Vegemite (220 gram)

I bought this to try out of compelling curiosity. Everyone in the US has heard of Vegemite, but it's not easy to come by around here. Few have tried this treat from the Land Down Under. I was able to find one local grocery chain that carries it, but they want nearly double the Amazon price! This seller currently offers the best deal an American will get. The taste is different, in a good way. Nothing widely sold in the US compares. I was expecting something close to beef bouillon cubes, but Vegemite is more astringent and savory. You can still roughly compare it to bouillon cubes, but perhaps with notes of dark Stout and mushrooms added? The taste coats the tongue. It's clearly for those people that like strongly flavored foods. If you don't like sharp cheeses and dark beers, you probably won't like Vegemite. I tried in the suggested manner, thinly spread on (French peasant bread) toast with butter, and loved it enough on first taste to make myself a second slice. It worked less well for me with poached eggs over toast (all I could taste was the Vegemite) but it was fantastic on my sandwich with leftover chicken tika masala! My next try will likely be the traditional Vegemite sandwich (I speak-a your language) with tomato and cheese on toasted bread. I see myself adding this to tomato sauces, gravies, stews and soups to kick them up. It will also likely make its way into barbecue glazes. Any place where a rich, meaty flavor is desired. It's also won me over enough where I'd like to try it's British cousin, Marmite. If you're an American who likes strong, salty/bitter foods, give this a try. It may just fill a hole in your culinary life. Worst case, you're out six bucks and are forced to use it as a beef bouillon substitute or (even better) give it to an Australian expat that you know and love. As far as Amazon goes, the only downside is the long wait time. This product ships (free!) from the U.K., so that really can't be helped. Personally, I got impatient and paid my grocers outlandish prices for the first taste, but will use this seller for restocking. Edit 12/14/16: for those interested, my package from Tora Foods arrived 6 days later than the latest posted shipping day. About six weeks total to get this Vegemite. Considering it had to cross an ocean to get here and the shipping was free, I'm okay with this. The price for this product also appears to have crept up a bit since I bought it. Considering the delay in receiving the product and price change, paying the extra couple bucks to get this at my local market makes more sense than ordering online. This is still worth it if you don't have any nearby store that sells Vegemite. Edit: there seems to have been some rumor of a formulation change around November of 2019, when Vegemite was certified vegan. I have some jars predating the change, so I thought I'd buy some new Vegemite and do a taste test comparison. I have no insider knowledge here, but it is my opinion that, unless the taste and texture of Vegemite alters considerably over time, something did indeed change. The old Vegemite is extremely dark and tarlike. It's a pain to spread on your bread unless it's still hot from the toaster. The taste is that of a strong almost beefy bullion, or maybe soy sauce with a bitter bite. The new jar is a lighter shade of brown. It spreads far easier, like a peanut butter. The taste has all the same notes but the bitterness is punched up by quite a bit, a bit more towards a Marmite flavor. The (220g) jars list all the same ingredients but the calorie counts are slightly changed. Again, this is just my opinion. The official line is that the product does indeed change in texture over time and maybe they changed the way that they're formulating the calorie count, but I never remember this product being as light colored or easy to spread as what I just bought, and the stock that I have tells the same story. The new stuff isn't bad or anything. I prefer the spreadability. But I personally don't think the Aussies are crazy when they say it tastes different.

