I Try It So You Don’t Have To: Marmite and Vegemite

I have had this taste test simmering for a couple of weeks. A friend of mine recommended Vegemite as an idea for a future article. I figured I would add Marmite to the sampling to help resolve the age old question of which of these often hated items was the worst, or the best as the case may be. It took me two stops to pick up both jars, my first stop had only Marmite. My 2nd stop had both on the shelf next to one another, like bosom buddies.

 No not those bosom buddies, these bosom buddies.

OK I think that is my quota of bosoms for this article. First up was the smell test. The Marmite was first and it was actually pretty pleasant, the malty, yeasty scent was a bit like beer, which is good in my book. The Vegemite was next and it had a very similar, albeit stronger scent. Both of them reminded me of a product called Ferretvite, which has malt extract as a base. It however, is not fit for human consumption. Ferrets dig it though.

The most common way to eat either Vegemite or Marmite is a thin layer spread on toast with butter or margarine. I don’t have any margarine in the house so butter was the way to go. Before I could do that I had to try it straight from the jar.

Marmite had the honors, I had read that Vegemite was the stronger flavor so I wanted to ease into it. I had tried Vegemite once years ago and didn’t recall it being a wonderful experience. I also recall trying a full spoon of it due to  an alcohol fueled bet so that may have something to do with it.

I took a bit on a spoon and dug in.

I have to say it was pretty tasty. Very very salty but it had a savory, rich yumminess that I found pretty palatable. On to the Vegemite.

A much stronger version of some of the same flavors. Pretty overpowering overall and not nearly as enjoyable as the Marmite. It had a bitter aftertaste that I did not care for at all.

The saltiness of the Marmite made me think of a beef bouillon cube that had been dissolved in not enough water, or condensed onion soup. Not something you really want to eat on it’s own but there is something there that you want to work with. The Vegemite, not so much. Lets see how they fare in their recommended application, buttered toast.

Nothing fancy here, just butter on a piece of wheat toast. Evenly spead on either half was Marmite on the left and Vegemite on the right.

The color difference is a pretty solid sign of intensity. The Marmite was much easier to spread than the denser Vegemite. The tasting on toast went pretty much the same as the raw test. The Vegemite was far better with the backdrop of toast and better but still not for me.  The Marmite was really delicious, so much so that I am pretty happy to have it in the house as a snack. The Vegemite can stick around for the next booze fueled dare.

If you have a salt tooth like I do and enjoy intense savory flavors I would recommend you give Marmite a whirl.

Sorry Australia, England wins this one.