Marmite (/[invalid input: 'icon']ˈmɑːrmaɪt/ MAR-myt) is the brand name for two similar food spreads: the original British version, since 2000 a Unilever product; and a modified version produced in New Zealand by Sanitarium Health Food Company and distributed in Australasia and the Pacific. Marmite is made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing. Other similar products include the Australian Vegemite and AussieMite, the Swiss Cenovis and the German Vitam-R.

The British version of the product is a sticky, dark brown paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour, which is extremely salty. This distinctive taste is reflected in the British company's marketing slogan: "Love it or hate it."

A version with a different flavour^[1] has been manufactured in New Zealand since 1919. This is the only product sold as Marmite in Australasia and the Pacific, whereas elsewhere in the world the British version predominates.

The image on the front of the British jar shows a "marmite" (French: [maʁmit]), a French term for a large, covered earthenware or metal cooking pot.^[2] British Marmite was originally supplied in earthenware pots, but since the 1920s has been sold in glass jars of approximately the same shape.^[3] A thinner version in squeezable plastic jars was introduced in March 2006.

The product that was to become Marmite was invented in the late 19th century when German scientist Justus von Liebig discovered that brewer's yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten.^[4][5] In 1902 the Marmite Food Extract Company was formed in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England by the Gilmour family, with Marmite as its main product and Burton as the site of the first factory. The product took its name from the "marmite" (French: [maʁmit]), a French term for a large, covered earthenware or metal cooking pot.^[2] The labels of the UK product still carry the image of a marmite. The by-product yeast needed for the paste was supplied by Bass Brewery. By 1907, the product had become successful enough to warrant construction of a second factory at Camberwell Green in London.^[6]

The product's popularity prompted the Sanitarium Health Food Company to obtain sole rights to distribute the product in New Zealand and Australia in 1908.^[7] They later began manufacturing Marmite under licence in Christchurch, albeit using a modified version of the original recipe, most notable for its inclusion of sugar and caramel.^[1] Common ingredients are also slightly different quantities from the British version;^[1] the New Zealand version has high levels of potassium, for example. New Zealand Marmite is described as having a "weaker" or "less tangy" flavour than the British version.^[1] It is distributed throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

During World War I British troops were issued with Marmite as part of their rations.^[4] Marmite was used to treat malnutrition in Suriya-Mal workers during the 1934–5 malaria epidemic in Sri Lanka.^[8]

In 1990, Marmite Limited—which had become a subsidiary of Bovril Limited—was bought by CPC International Inc, which changed its name to Best Foods Inc in 1998. Best Foods Inc subsequently merged with Unilever in 2000, and Marmite is now a trademark owned by Unilever.^[9]

There are a number of similar yeast products available in other countries, which are not directly connected to the original Marmite recipe and brand. The most well known in English-speaking countries^{[citation needed]} is the Australian product Vegemite which is also distributed in many countries and AussieMite which is sold in the UK through Waitrose stores. Other products are Cenovis, a Swiss spread and since 1913, Vegex, a similar autolyzed yeast product has been available in the USA. It is sold by CEA, a not-for-profit organisation.^[10]

Initially, Marmite was popular with vegetarians as a meat-free alternative to beef extract products such as Bovril, which were popular in the late 19th and early 20th century.^{[citation needed]}

Marmite is traditionally eaten as a savoury spread on bread, toast, savoury biscuits (crackers in US usage), and other similar baked products. Owing to its concentrated taste it is usually spread thinly with butter or margarine. Marmite can also be made into a winter drink by adding one teaspoon to a mug of hot water much like Bovril.

Marmite is paired with cheese (such as in a cheese sandwich) and has been used as an additional flavouring in Mini Cheddars, a cheese-flavoured biscuit snack. Similarly, it has been used by Walkers Crisps for a special-edition flavour, is sold as a flavouring on rice cakes (available in the UK) and has introduced, with local Dorset bakery Fudges, Marmite Biscuits in the UK. Starbucks UK has a cheese and Marmite Panini on their menu.^[11]

In New Zealand, Sanitarium, the NZ Marmite company, recommends spreading it on bread with potato crisps added to make a "Marmite and Chippie" sandwich.^[12] In Singapore and Malaysia, Marmite is popularly added to plain rice congee to give it a strong, salty flavour.

