: What’s The Difference Between Marmite and Vegemite?

Marmite and Vegemite have a lot in common. They’re both made of beer brewers’ yeast extract, they’re both dark black, they both come in iconic glass jars with a yellow lid and a red logo, and they both taste so salty that people who haven’t grown up with them in Britain and Australia are surprised when they try them for the first time. So what’s the difference? Where to begin…

Marmite vs Vegemite: How they got there

Marmite was made by a German scientist named Justus Freiherr von Liebig in the late 1800s. He is known as the “father of the fertilizer industry” and also trademarked the Oxo stock cube. Marmite is named after a type of French cooking pot. The Marmite Food Extract Company started bottling the black paste in Burton upon Trent in 1902 and opened a second factory in London in 1907. A milder version was sent to Australia and New Zealand, and the spread, which was high in vitamin B, was added to soldiers’ rations during World War I.

Like a lot of other things in Australian culture, Vegemite was based on a British idea. Cyril Percy Callister, a chemist from Melbourne, made Australia’s own salty black paste in 1919, when the War stopped Marmite imports. He did this by mixing Carlton & United Brewery scraps with salt, celery, and onion extracts.

The way they taste

Strong and salty are two words that describe the taste of both spreads. But they are not the same thing in a different jar with a different name. The first thing you notice is how they look. Vegemite is jet black and has a thick texture, like peanut butter. Marmite, on the other hand, is more burnt brown and has a thinner texture, like honey, molasses, or melted chocolate. And there is a slight difference in taste: Vegemite is stronger tasting than Marmite, which is milder and even a little sweeter than its meatier Australian cousin.

The black stuff makes people’s eyes water when they try it for the first time, but the problem with those taste tests is that newbies use it like jam or mayonnaise. Both spreads should be lightly scraped onto a piece of buttered toast or bread, not spread on an inch thick or used to add saltiness to dishes like bolognese or Scotch eggs. In the UK, Marmite is sometimes mixed with boiling water to make a hot drink like Bovril or paired with cheese in sandwiches (and even pizzas). Aussies also like Vegemite with cheese, especially in knotted bread, which is called a “cheesy-mite scroll.” They also like it with smashed avocado, which is the most controversial dish in the country.

How they are sold

During the war, Marmite became known for being healthy, so its early ads focused on its Vitamin B content. In the 1980s, an army platoon used the slogan “My mate, Marmite,” and in the 1990s, the brand used the slogan “Love it or hate it” to embrace the fact that people either love or hate it. Even British dictionaries use the word “marmite” to describe something that “tends to cause strong positive or negative reactions instead of indifference.”

Topic: Marmite vs Vegemite: What’s The Difference Between Marmite and Vegemite

Join the “I Left My Heart in Australia” in Our Community on Facebook. A place where members can be honest with each other, share their stories and travel photos, and try out a new way to see Australia together.

By: Travel Pixy