Marmite is a British savoury spread based on yeast extract invented by the Marmite Food Company in 1902.[4][5] It is made from by-products of beer brewing (lees) and is produced by the British company Unilever. Marmite is a vegan source of B vitamins, including supplementary vitamin B12. It is traditionally eaten spread thinly on buttered toast.
Marmite is a sticky dark-brown paste with a distinctive, salty, powerful flavour and heady aroma. This distinctive taste is represented in the marketing slogan: "Love it or hate it." Such is its prominence in British culture that Marmite is often used as a metaphor for something that is an acquired taste or polarises opinion.[6][7] Marmite is commonly used as a flavouring, as it is known for its savoury taste due to its high levels of glutamate (1960mg/100g).[8]
The image on the jar shows a marmite, a French term for a large, covered earthenware or metal cooking pot. Marmite was originally supplied in earthenware pots but since the 1920s has been sold in glass jars. Marmite's distinctive bulbous jars are supplied by the German glass manufacturer Gerresheimer.[9]
Similar products include the Australian Vegemite (whose name is derived from that of Marmite), the Swiss Cenovis, the Brazilian Cenovit, the long-extinct Argentinian Condibé, the French, and the German Vitam-R. Marmite in New Zealand has been manufactured since 1919 under licence, but with a different recipe; it is the only one sold as Marmite in Australasia and the Pacific Islands, whereas elsewhere the British version predominates.
History
The first yeast extract spread was invented during the late 19th century when the German scientist Justus von Liebig discovered that brewer's yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten.[10][11] Initial attempts to manufacture this yeast extract for commercial purposes had little success. This was until 1902, when the Marmite Food Extract Company was formed in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England with Marmite as its main product and Burton as the site of the first factory.[12] The by-product yeast needed for the paste was supplied by Bass Brewery. The initial producers of Marmite found that the yeast produced from British beer did not lend itself to the same treatment as continental yeast, which had different methods of fermentation. New machinery and manufacturing processes were implemented before a satisfactory yeast extract product was ready to market.[13]
By 1907, the product had become successful enough to warrant construction of a second factory at
Similar products
There are a number of similar yeast products available in other countries; these products are not directly connected to the original Marmite recipe and brand. The Australian product Vegemite was developed in early 1920s by the chemist and food technologist Cyril Callister for Fred Walker & Co. due to shortages of Marmite exports to Australia as a result of the First World War.[19][20] It is now distributed in many countries. AussieMite is another marmite-like product sold in Australia. Other products include OzeMite, which is made by Dick Smith Foods; Cenovit, a Brazilian spread; Vitam-R, a German spread; Cenovis, a Swiss spread (sold internationally under the brand Sonaris); and Vegex, an autolyzed yeast product available in the United States since 1913.[21]
Usage
Marmite has traditionally been eaten as a savoury spread on bread, toast, savoury biscuits or crackers, and other similar baked products. Owing to its concentrated taste, it is often spread very thinly in combination with butter or margarine.[23] It can be made into a savoury hot drink by adding one teaspoon to a mug of hot water, much like Oxo or Bovril. It is also commonly used to enrich casseroles and stews.
Marmite is often paired with cheese—for example, in a cheese sandwich or a cheese-flavoured biscuit such as Mini Cheddars. In the UK, Starbucks offers cheese and Marmite panini. There are Marmite-flavoured varieties of Walkers Crisps, and of some brands of rice cakes and biscuits.[24]
Marmite has also been used as an ingredient in cocktails, including the Marmite Cocktail and the Marmite Gold Rush.
Manufacture
While the 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 results in the cells shrivelling; this triggers autolysis, during which the yeast self-destructs. The dying yeast cells are then heated to complete their breakdown, and since yeast cells have thick cell walls which would detract from the smoothness of the end product, the husks are sieved out. As with other yeast extracts, Marmite contains free glutamic acid, the monosodium salt of which being monosodium glutamate.