In 2003, the Absolute Press published Paul Hartley's The Marmite Cookbook, containing recipes and suggestions on how to blend Marmite with other foodstuffs. In August 2006, as part of the launch of squeezy Marmite, celebrity chef Gary Rhodes created a dessert consisting of coffee ice cream topped with chocolate sauce with a dash of Marmite.^[13]

While the process is secret, the general method for making yeast extract on a commercial scale is to add salt to a suspension of yeast, making the solution hypertonic, which leads to the cells shrivelling up; this triggers "autolysis", in which the yeast self-destructs. The dying yeast cells are then heated to complete their breakdown, and since yeast cells have thick hull walls which would detract from the smoothness of the end product, the husks are sieved out. As with other yeast extracts, Marmite contains free glutamic acids, which are analogous to monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Today, the main ingredients of Marmite manufactured in the UK are glutamic acid-rich yeast extract, with lesser quantities of sodium chloride (table salt), vegetable extract, niacin, thiamine, spice extracts, riboflavin, folic acid, and celery extracts, although the precise composition is a trade secret.^[14] By 1912, the discovery of vitamins was a boost for Marmite, as the spread is a rich source of the vitamin B complex; vitamin B₁₂ is not naturally found in yeast extract, but is added to Marmite during manufacture. With the vitamin B₁ deficiency beri-beri being common during the First World War, the spread became more popular.^[15]

In the 1930s, Marmite was used by the English scientist Lucy Wills to identify folic acid and its effect in suppressing anaemia.^[16] Besides folic acid (Vitamin B₉) Marmite has useful quantities of several other vitamins, even in small servings. The sodium (salt) content of the spread is high and has caused concern, but the amount per serving, not the percentage in bulk Marmite, is the significant factor, and the slice of bread it is served on will probably contain more salt. The main ingredient of Marmite is yeast extract, which contains a high concentration of glutamic acid, a known excitotoxin. Marmite made in the United Kingdom is gluten-free.^[17]

Marmite's publicity campaigns initially emphasised the spread's healthy nature, extolling it as "The growing up spread you never grow out of." During the 1980s, the spread was advertised with the slogan "My mate, Marmite", chanted in television commercials by an army platoon. (The spread had been a standard vitamin supplement for British-based German POWs during the Second World War.)

A 2004 UK TV advert, which parodied the 1958 Steve McQueen film The Blob, substituting Marmite for the original alien space menace and including scenes of fleeing crowds, was dropped from children's television after concerned parents reported that their children had been scared by the adverts and had nightmares after viewing them.^[21]

In 2006, a new "squeezy" jar of Marmite was released. The container is made of flexible plastic which can be squeezed to dispense the product. When first launched, the "Marmite" logo was replaced by the words "Squeeze me".

Paddington Bear featured in the Marmite UK TV advertisement (broadcast on 13 September 2007); in which he tries a Marmite and cheese sandwich instead of his traditional marmalade sandwich. When he offers the sandwiches to other characters, he gets mixed and often dramatic reactions.^[22]

In 2011, Unilever launched a new campaign themed around recipes that use Marmite. The campaign was called "Haute Cuisine, Love Marmite Recipes", with the "u" in Haute being blocked by a jar of Marmite at the end of the commercial making "Hate Cuisine".^[23]

By the 1990s, another aspect entered the company's marketing efforts; Marmite's distinctive and powerful flavour had earned it as many detractors as it had fans, and it was commonly notorious for producing a polarised "love/hate" reaction amongst consumers. Modern advertisements play on this, and Marmite runs a dual skinned website with two URLs; I Love Marmite and I Hate Marmite, where people may share their experiences of Marmite and are actively encouraged to fuel this debate, as prompted by the I Hate Marmite registration form. This resulted in the coining of the phrase "Marmite effect" or "Marmite reaction" for anything which provokes such strong and polarised feelings.^[24]

On 22 April 2010, Unilever threatened legal action against the British National Party (BNP) for using a jar of Marmite and the "love it or hate it" slogan in their television adverts.^[25]

As Sanitarium has the exclusive right to the Marmite name in Australasia, Unilever International,UK & Ireland sells the British Marmite as Our Mate in Australia and New Zealand through local distributors.

In Denmark, food safety legislation dictates that foodstuffs which contain added vitamins can only be sold by retailers which have been licensed by the Veterinary and Food Administration.^[26] In May 2011, the company which imports the product to Denmark revealed that it wasn't licensed and had therefore stopped selling the product: this led to widespread but inaccurate reports in the British media that Marmite had been banned by the Danish authorities.^[27][28][29]

In the Netherlands Marmite 125g jar and 200g Squeeze jar are available through major Dutch retailers like Albert Heijn, Jumbo and Plus.

In November 2011, Sanitarium shut down the sole production line of New Zealand Marmite at its Christchurch factory after a cooling tower at the factory was deemed unsafe, having cracked in the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and its aftershocks. On 19 March 2012, the company announced that its own stocks of Marmite had run out and the production line was not expected to be running again until July. Some supermarkets reported at the time they had already run out of stock, and there was only a few weeks of stock left in their distribution centres, leading to the dubbing of Marmite as "black gold" and the crisis as "Marmageddon".^[30][31][32]

Immediately after the announcement, there was reported panic buying of Marmite from supermarkets,^[33] and over one hundred auctions for jars of Marmite, new and used, were listed on online auction site TradeMe, with some sellers asking for up to NZ$800 per jar; over 185 times its usual retail price of around $4.25 per 250g jar^[34][35] People were advised to use the spread sparingly, with even Prime Minister John Key admitting he may have to switch to Australian rival Vegemite once his personal supplies run out.^[36]

In June 2012, it was announced that additional structural damage had been uncovered at the factory, and the proposed July return to production was pushed out to October.^[37]

In 2002 a 100th anniversary jar was released.

