Chris Richardson of The Aussie Nomad sent me some packets of Vegemite to try out. I’ve been curious about the spread for awhile, seeing as how Australians are bloody obsessed with it, but the rest of the world doesn’t seem to understand.
Honestly, I eat anything. I’m not opposed to trying new things, unless it’s deep-fried crickets or crunchy scorpions. We eat weird shit in Newfoundland. Blood pudding, cod tongues, cod cheeks. So a paste made from yeast extract? No problem. I followed Chris’s directions exactly.
Yeah, right. It started out well, I even enjoyed the saltiness. But once the taste hit, my stomach actually turned over a little.
This is my first attempt at a somewhat “edited” video. I’m no Spielberg, and I’m pretty sure I was sweating like a whore in church, but it’s kinda funny.
And yes, this is the infamous Ange. Enjoy!
Candice Does Vegemite from Candice Walsh on Vimeo.
Gotta give kudos to the Aussies for enjoying this stuff. The salty after-taste lingered around for the remainder of my evening, much like that annoying friend who always drops by unexpectantly.
P.S. We don’t actually eat moose balls here.
(Thumbnail photo by Sarah Ackerman.)
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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Hahaha! That didn’t seem too bad. Who doesn’t like a little salt on their toast? Your hair looks great straight, Candice.
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Thanks Sabina! Chi has totally changed my life.
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You realise that Aussies and Kiwis will request care packages of this stuff to be sent from the other side of the world, right? I remember that I almost did a cartwheel in the middle of the street while living in London, when I found out that a friend had managed to get a large jar sent over. I was allowed one slice of toast with Vegemite on it. Man did I savour that little slice of awesomeness.
There’s inferior substances around the globe (Marmite, even Bovril) but they just aint Vegemite.
Oh, and the secret to making it spread properly? Make sure the toast is just out of the toaster, then spread the butter and Vegemite on it straight away. Heat is everything.
This comment bought to you by the Vegemite Appreciation Society.
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:21 am
That’s exactly what I did!! But I used too much, apparently. Such a novice.
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The above comment is completely wrong. Marmite is FAR superior to vegemite, which is a mere imitation of Marmite.
You can get vegemite in shops in the UK in places, but as it sits next to Marmite it barely sells in comparison.
FYI – Marmite is slightly sweeter and less salty, still has an aftertaste though.
I think we can both agree Bovril sucks though.
Oh and Candice – fried crickets aren’t that bad, not much substance to them though
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:21 am
WTH is Bovril? Sounds like a drug.
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I’ve heard from fellow Americans that vegemite is disgusting.
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:21 am
I’ve heard the same from most people!
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That was awesome. Best face of realization ever.
I don’t mind vegemite, although I woudln’t say I like it. Bovril, which I think is the meat based equivalent or this weird fish paste my parents used to give me as a kid, now those are really bad.
Love the video (and I don’t believe you about the moose balls.)
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Candice Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 4:01 am
Thanks Leigh! I may do more in the future. Fish paste? That sounds absolutely disgusting.
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Love the Tom Sawyer by Rush soundtrack playing in the background. Who has the great musical taste?
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Candice Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 4:02 am
Hehe, I have no idea, music just gets added to my playlist by fairies, apparently.
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I think you should do comparison samples of Marmite and Bovril. Marmite is by far the best. I travel with a little pot of it – it’s one of my travel luxuries
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Candice Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 4:02 am
Hahaha, I love that you travel with a pot of it. Hardcore!
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Thank you for trying that so I don’t have to.
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Candice Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 4:02 am
You are most definitely welcome.
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Tried that stuff 15 years ago. An exchange student from Australia that my parents hosted brought that. She enjoyed eating that stuff with raw veggies. I tried a lick, and it’s probably enough for decades to come
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Candice Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 4:02 am
Hmmm veggies, that MIGHT work…maybe.
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Marmite is the way to go … Love the video!
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Thanks! I must try this Marmite…
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haha great stuff! Nathan (who is from NZ) made me try this as well – BLAH not that nice!!!! haha
by the way… don’t you eat moose (meat) balls? very popular here in Sweden
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Hehehe, I guess you can make moose meatballs? I certainly won’t try moose testicles though.
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Oh Candice…. I’m so very impressed with your efforts. For a first time try you could have gone with a bit less vegemite so that you could enjoy all of the beautiful taste though.
Oh don’t listen to these marmite believers, they seriously don’t know what they are talking about.
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Dammit, I thought it WAS a thin spread! I’ m a glutton. Tons of fun, just the same. Thanks for sending them along!
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ahahaha, very enjoyable ;D
… and, you know, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone in NL has actually eaten moose balls… I mean, people eat bull balls so why not?! ;P
I’ve eaten crickets… missed out on the flipper pie adventure last summer
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Agh, I don’t think I’ll ever try the flipper! I can’t imagine the consistency is pleasing. Where did you eat crickets?