I impulse-purchased a jar of Marmite at World Market some time back and I loved it, but it's been gone for a while. After hearing Men at Work singing about a vegemite sandwich in "Land Down Under" the other day, I decided I should order some Vegemite to compare the two. My jar arrived in perfect condition, with seven months to go on the best-by date. This stuff is one of those things that's fine in the cupboard for a long time after that date, no refrigeration needed (but I suppose it can't hurt). It's genuine made-in-Australia Vegemite. imported and distributed by an Irish company, and made by a company with the address of "1 Vegemite Way" in Melbourne, Australia. I'm going to have to also order a new jar of Marmite, because it's been long enough since I've had it that I can't make a final decision on the age-old question of which is the better, Marmite or Vegemite. I think they're so close that it really doesn't matter. No offense to my British or Aussie friends who have stronger opinions in this subject. Vegemite is darker in color (very dark brown) and has a texture like super creamy peanut butter, where Marmite is more gooey (imagine the thickest honey ever) and a slight bit lighter in color (very dark amber). The flavor of Vegemite holds it own easily compared to my experience with Marmite. It hits like a ton of bricks, just like Marmite did. The aftertaste is epic and mellows on the palate over time, making you want another taste. It's so good, and it just feels, tastes, and seems pure and good for you, which it is in moderation, due to sodium content. The best way I can describe the flavor to someone who's never had either one is rich, savory, salty, and meaty, like the best beef bouillon ever, even though both products are fully vegan as far as I know. For now I'm just going to say that Vegemite and Marmite are very close to each other in flavor and overall experience. If you like either one, you'll like both. Either one will be great on toast, bread, crackers, sandwiches, just a tiny dab (don't dip) on fresh veggies, or by adding a slight (!) spoonful to soups, stews, gravy, pasta sauces, during the pasta boil, stroganoff, alfredo sauce, sparingly in salads (mix it with the dressing), or pretty much any other savory or umami dish. No matter how you enjoy it, a little goes a long way. Always remember that. This stuff is pure flavor. It's good straight out of the jar too. Just a pea-sized amount (no more than that because it's powerful) on the tip of a spoon and you're in Flavor Town, baby. (Copyright Guy Fieri) Vegemite, Marmite, or preferably both, are something everyone should try, and should always have in the cupboard for cooking and general use. Try it, you'll like it. Most people seem to. It's the flavor. UPDATE/EDIT: So I got a new jar of Marmite so I could compare. The Vegemite wins the overall competition, and that surprises me. Flavor, texture, smell, all go to Veg over Marm. Marmite has a tanginess that Vegemite doesn't, and I like the flavor of Vegemite better. It's deeper and more intense. As far as texture, the peanut butter texture of Vegemite is easier and less messy to handle than the gooey, honey-like texture of Marmite. The Vegemite also feels better on the tongue when tasted off a spoon. Smell: Vegemite has a deeper, "meatier" aroma than Marmite. Marmite carries the tanginess of its flavor over into the aroma, and its aroma is not as prominent as Vegemite's. Overall, Marmite is good but Vegemite is better, in my opinion. Your mileage may vary. I won't turn down either one, but if you have both, I'll have the Vegemite.

Arrived on time, packaged in bubble wrap, and the vegemite tasted great! I've not had vegemite in over 10 years and really missed this stuff. Tastes great on toast!

So Vegemite. How to explain this.... My Aussie friend has been egging me on to try it for years. We met online in the realm of Moonguard on World of Warcraft where all the best role play happens. He was a dwarf. I was a mage, which is like a wizard for all of you non-geeks. Our friendship and the memories of all our epic adventures will last for generations. There were two moments in our history that tested the strength of our bond. The first was a role play technicality where another mage who was the principal of our little magic school guild forgot to say that his desk was magically sealed and locked down so that we weren't supposed to be able to break into it. Classic DM error, which led to us role playing for three hours on non-cannon storytime and ended in tears. The principal mage refused to divulge the secrets within even though my Dwarven friend successfully got the drawer open. The guild fell apart that day. And no one spoke to each other for a good while. But Vegemite worked it's own magic in our hearts and my Aussie friend and I patched our bond up and continued our adventures together. The second time our bond was tested happened not very long after when I noticed my friend went MIA for a good week without notice. My heart beat faster. My mind was occupied by what-ifs and oh-dears, and anxiety ruled those days with the possibility my friend may never return to our online community. But I wouldn't be posting about Vegemite today if that were the case. It turned out my Aussie friend had been hit by a car. He lived to tell the tale and ever since then, he became one of my best friends. One day, I asked him, "So what's one thing that you have in Australia that us Americans don't have?" Immediately and without hesitation, he replied "Vegemite." I mean, the first thing that came to my mind was vegetables and termites. But luckily, it's not as bad as it sounds. My friend offered to send it to me from his continent but my husband said "Whoa, whoa, whoa. How do you know this guy? He's from the internet. Don't give out our address to some possible crazy person that might travel here to do who knows what." Even though my friend and I were very great friends, I realized that I only know him as an intellectually superior dwarf with the ability to create the best story-arcs. And he only knew me as battle-hardened mage with ironic trust issues. Alas, my obtaining Vegemite was put on hold for a few years. During that time, stories flowed out of our imaginations like a cascading waterfall. We fought for freedom, triumphed over villains, and escaped improbable snares. Ah, those days were glorious! And all the while, in the back of my mind, the curiosity of the taste of Vegemite festered and grew like mold. I kept imagining vegetables and termites, and yet I remember the praise my friend had given it. So finally, I decided out of the blue to buy it here. I told my friend it was purchased. The date it would arrive was around the corner and both of us were excited for my impending verdict. Would I love it or hate it? I did my research of course, and listened to his advice on how to properly apply the spread, whether it be on a piece of bread, a piece of toast, or a chicken biscuit cracker. And then it arrived. My friend wasn't available to video chat as he is seventeen hours ahead of me (give or take) and it was in the dark hours of the morning for him. So I filmed it. I would share that as an attachment... but you know, it's the internet. So my words will have to suffice for your own amusement. The packaging of this product was fantastic, much like how the principal mage's desk should have been: secure, but penetrable with a little effort. At long last, the spread was before me. I sniffed it. It smelled salty. I prodded it. It was smooth and thick like tar. With slight hesitation, my American doubts flooded over me as I wondered how this item was so highly praised by my friend. The knife scraped over the bread and crackers I prepared for myself. Some had butter, some did not. I wanted to try it with various methods in order to come to my conclusion. Toasted bread is best. It does not matter if it has butter on it or not. But the end result was this: it tasted like soy sauce.

