Marmite

Marmite 125g
Marmite is one of those things that people seem to either love or hate. I'm in the former camp. I think the way I was introduced to it has a lot to do with my positive impression. Marmite is very salty and rich, it's almost like a bouillon cube softened with butter. Well, not quite that salty. The British friends who gave me my first taste knew how to eat it and taught me right. /;+)

The British supposedly eat it on their toast to help boost their Vitamin B levels, as tea inhibits the absorption of B vitamins. And we all know the Brits drink a lot of tea. I look upon it as a stress reliever that tastes good, too.

Try it on toasted French bread, spread with lots of melty butter. Then, ever so lightly, spread a thin, very thin film of Marmite over the top. It should be barely tan on the ridges of the bread's surface, unless of course you find you like this salty spread, then have at it.

Tea, toast with Marmite, and a simple scrambled egg make a satisfying and tasty meal. Give it a try.

Added 10 May 2008: I posted this review before tasting the "new" Marmite. I had been using up my stash of Marmite from before they started getting PC and health conscious and all that nasty stuff. The new Marmite is less flavorful, thinner, and really not too appealing for a fan of the original version - I think it must be the veggie-no meat flavor. You can carmelize veggies until the cows come home (heh!), but they will never have as rich a flavor as beef. Unless, hmmm, maybe miso??? That's got a pretty rich flavor without meat. Maybe I need to add that to my "new" Marmite. Excuse the digression.

If you've never tried Marmite before, never fear. It's still got all the positives I mentioned at the top, but, for us fans of the beefy version, it's a little tame.