#Marmite

It is very early Saturday morning - a beautiful morning - bright, sunny and quiet - what a change without the blustery winds we have had for the last week or so. I have finished my bike ride and still no one is about much. I have a lot to do today. My youngest son is soon back for the week and the twins have arranged some time off too. An activity week on the Isle of Wight is planned. But it is a bit early for domestic jobs - so a quick blog - ha! Coffee made so here goes!

I am prompted to write this blog about Marmite by the coronavirus. Why so I am sure you are dying to learn? Well - Marmite has been part of my everyday breakfast since I was a young boy (or younger!). Most days now I have a teaspoon full of Marmite in a cup of boiling water to make a drink (after a vigorous stir) - occasionally the more orthodox - on toast or crackers! Anyway I take Marmite for granted - never think about it normally - consume it without much thought - I just really like the savoury taste and I have a notion it has goodness in it.

So the effect of the Coronavirus. The first effect was to prompt a Marmite scare. Supplies of Marmite might be running short - was a news headline. What - how can that be?  Well Marmite is made from a yeast extract. I knew that - but so what? Well we learn the yeast extract is actually a bi-product of the beer brewing industry. The covid lockdown has closed our pubs - real ale sales have plummeted as a result - brewers respond - much less beer being brewed - much less brewers yeast bi-product available - the threat of Marmite shortages!

The other covid effect on my marmite supply - like many others I started to use online shopping for groceries as a response to the covid lockdown. Marmite is always on my shopping list. I don't know if you use online shopping but one issue with it is what happens if they do not have the item you have ordered in stock? The default is they send a near replacement instead. I was sent a jar of Marmite XO. Marmite XO? Marmite XO - extra old - apparently crafted by the Marmite master blenders for the true Marmite connoisseur! Marmite XO takes 4 times as long as regular Marmite to mature it says. When I looked it up I am also now aware Marmite does a reduced salt version. After all these years I start thinking about what is in my regular tipple - ha!

Anyway prompted by these thoughts I did some research. Here is the trivia I came up with! :