Love Vegemite, though I still have more than 3/4 of a jar. A little goes a long way. I personally love it on its own with toast, but my husband only likes it in soups or as a flavor boost in other things. Easy to use, obviously a good deal since I have so much left even though I use it a lot, small jar but big stretch. Will be buying more in a few years when I run out 😅

For those in the US -- If you want to try this because you've heard of it and are curious or you are a fan of the old Men At Work song, take a moment and understand from the start that Vegemite has a very strong in-your-face yeasty, savory, salty flavor. If that's not your flavor favorites, might want to skip it. And second, it only takes just a small amount. Just a thin little bit on a cracker or toast is enough. A serving is 5 grams. There are 44 servings in a 220 gram jar. A little bit goes a long way. Promise. Vegemite is heaven on warm toast, crackers, in rice, stirred into Pho. It's just lovely! I like it mixed with a bit of butter on a sweet potato. Nice way to get in some B vitamins and the yeasty flavor is awesome for those of us who like strong flavors. So glad it is now easier to buy in the US! A few years ago it was much harder to get and much more expensive! Vegemite is vegan, a nice way to add in some B vitamins, and adds another flavor layer to foods.

Jury is still out on this one. I have been hearing the word "Vegemite" for so long that I became curious and wanted to taste it. I read in the comments to use it sparingly. That is a fact. I stuck a took pick in it for a small taste and found that the flavor it is not bad, might even be very good when I get my nerve up enough to try a larger taste. In my opinion it has a very, very salty, strong Beef Bullion/yeast flavor. I placed approximately one pat of real butter on a plate and added approximately,1/8 teaspoon of Vegemite (maybe less) to mix into the butter. As a diabetic I don't eat bread or grains, so I spread the mixture on the next "best" thing, GG Scandinavian crisp bread (kind like cardboard, but does the opposite of what cardboard would do to a persons bowels; do not eat GG crisp bread in large amounts either.) After reading the negative posts concerning Vegemite, I was very apprehensive concerning the amount to use. I think I should have used a little more than I did. I will keep trying until I get the correct amount. I think, as others have posted, Vegemite will work very well as a soup base, broth in soups, stews, Pinto Beans, maybe even Texas Chile. Because I am limited to what I allow myself to snack on (diabetic) it may work for me as a nice snack change. We shall see. I think the guy in the "Men at Work" song that gave the singer a "Vegemite Sandwich", gave it to him as practical joke. I believe this is an acquired taste. At this point, unless it REALLY begins to grow on me, it will be used as soup, stew, bean base and not my "go to" flavoring for snacks. I ordered some Marmite as well, for a taste comparison. I have not received that yet. I have read that it is a little more mild than Vegemite, or, maybe its the opposite, a little more strong than Vegemite? I am amazed at the differences in what is considered very tasty foods and/or flavorings in different parts of the world. Some are very, very, VERY good; then there are others that I just do NOT understand. I wonder if at the time some of this stuff was developed, scarcity of food was the issue? I'll bet it was. My relatives age Possums, Raccoons, Squirrels, beef brains, beef tongues and whatever else they could catch and kill, as well as poke salad and whatever greens they could scrounge of a cow pasture, woods, or forest during the depression. Since we all have to have beer, it must have just been the next natural step to eat what was left over after pouring the beer off? Just a thought.

Vegemite is a new experience for me, for my Australian family spreading it on toast… what is wrong with you? As a soup base/ stir fry kick… top notch!