The other day, I received an extremely excellent package in the mail from the very Baron von Harlot herself. I know! How cool is that?! The contents of this package included one jar of real Australian Vegemite and one copy of TimT‘s new zine, Badger’s Dozen, featuring poetry by Tim, the Baron, and various other cool wordsmith-type people. I know you are jealous, but don’t be, because you can order the zine on Etsy, and I am going to tell you all about my adventures with vegemite so that you can share along with me.
Let me just say what big excitement this all was! I love to try new and interesting foodstuffs (in the limited manner I now can, without eating the meats and the cheeses and such). I had been warned about vegemite, however — warned, in fact, that it might taste “like condensed compost heap with salt.” Oh boy. What had I gotten myself into? Even though I had heard that the only people in the world who love vegemite are Australians and that it’s a taste that’s difficult to acquire, I forged ahead.
![[4/365] Operation Vegemite](https://i0.wp.com/farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/4245548001_9ac6d7c72c.jpg)
I spread a very thin layer on toast, as directed, and began my adventure. It tastes very nutty, sort of woodsy, dark, and salty. The flavor is strong in this one.
I later decided I liked to butter the toast first (or, in my case, I use Earth Balance, the vegan “buttery” spread), which sort of complements the vegemite flavor and makes it less concentrated. This isn’t to say I dislike the flavor, but just that I wanted to sort of weaken it a bit.
It occurred to me as I was spreading the stuff on my toast, though, that it sort of resembles toast spread with Nutella. Wouldn’t it be funny to offer someone a piece of toast with Nutella and give them this instead? Um, wait. Forget I said that next time you’re over at my house.
Mission: SUCCESS.
Will I Eat It Again: YES.
Raveling Out 
I might drive over there for a visit JUST to try it. I am so curious.
So, now, the only thing in my head is, “He just smiled, and gave me a Vegemite sandwich.”
I’ll be dreaming to the tunes of Men At Work tonight. Thanks.
C – I don’t think I’ll be able to go through the jar very fast, so next time I see you you’ll have to try some.
K – OMG, I know! That song has been in my head for 2 days now, sparked by every glance at the little brown jar.
Will this sort of post become a regular feature on E the I? If so, might I suggest giving natto a try (if you’re up for it)? Sho told me about it a while back. It sounds scary….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natt%C5%8D
Joyous ululations! N.B. I strongly discourage the Nutella/Vegemite swapperoo. That kind of shenanigan means tears before bedtime (I speak as someone whose brother once planted white saccharine tablets in her bowl of vanilla ice-cream).
B – According to that Wikipedia article, “Nattō can be an acquired taste because of its powerful smell, strong flavor, and sticky consistency.” Yup, sounds like I’ve got to try it. I have NO idea where I would get it here, but SOMEDAY.
A – Yeah, I would probably cry if that happened to me, too. I will only use this tactic on my sworn enemies.
I’m proud to have had a connection to this international
Woolworths/Vegemite promotional exercise!When you finish the jar, you can order more on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=vegemite&x=0&y=0
I have to admit you’ve sort of piqued my interest.
And where are my manners. Thank you for the wonderful zine plug!
You’ve got the right idea about vegemite and butter, by the way. The trick I think is to moisten the toast, so that the vegemite sinks right through it, and the flavour permeates it. To do this it’s advisable to butter the toast straight after it comes out of the toaster, let the butter melt and sink in and soften the surface, and then spread the vegemite lightly over the top.
TimT – No problem! And thanks for sending it along! I am working on perfecting my toast technique over here. Sounds like you’ve got a good method going. Having some more later; I’ll give this a try.
Timothy – Amazon! Holy crap; they have everything! Including, according to that link, cans of spotted dick and Scottish haggis! I repeat, HOLY CRAP.