In February 2007 Marmite produced a limited edition Guinness Marmite of 300,000 250g jars of their yeast extract with 30% Guinness yeast. The Guinness Marmite has a more subtle and smoother taste. Although it is alcohol free, it still retains a noticeable hint of "Guinness" flavour. Its consistency is slightly less viscous than the normal Marmite.

In January 2008 a new special edition, Champagne Marmite, was released for Valentine's Day 2008.^[38] The limited-edition run of 600,000 units was initially released exclusively to Selfridges of London, then across the UK, from 21 January. With 0.3% champagne added to the recipe, the spread is effectively non-alcoholic, but does have a sweeter smell than the regular spread, a slightly lighter hue, and, like the Guinness edition, a runnier consistency than usual. The special edition also has a modified label in the shape of a heart with "I love you" instead of the regular Marmite logo, and is decorated with italic writing and cherubs. The lid has also been made a golden colour to match the label, and altered to emulate a champagne bottle. A new touch to the jar is a space on the back to write in the name of one's valentine onto the jar.

In 2009, a limited edition Marston's Pedigree Marmite was launched to celebrate the 2009 Ashes Cricket test series.^[39]

On 8 March 2010 Unilever released a specially-brewed extra-strong version of the spread called "Marmite XO", "XO" mimicking a grade of brandy known as Extra Old. Quotes from back of the jar include 'Marmite XO Extra Old' and 'Using four specially selected yeast sources, our master blender has crafted the secret Marmite recipe and matured it four times longer to create a Marmite so strong and full bodied it can only be for the most devoted of lovers'.^[40][41][42]

April 2012 saw the release of a special edition jar in commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. With the product renamed "Ma'amite," the redesigned label featured a colour scheme based upon the British Union Flag, the marmite and spoon logo replaced by a gold crown, and a red, rather than yellow, cap.^[43] The front label also declares "Made with 100% British Yeast". Coinciding with the 110th anniversary of the brand, production was limited to 300 thousand units.^[44]

For Christmas 2012 a gold limited edition, containing gold coloured flecks. Marmite is also sponsoring London's 2012 Oxford Street Christmas lights along the mile long display. It will run from Marble Arch to Poland Street for a six week period. ^[45][46]

Historically the product was available in 2, 4, 8 and 16 oz jars.

• Marmite 125g
• Marmite 250g
• Marmite 500g
• Marmite 600g – (Catering size, in a plastic tub rather than the normal glass jar)
• Marmite Love portions (6 x 8g) – (sold individually in some cafés)
• Marmite Squeeze 200g
• Marmite Big Squeeze 400g
• Limited Edition Guinness Marmite 250g – white lid, white label, dark brown jar^[47]
• Limited Edition Champagne Marmite 250g – yellow lid, yellow label, dark brown jar^[48]
• Limited Edition Marston's Pedigree 250g – browny-gold lid, browny- gold label, dark red jar^[49]
• Marmite XO 250g – black lid, black label, dark brown jar^[50]
• Limited Edition "Ma'amite" Diamond Jubilee edition 250g - red lid, red, white & blue label, brown jar
• Limited Edition "Gold" 250g - contains edible gold flecks and packaged in a gold wrapped jar with gold lid^[51]

• Marmite Flavour Breadsticks 30g packets – [Paper Box]^[52]
• Marmite Flavour Rice Cakes 30g and 110g packets (Black)^[52]
• Marmite Flavour Breadsticks 30g (Black)^[52]
• Marmite Flavour Rice Cakes 30g (Black)^[52]
• Marmite Flavour Crisps 25g (Black)^[52]
• Marmite Flavour Cheddar Circle Bites^[53]
• Marmite Oven Baked Cashew Nuts (Black)^[52]
• Marmite Flavour Cheddar Cheese (Black)^[52]
• Marmite Very Peculiar Milk Chocolate (Black)^[54]
• Marmite flavour sausages, licensed to Broad Oak Farm^[55]

• A Monster Ate My Marmite
• 100 Things to do with Marmite
• The Bumper Book of Marmite
• The Little Book Of Marmite Tips

• The Marmite World Cookbook
• The Marmite Cookbook

• Ambient food
• Guinness Yeast Extract
• Promite
• Twiglets
• Vegemite
• Cenovis
• Nutritional yeast

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marmite.

• Official UK Marmite site
• Official New Zealand Marmite site
• The Marmite FAQ
• Feature on Marmite from The Independent
• Official Marmite Community on Facebook