|
History of Vegemite®
© copyright 2004 by Linda Stradley - United States Copyright TX 5-900-517- All rights reserved. This web site may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission and appropriate credit given. If you use any of the history information contained below for research in writing a magazine or newspaper article, school work or college research, and/or television show production, you must give a reference to the author, Linda Stradley, and to the web site What's Cooking America.
|
|
|
Home | Recipes | Diet Recipes | Dinner Party Menus | Food History | Culinary Dictionary | Diet, Health & Beauty |
|
|
The Happy Little Vegemite Song
We are happy little Vegemites as bright as bright can be, How To Eat Vegemite Using your favorite bread, some butter or margarine, and of course, Vegemite. Spread butter on a piece of toast or bread. Cover very thinly with Vegemite (for the optimum Vegemite sandwich you only need a dab). Dip your knife in the Vegemite, and scrape up just a bit (it will mix right in with the butter and spread easily). Some people like to "marble" the Vegemite into the butter. Eat it open-faced and enjoy!
Did You Know? 22.7 million jars of Vegemite are manufactured in Australia every year - that's 235 jars per minute. 30 jars are sold in Australia for every one exported. Vegemite is in nine out of ten pantries in Australia.
|
What is Vegemite? Vegemite is considered as much a part of Australia's heritage as kangaroos and the Holden cars. It is actually an Australian obsession that has become a unique and loved symbol of the Australian nation. A Vegemite sandwich to an Australian kid is the equivalent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to an American kid - but the taste is QUITE different! Vegemite is one of several yeast extract spreads sold in Australia. It is made from leftover brewers' yeast extract (a by-product of beer manufacture) and various vegetable and spice additives. It is very dark reddish-brown, almost black, in color, and one of the richest sources known of Vitamin B. It's thick like peanut butter, it's very salty, and it tastes like - well let's just say that it is an acquired taste! Australian children are brought up on Vegemite from the time they're babies. It is said that Australians are known to travel all over the world with at least one small jar of Vegemite in their luggage, for fear that they will not be able to find it. History of Vegemite In 1922, Fred
Walker (1884-1935) of Melbourne, Australia decided to try to make a special
"yeast extract" that would be as delicious as it was nourishing for his Fred
Walker Cheese Company to sell. The chief scientist in the company Fred owned
was Dr. Cyril P. Callister, and it was Dr. Callister who invented the first
Vegemite spread. He used brewer's yeast and blended the yeast extract with
ingredients like celery, onion, salt, and a few secret ingredients to make
this paste. In 1912, a national competition and a prize of
With its unusual and unique flavor, Vegemite
was not an Earlier, in 1925, Walker had arranged with the Chicago, Illinois firm of James L. Kraft to make processed cheese in Australia. A company called the Kraft Walker Cheese Co. was established alongside Fred Walker and Co. In 1935, Walker used the success of his processed cheese to launch a new campaign to revive Vegemite. The company launched 2-year coupon redemption scheme whereby a jar of Vegemite was given away with every purchase of other products in the Fred Walker Cheese Company. Australians tried the product and loved it. Vegemite was well and truly on the road to success.
Two years later, the company held a poetry competition and once again
brought Vegemite into the national spotlight. This time its success the
prizes were imported American Pontiac cars. Entries flooded in and sales
multiplied. In 1935, the recipe and manufacturing methods was sold to Kraft Foods and has been wholly owned and made by American companies. In 1939 Vegemite received endorsement from the British Medical Association which allowed doctors to recommend it as a Vitamin B-rich, nutritionally balanced food for patients. In World War II,
soldiers, sailors, and the civilian population of Australia all had Vegemite
included in their rations. Soldiers’
Vegemite came in The main change to the original recipe in recent years has been to reduce the salt content from 10% to 8%. Comments from South NSW, Australia - 5/20/06: Your explanation is mostly fine, but some of us like a fair coating of the stuff, not just a scrape. I'll eat it out of the jar! But one of the most useful tips to give any cook, is how it can save an anemic gravy: When a gravy lacks colour or flavour, a quarter to a half teaspoon or so always saves the day. Young-uns often wonder why my gravy is always so good; and if they're nice, I let them in on the secret that my Grandma told me. Funny to think my family has used a product since it was invented. Thanks for the history lesson, and try Vegemite in your gravy, you'll love it! You might like to
know that when the company sold overseas, it was cause for national
concern...everybody was outraged, and worried that "the Yanks would
stuff-it-up". People were ringing radio stations calling for the government
to stop the sale. Private citizens were trying to raise funds to make a
counter offer...you wouldn't believe the furor it created. |