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maggie Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Museum of Nature in Ottawa
And maybe somewhere else…. I think someone broguth some in to class in high school…
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Nice job on the Rush in the background…Vegemite is pretty raunchy…BUT I did go through two small jars of it while living in Oz…you’re missing an essential ingredient:
CHEESE
Slice up some aged white cheddar (in Oz they call it “tasty”) cheese and toss that on top, best while the toast is still hot, butter is melted and a thin layer of vegemite. The cheese will melt ever so slightly. It’s actually quite good that way…just a hint of the saltiness, but contrasted with the cheese, it’s quite nice.
To settle the score between marmite and vegemite – Dave and Rob – and, coming from an objective source with no emotional ties to either Oz or NZ – THEY TASTE THE BLOODY SAME. Get over it. We were staying with our Kiwi friends in Vancouver who swore that marmite was much more superior to vegemite…so I tried it there. They also had vegemite so I could compare them side by side.
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:26 am
I LOVE cheese, with anything! You’re right, I bet that’s amazing. I’m totally willing to try it all again, even if I did have an upset stomach for hours afterward. And I seriously need to try Marmite, at least for comparison.
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Dave Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
I must admit that while I’ll happily eat vegemite (and butter) on toast by itself, adding tasty cheese is my usual combination.
Damn it’s good. Really gonna miss it over the next few months – somehow I suspect it might be a little hard to track down in the middle of Mekong Delta.
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Candice Reply:
May 16th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
You’ll just appreciate it that much more when you return home.
Dave Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Taste the bloody same?? Heathen.
Seriously though, you didn’t find Marmite noticeably sweeter? Maybe it’s like the difference between an Aussie and Kiwi accent – we think it’s like chalk and cheese and the rest of the world can’t tell the difference.
Oh, and it’s not a Kiwi / Aussie rivalry thing – I’m a Kiwi, yet will always go for Vegemite.
I presume it was Kiwi/Aussie Marmite that you had, right? The Brits make it too, but to a different receipt that really tastes awful.
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Dave Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
*recipe, not reciept
Although Marmite does taste like it’s been made from boiled receipts, so perhaps I wasn’t far off…
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Haha. I just found this. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-878Nc4gzPA
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Yikes!! I’ve never tried Vegemite because I had Marmite as a kid and it was the grossest thing ever. They did have a great ad though with a guy dressed up as a jar of Marmite in a parking lot offering samples and half the people were chasing him to grab more and the other half were chasing him to beat him up lol
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Hahaha, it’s all about good marketing! Check out the video Carlo posted. Epic
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I always wondering what Vegemite was. Doesn’t look very appetizing…
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Heather Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 7:24 am
*always wondered – guess this is what grad school in English does to your grammar…
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Try it, it’s worth the facial expressions.
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In a move that will disgust everyone, everywhere, I lived on peanut butter and marmite on pita on my cycle around the south island of New Zealand. Salty and proteiny, and supermarket pita starts out stale and flat, so it doesn’t get much worse over the course of a trip.
I don’t hate it, and if I buy it I will go back to it and eat it until it’s gone, but I couldn’t say I crave it. And I certainly wouldn’t follow the behavior of the subject in Carlo’s video!
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:28 am
I need more Vegemite so I can try all these interesting recipes now…peanut butter and Marmite pita?! Amazing.
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I grew up on Marmite, in Holland. You have to use very little! It is definitely an acquired taste, but what fun would the traveling life be without acquiring some new awesomeness!
On your travels, when in Armenia, try some cowfoot soup in the winter months.
Happy eating!
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:28 am
Ok, what is cowfoot soup?!
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Ugh! Vegemite is nasy! My Australian friend in college made my try it and I nearly puked at just the smell. Gross!
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Candice Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:29 am
Yeah, I don’t know of anyone ever trying and being all, “Damnnn, that was delicious.” Hahaha.
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You have thoroughly cracked me up – I had a similar experience in Oz trying Vegemite – expect for every single Aussie I met kept insisting that I was eating it the wrong way and would make me try it again with some other gross combination of vegemite and other substances. Always tasted nasty to me!
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Candice Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 4:10 am
Hahaha, someone else said the exact same thing. Hilarious!
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Just to answer the above question: Bovril is similar, but based on beef. You can actually get it as a hot drink too (like hot chocolate/coffee). I’d describe that as ‘beef juice’, make what you want of that.
Marmite is still far superior though. To explain the product: Yeast Extract is the main ingredient (of Marmite and vegemite). This comes from the sludge left over from beer brewerys. It is refined and has spices added to create the final product.
Twiglets (do you guys in North America have that?) tend to be coated in Marmite style flavour too. Again an aquired taste!
I only really have it on toast but I’ve seen it used it random dishes and mixed with other sauces.
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Candice Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 4:11 am
Twiglets sound super interesting, hahaha. I should get you to mail me some Marmite packets at some point.
I’ll pass on the Bovril, though.
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Try it on a bagel too and go easy with the vegemite layer – you should still be able to see some margarine.
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