Since we cannot go on vacations, my wife decided to explore new ways to be adventurous and, on a whim, she brought home a small jar of Marmite.
We knew that this substance is popular in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. But we also had heard other things about it. A colleague of ours had spent months in Australia with his cousins, who, in his words, "loved that stuff," and his opinion of it was quite low. Then, again, he also hated mayonnaise.
Before you google Marmite, let me tell you that it's a dark, yeasty flavored paste, of a treacly consistency. And the taste can be quite off-putting, to say it nicely. That was my reaction when I first tried it on bread. While I wondered why people were willing to eat it, I pondered what others might think about food that some consider perfect. If my first experience with sushi wasn't pleasant, what would Europeans say about biscuits and gravy or clam chowder, what would Asians do with blue cheese?
To make a long story short, a South African friend came to the rescue and told us that Marmite should be very thinly spread, as an almost invisible layer, on buttered toast or a cracker.
We tried it that way… and it was definitely good! We are glad we gave Marmite a second chance.
I am Francisco Solares-Larrave, and this is my perspective.
