Yesterday, I wrote about bliss.
Today, something similar, close to bliss, nostalgia, the taste of one’s childhood.
Black sludge on toast… Marmite
Marmite was a strange stuff, it came from a jar and was spread thinly on toast for breakfast, and if you were really unlucky and your mother had run the gamut of her imagination, you got it in your sandwiches for school lunch too.
On enquiry as to the origins of Marmite, one discovered that while mother knew a lot, she couldn’t really define Marmite.
She bought Vegemite once, and once only. It tasted funny, it came from Australia, but it wasn’t Marmite.
I only really found out the whole story from a post I included on Things that Fizz & Stuff. Interesting, it took me sixty years to discover the mystery of Marmite.
“The story really begins in the late 19th Century, when an edible by-product was first extracted from the yeast used by brewers to make beer. In 1902, Britain’s Marmite Extract Food Company came into being, taking its name from the French word “marmite”, for large pot.” – BBC News
Life moves at a leisurely pace.
Life is but a Labyrinth 
I had an Australian friend who swore by Vegemite. Although at the time I was not particularly open to new food experiences, he was insistent and I gave in. The taste remains with me to this day.
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>tom, as I said Vegemite is strange, but once tasted, never forgotten.
AV
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I must be one of the lucky ones, it was never forced on me ha. Interesting origin though. Now, where did peanut butter and Apricot jam on fried bread come from? An Australian introduced me to it 😉
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>CCB, we were never forced, it was just a part of life. Peanut butter and Apricot jam on fried bread, now that’s sounds disgusting.
AV
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It’s actually delicious but I have a problem selling to my pommie mates 😉
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>CCB, don’t get me wrong, I love the stuff. Just can’t get it in Brazil.
AV
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hi there! funny to read your post, we’ve got a Marmite challenge going on between an Englishman and an Italian, check it out in my post
http://adventureincroatia.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/cold-weather-dont-worry-re-heat-some-ribollita/
would love to hear your comments!!! ciao
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>OAiC, yes, I see the idea is quite topical, have commented over there. Also added your blogs to my Blogger’s Cafe, the links are in your comments.
AV
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yes I looked up the link!! love it! ciao and see you around in BlogoLand 🙂
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I have to hold up my hand here. The picture I used for the Marmite challenge was stolen from your blog. I apologise profusely and I am grovelling and wringing my flat cap in shame. I nearly stole the pic of the toast but there didn’t seem to be enough Marmite spread on them.
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>Pecora Nera, sitting here laughing my socks off (coffee would have been spilt had it been earlier in the day). Most of my images are stolen, inc the two you are destroying your flat cap over. I credit images where I think there would be a copyright, but otherwise not. If the images are mine (you can usually tell these by their miserable quality) you are welcome to purloin them with a credit. I love Marmite, but I don’t slather it on; I consider it is in the a-litle-goes-a-long-way category.
Thanks for these visits to my blogs and the fun.
AV
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Thank you for being so understanding about the pics. There is a lot of money riding on the Marmite Challenge about 1000 Italian Lira. When I win 🙂 I will donate the money for flights to Brazil so that we can meet you. The lady from Our Adventure in Croatia can stump up for the accommodation.
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>Pecora Nera, yes, I understand the ramifications. It’s not quite the Italian national debt, but these things are fun. Brazil is nearing summer, temps already in the high 30s, very dry though, need lots of beer.
AV
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