Currently, the main ingredients of Marmite are glutamic acid-rich yeast extract, with lesser quantities of salt, vegetable extract, spice extracts and celery extracts, although the precise composition is a trade secret. Vitamins added for food fortification include riboflavin, folic acid, and vitamin B12.[30] Vitamin B12 is not naturally found in yeast extract, but is very important for vegans who are at risk of deficiency.[31]
Nutritional information
Marmite is rich in B vitamins including thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), and folic acid (B9). Vitamin B12 is only available through artificial enrichment; riboflavin and folic acid are added on top of the naturally occurring amount. The sodium content of the spread is high and has caused concern, although it is the amount per serving rather than the percentage in bulk Marmite that is relevant. (Sodium amount is noted as table salt-equivalent in UK nutritional labels. 6.1 g of salt corresponds to 2.4 g of sodium.) The main ingredient of Marmite is yeast extract, which contains a high concentration of glutamic acid.
Marmite is not gluten-free, as it is made from yeast grown in a wheat-based liquid (wort). Although it is thoroughly washed, it may contain small quantities of gluten.[33] Marmite contains around 30 part per million gluten according to third-party testing, meeting the EU "very low gluten" limit but not the "gluten free" definition. Unilever reports that no cases of gluten-related reactions have been reported for Marmite. Nevertheless, Unilever has chosen not to offer a guarantee on the gluten content of Marmite.[34]
Marmite is contraindicated if a person takes a monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressant, such as phenelzine
Storage
Marmite should be stored in the dark and kept cool, but should not be refrigerated.[36]
Marketing
Marmite's publicity campaigns initially emphasised the spread's healthy nature, extolling it as "The growing up spread you never grow out of". The first major Marmite advertising campaign began during the 1930s, with characters whose faces incorporated the word "good". Soon afterwards, the increasing awareness of vitamins was used in Marmite advertising, with slogans proclaiming that "A small quantity added to the daily diet will ensure you and your family are taking sufficient vitamin B to keep nerves, brain, and digestion in proper working order".
During the 1980s, the spread was advertised with the slogan "My mate, Marmite", chanted 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. For many years television advertisements for Marmite featured the 1975 song "Low Rider" by the American funk band War with the lyrics changed to the phrase "My Mate, Marmite".
Love/hate polarisation
By the 1990s Marmite's distinctive and powerful flavour had earned it as many detractors as it had fans, and it was known for producing a polarised "love/hate" reaction amongst consumers. Marmite began a "Love it or Hate it" campaign in October 1996, and this resulted in the inventing of the phrase "Marmite effect" or "Marmite reaction" for anything which provoked controversy.[38] On 22 April 2010, Unilever threatened legal action against the British National Party (BNP) for using a jar of Marmite and the "love it or hate it" slogan in a
Availability worldwide
Because of the local product named Marmite, European Marmite is sold by the name "Our Mate" in Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand Marmite uses the name "NZ-Mite" elsewhere.
Denmark
In Denmark, food safety legislation dictates that foodstuffs that contain added vitamins can only be sold by retailers which have been licensed by the Veterinary and Food Administration.[40] In May 2011, the company that imports the product to Denmark revealed that it was not licensed and had therefore stopped selling the product: this resulted in widespread but inaccurate reports by the British media that Marmite had been banned by the Danish authorities.[41][42] The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration stated in 2015 that Marmite had not been banned in the country, but that fortified foods need to be tested for safety and approved before they can be marketed in the country.[43]
Special editions
In 2002 a 100th anniversary jar was released.
In February 2007, Marmite produced a limited edition Guinness Marmite of 300,000 jars of 250 g of their yeast extract with 30% Guinness yeast, giving it a noticeable hint of "Guinness" flavour. In January 2008 Champagne Marmite was released for Valentine's Day,[50] with a limited-edition production of 600,000 units initially released exclusively to Selfridges of London. The product had 0.3% champagne added to the recipe, and a modified heart-shaped label with "I love you" in place of the logo.
In 2009 a limited edition Marston's Pedigree Marmite was initiated to celebrate the 2009 Ashes Cricket test series.[51]
In March 2010, a "super-strength" version of Marmite was released, called Marmite XO (XO standing for "extra old"). Marmite XO is matured for 28 days, four times longer than usual. The original Marmite XO's cap was black, and has a black and gold label.[52]
See also
- Shelf-stable food
- Guinness Yeast Extract
- List of spreads
- Lees (fermentation)
- Nutritional yeast
- Promite
- Twiglets
- Miso
External links
References
- Marmite Food Extract Co history^
- Marmite brand on Unilever^
- The history of Marmite on Marmite Museum^