Marmite: Love It or Hate It

Marmite is a spread made of yeast extracts, spice extracts and vitamins and minerals. The flavour is bold and salty, and for people who didn’t grow up with it, it can be too strong and take a long time to get used to. Some people never end up liking it at all. It’s one of those things where you either love it or you hate it. 

Marmite is most commonly eaten with butter on toast for breakfast or as a snack throughout the day. Some people also like having their Marmite on toast with cheese on top. There’s light debate around how much Marmite is the correct amount to put on your toast. Some dab it on, and others spread a thick layer on.

Marmite originated in England and came by boat to New Zealand in the early 1900s. In the 1930s, Sanitarium, a New Zealand health food brand, began making a local version with a different recipe, and it has been manufactured in Christchurch ever since.

In Australia, a similar spread called Vegemite became popular in the 1920s. While Marmite is also sold there, it is much less common. In New Zealand, many people say they are either a Marmite person or a Vegemite person, and there is much more debate about which spread is better. As the two spreads are quite similar, you may be wondering what the difference between them is. In terms of flavour, Marmite is a bit less salty and slightly sweeter than Vegemite. In terms of texture, Vegemite is thicker than Marmite. 

So, do you think you might be a Marmite person or a Vegemite person? If you haven’t tried them yet, there’s only one way to find out. But just a heads up, some people don’t like either of them!