I prefer Promite to Vegemite, there, I said it! However curiosity got the better of me and I couldn't resist checking out The Vegemite Cookbook: Favourite recipes that taste like Australia by Vegemite. I was keen to discover some new and appetising recipes for this iconic Australian spread but there wasn't much to sink my teeth into.
Vegemite is made in Port Melbourne and I enjoyed seeing how the marketing has evolved over the years, both in the advertisements and the packaging. Having said that, I don't think I'll ever be able to embrace Vegemite Squeezy. In my opinion, squeeze bottles for tomato sauce, mayonnaise, honey and golden syrup were life changers but I just can't get my head around squeezing Vegemite.
Containing only 40 recipes, the book also includes interviews with staff who work for Vegemite which was a nice touch but not terribly interesting to this reader. I found it more compelling to be reminded of the fact Vegemite was given to our soldiers in WWII due to its high nutritional value and rich vitamin B content.
The book offers recipes for - you guessed it - breakfast, lunch and tea and there were the expected recipes like Vegemite on muffins or toast with eggs. My biggest takeaway was that Vegemite can be used in stews and bolognese and while I can't imagine it, I'm going to risk it and give it a go. I certainly won't be trying the Vegemite cheesecake.
What's your favourite way to eat Vegemite?
Carpe Librum!
Vegemite acts a bit like concentrated beef stock in cooking, it adds a bit of salty flavour which is quite delicious, even if you don't enjoy it on toast and such. So, enjoy, but use in moderation because it is quite strong! (And by the way, I like Promite, and Marmite too!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice Malvina, the recipes recommended using 1 tablespoon of Vegemite but I might begin conservatively and try 1/2 tablespoon for the first time. Wish me luck!
DeleteI love Vegemite and still have Vegemite sandwich for lunch sometimes. As kids we had it with hot water as a drink.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read your comment I thought you meant you had your Vegemite sandwich for lunch with a drink of hot water, blurgh! Then I realised it was more likely you meant you stirred Vegemite into hot water and drank it.. did you like it? Sounds like an Aussie Bovril. Did you have it when you were sick?
DeleteI'm a Promite kid too! Ever since my teens. But I'm happy to have Vegemite at other people's houses. And I always travel with a squeezy tube of Vegemite when I go overseas.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to discover you're also a Promite fan Andrea! I tasted it for the first time when a friend from QLD introduced it to me in my teens and I was an immediate fan. I bet your tube of Vegemite is popular on your travels.
DeleteThere is nothing better than Vegemite on thick white buttered toast, and my favourite sandwich filling is Vegemite, lettuce, and cheese. I also use it in stews, but not bolognese, and definitely not cheesecake.
ReplyDeletePromite (and Marmite) are awful.
I love how polarising the whole Promite/Vegemite thing is, almost as big as whether you think pineapple belongs on pizza (I do). But Vegemite (or Promite for that matter) with lettuce and cheese in a sandwich is hard to wrap my tastebuds around. I agree with the thick white buttered toast though, I also love cinnamon sugar that way too.
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