’Net Junkie
Vegemite gets the
’Net Junkie crackingLike most Americans, I attribute my introduction to the Australian cracker condiment Vegemite to the old Men at Work ditty "Down Under." You know, the one that goes: "Buying bread from a man from Brussels / He was 6 foot 4 and full of muscles / I said 'Do you speak-a my language?' / He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich."
Before the song hit the airwaves in 1983, many in the Northern Hemisphere had never heard of Vegemite. In fact, the word doesn't even appear in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (at least not in the American version). It had occurred to me that this may have something to do with Vegemite being a brand name, but if Spam and Band-Aid are allowed by Webster's, why not Vegemite?
If you've always wondered what exactly Vegemite is (it's been nagging me for 20 years now), try logging on to www.vegemite.com.au. According to its official Web site, Vegemite was created from yeast extract in 1922 by Cyril Callister, a 29-year-old chemist at the Fred Walker Cheese Co. in Australia. A year after its invention, the company, thrilled with the possibilities of the product, held a public "name that spread" campaign. The winning moniker was drawn from a hat, and its author picked up a cool 50 pounds -- in Aussie currency, that is, and not in Vegemite.
According to the Vegemite people, the salty spread actually has some nutritional value, despite its menacing appearance. They claim that ingredients like riboflavin, thiamine, folate and niacin aid in various functions of the digestive, muscular and circulatory systems, and that it is "one of the world's richest known sources of vitamin B."
I have yet to try Vegemite, although I imagine it's something of an acquired taste to those outside of Oz-land, just as poi is to those not native to Hawaii. For a humorous look at an American's first bite of Vegemite, try www.cockeyed.com/inside/vegemite/vegemite.html, where a pair of Yanks reluctantly sample the shiny black spread. If that doesn't dissuade you from giving it a try, an honest-to-goodness recipe for a Vegemite milkshake at members.tripod.com/~Greggles/mainpage.htm probably will.
Cheers, mate.
’Net Junkie drops every Monday.
Contact Shawn "Speedy" Lopes at slopes@starbulletin.com.
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