The Joys of Marmite.

I was born in England and therefore raised on a certain savory spread called marmite as all properly brought up British children are. When my family brought me over to America, I became the weird one in school with marmite & cream cheese sandwiches instead of PB&J. Bad for my social life, excellent for my health!
It's a staple in most households in Britain and I for one still get panicky as soon as the jar is getting low. I had a problem finding it in grocery stores on Long Island, NY but happily found is was abundant in New York City where Dan & I work and play now. I bought the extra large 500 grams jar at an indian food store called "Goods of India next door to Kalustyans on Lexington Ave.

Marmite is simply yeast extract and a by-product of beer brewing. It looks like a thick dark brown syrup but is a salty almost tangy taste, vegan friendly and full of B vitamins and folic acid (very important for women). Apparantly, a 4g serving will give you 35.6% of your daily Niacin, 16.6% Thiamin, 17.5% Riboflavin, 60% B12 and 50% Folic acid intake of the day. Sold.
The original company producing it as its main product was started in 1902 and a similar version of it from Australia and New Zealand was developed called Vegemite. It seems to not be a taste most Americans enjoy, although they should because its delicious and nutritious and I'm writing this to hopefully change that.

Contrary to stereotypical belief, marmite does not solely have to be enjoyed on a crumpet *delicious! or on a piece of buttered toast with a pot of tea (although I highly recommend both of these). That's why I decided to do some research and blog for you some interesting things to do with marmite and different techniques to try. My goal is to convert at least one person out there into a marmite believer!

Drink it!
Marmite can be made into a hearty & low calorie drink just by adding hot water to however many teaspoonfuls you'd like to consume. A little goes a long way! This is especially good for the cold winter months or if you're home in bed with the flu. All the B vitamins will boost your immune system.

Grill it!
For dinner tonight you can make a marmite marinade for those boring chicken breasts! Completely cover the chicken in a mix of 3 tablespoons plain yogurt like Fage, 4 teaspoons of Marmite & half a lemon squeezed and blended well. Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. Grill chicken on a cast iron grill (about 10 minutes).

Spread it!
Cream cheese, cucumber and marmite on whole wheat bread sandwiches. Just trust me on this one.
If the cream cheese is too weird for you try slices of cheddar or white american, and tomato optional. Also delicious.

Mix it!
You can use marmite as a flavor booster and salt substitute for things like scrambled eggs that need a little kick. Think: soups, stews, stir-frys, meatloaf, gravies and cassaroles. Really anything you'd use beef broth or beef extract in try marmite instead. Voila! your new favorite secret ingredient.




A couple favorite recipes using Marmite from All Recipes.com:

Marmite Mince: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/marmite-mince/Detail.aspx
Marmite Fried Rice: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/fried-rice-with-marmite/Detail.aspx