• Marmite was invented by German scientist Justus von Liebig and originally made in the United Kingdom.
• The product is notable as a vegan source of B vitamins, including supplemental Vitamin B₁₂.
• Marmite is a sticky, dark brown food paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour, that is extremely salty. This distinctive taste is represented in the marketing slogan: "Love it or hate it." Such is its prominence in British popular culture that the product's name is often used as a metaphor for something that is an acquired taste or tends to polarise opinions. Marmite is a commonly used ingredient in dishes as a flavouring, as it is particularly rich in umami due to its very high levels of glutamate.
• The image on the front of the jar shows a marmite (French: [maʁmit]), a French term for a large, covered earthenware or metal cooking pot. Marmite was originally supplied in earthenware pots but since the 1920s has been sold in glass jars.
• The product that was to become Marmite was invented during the late 19th century when German scientist Justus von Liebig discovered that brewer's yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten. During 1902, the Marmite Food Extract Company was formed in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, England with Marmite as its main product and Burton as the site of the first factory. The by-product yeast needed for the paste was supplied by Bass Brewery. By 1907, the product had become successful enough to warrant construction of a second factory at Camberwell Green in London.
• By 1912, the discovery of vitamins was a boost for Marmite, as the spread is a rich source of the vitamin B complex; with the vitamin B₁ deficiency beri-beri being common during World War I, the spread became more popular. British troops during World War I were issued Marmite as part of their rations.
• During the 1930s, Marmite was used by the English scientist Lucy Wills to successfully treat a form of anaemia in mill workers in Bombay. She later identified folic acid as the active ingredient. Marmite was used to treat malnutrition by Suriya-Mal workers during the 1934–5 malaria epidemic in Sri Lanka. Housewives were encouraged to spread Marmite thinly and to "use it sparingly just now" because of limited rations of the product.
• During 1990, Marmite Limited, which had become a subsidiary of Bovril Limited, was bought by CPC International Inc, which changed its name to Best Foods Inc during 1998. Best Foods Inc subsequently merged with Unilever during 2000, and Marmite is now a trademark owned by Unilever.
• While the process is secret, the general method for making yeast extract on a commercial scale is to add salt to a suspension of yeast, making the solution hypertonic, which results in the cells shrivelling; this triggers autolysis, during which the yeast self-destructs. The dying yeast cells are then heated to complete their breakdown, and since yeast cells have thick cell walls which would detract from the smoothness of the end product, the husks are sieved out. As with other yeast extracts, Marmite contains free glutamic acids, which are analogous to monosodium glutamate.
• Presently, the main ingredients of Marmite are glutamic acid-rich yeast extract, with lesser quantities of salt, vegetable extract, spice extracts and celery extracts, although the precise composition is a trade secret. Some sources suggest that Vitamin B₁₂ is not naturally found in yeast extract, and is only present because it is added to Marmite during manufacture. Others indicate that "Brewer's and nutritional yeast extracts are also a rich source of B vitamins, particularly B-1, B-2, B-3, B-6, B-12, and folic acid.
• Marmite is rich in B vitamins including thiamin (B₁), riboflavin (B₂), niacin (B₃), folic acid (B₉) and vitamin B₁₂. The sodium content of the spread is high and has caused concern, although it is the amount per serving rather than the percentage in bulk Marmite that is relevant. The main ingredient of Marmite is yeast extract, which contains a high concentration of glutamic acid. Marmite is not gluten free, as it is made with wheat, and although it is thoroughly washed, it may contain small quantities of gluten.
• Marmite should be avoided if a person takes a MAOI antidepressant, such as phenelzine (Nardil) or tranylcypromine (Parnate), as yeast extracts interact adversely with these types of medications due to their tyramine content.
• Marmite is presently fortified with added vitamins, resulting in it being banned temporarily in Denmark, which disallows foodstuffs that have been fortified until they have been tested. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration stated during 2015 that Marmite had not been banned in the country, but that fortified foods need to be tested for safety and approved before they can be marketed in the country. During 2014, suppliers applied for a risk assessment to be performed after which Marmite became available in Denmark.
• Marmite's publicity campaigns initially emphasised the spread's healthy nature, extolling it as "The growing up spread you never grow out of". The first major Marmite advertising campaign began during the 1930s, with characters whose faces incorporated the word "good". Soon afterwards, the increasing awareness of vitamins was used in Marmite advertising, with slogans proclaiming that "A small quantity added to the daily diet will ensure you and your family are taking sufficient vitamin B to keep nerves, brain, and digestion in proper working order".
• During the 1980s, the spread was advertised with the slogan "My mate, Marmite", chanted in television commercials by an army platoon. The spread had been a standard vitamin supplement for British-based German POWs during the Second World War.
• By the 1990s Marmite's distinctive and powerful flavour had earned it as many detractors as it had fans, and it was known for producing a polarised "love/hate" reaction amongst consumers. For many years television advertisements for Marmite featured the song "Low Rider" by the band War with the lyrics changed to the phrase "My Mate, Marmite". Marmite began a "Love it or Hate it" campaign during October 1996, and this resulted in the inventing of the phrase "Marmite effect" or "Marmite reaction" for anything which provoked controversy.

So what have I learned from this in depth analysis? Well surprised to note Marmite - a quintessentially English breakfast spread was invented by a German and it qualifies to be eaten by vegans and Muslim's. I am reassured that it does appear to be good for you with all those B Vitamins. I would be surprised if I was short of thiamin , riboflavin , niacin , folic acid or B12. I had a quick look at what they do for the body - and it all seems good - ha! The only down side seems to be the high salt content. I have tried low salt products before - aware that too much salt is not good - but I think I will stick with my usual Marmite and take the risk!

And Marmite XO ? - for the Marmite aficionados. I am going to dismiss it as a marketing ploy - a bit like all the now versions of Colgate toothpaste - they all do the same thing! 

Oh and I have to mention the Oz version of our Marmite - Vegemite. Amazingly they claim it is better. I have a jar. I use it now and again to add a bit extra to a stock cube - in the way you might use an inferior dash of red wine lol!

Finally one that made me chuckle from the Marmite marketing. Did you know Marmite is the most confiscated branded food at London city airport? The English travelling abroad cannot do without their Marmite - although for myself I never take it - I want to eat what the locals eat - but having said that when I get back to the UK there are always 2 things I especially look forward to - a pint of Real Ale - and a generous spread of Marmite ( not together of course!) 

My mate Marmite comes out on top. You either love it or hate it!