Talk:Marmite

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[edit] Bovril?

"Bovril is a similar looking spread also made from yeast-extract (In the past it was made from beef)." Was this not changed back to beef in 2006? Just thought i'd mention it! Trevelyan (talk) 10:43, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Recipe change since Squeezable

I'm surprised to see no mention of the fact that the recipe appears to have been changed on the quiet since Squeezable was introduced. Jarred Marmite is now lighter and much runnier than it used to be and tastes weaker.

Never tried the Squeeze stuff as they still sell it in Jars over here in Canada. However, compared to when I had it in jars back in Ireland, it does taste a bit different. 216.59.245.168 03:40, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Source of Glutamate

It's a slight puzzle as to why the entry for this foodstuff omits the fact that it's the highest quantity of glutamate of any foodstuff except Monosodium Glutamate http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,1522368,00.html


[edit] Vitamin B12 claim

Vitamin B12 is light sensitive. So does Marmite's claim of B12 make sense as it is stored in glass jars?

The jars are made of very dark glass Bob Palin 15:18, 11 June 2006 (UTC)
But even B12 tablets have to be stored in opaque containers.
I've moved this text:
"(claims of B12 disputed, as B12 is sensitive to light and Marmite is stored in glass jars)"
out of the article as it's not NPOV unless we can provide something to back up the statement. (And no, I'm not a Marmite apologist - I like the stuff, eat the stuff, grew up with it but I don't really care if it's 60%, 20%, or -2 billion% of the RDA...) I've also adjusted the percentage to match the new RDA numbers. --Ckatz 05:52, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

But it is a fact that B12 is sensitive to light, so I do not think I am biased.

Try holding an empty Marmite jar up to the light, it's pretty dark, I doubt any significant reduction in B12 takes place especially as in a full jar most of the Marmite is shielded by the Marmite at the surface. Most Marmite jars are probably kept in dark cupboards anyway once they are off the shelves at the store. What is your motivation and why won't you sign your comments? Bob Palin 16:08, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
In fact the bottle says on it "store in a dark cool place" Bob Palin 17:33, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
To the IP editor: I'm not saying you are biased, and I apologize if you misinterpreted my remarks as such. We can discuss the subject on the Marmite talk page, base our responses on our knowledge, our logic, even our emotions, and then - if we desire - take personal action based upon the conclusions reached here. However, it's quite something else entirely to then write these conclusions into the Marmite article. If, however, a recognized body releases a study that says "we dispute the claims about B12 in Marmite due to concerns about storage" (or any sort of conclusion, for that matter), then the encyclopedia article can reference it. --Ckatz 05:28, 14 June 2006 (UTC)
P.S. Further to Bob Palin's comment above, you might want to consider registering a username. Given the high rate of vandalism on Wikipedia by anonymous editors, you might find that registering eliminates problems with your edits wherein people presume that you're less than serious. It's still essentially anonymous (who is "Ckatz" anyways?), but it says you're willing to take ownership of your edits. --Ckatz 05:28, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Avalibility in various countries

Availability of Marmite in the USA has improved somewhat over the last 5 years. I have lived in Upstate New York, Reno (near Lake Tahoe) Nevada, Atlanta Georgia, and Greenville South Carolina, and all of those places have had at least one regional-chain supermarket (suhc a Publix, Kroger, Safeway, etc.) that has carried Marmite. In addition newly emerging "health food" supermarkets, such as Whole Foods Market almost always carry Marmite. It's quite expensive at the American retail level, with a small pot of Marmite costing approximately $6.

You can also buy it at Tesco in Prague, Czech Republic, under their own brand name 'yeast extract'. As a childhood fan of marmite, I honestly can't taste any difference between this 'own brand' and the 'real thing'.

In Sweden, Marmite is available in the shops specialized in english food that can be found in the major cities. Also, it can be found in some shops selling health food and in at least one Hong Kong import shop. In Paris, France, all the indian food shops i looked into carried Marmite. Battra 18:15, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

I added the countries from http://www.marmite.co.uk/love/worldwide/ to the article. Battra 18:17, 20 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Breweries?

Is it worth mentioning that a marmite-esque odour is commonly emitted by breweries (for obvious reasons)? I lived on a 3rd-story flat in Slateford, Edinburgh, downwind of the breweries, and the smell of marmite was inescapable in the flat and for a considerable distance around it (which certainly pleased a marmite-loving flatmate, but I digress). 16:40, 5 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Proposal to change marmite jar!!!

My brother in the US has just emailed me an article from Slashfood that says Marmite are planning to change their traditional jar to a plastic one !!!! What shock horror! How can this be? We should all join together and protest it worked for Heinz when they were thinking of withdrawing salad cream, surely it can for this. What do you all think out there Carrots

Does anyone know what type of plastic they use?

[edit] As a by-product

It can be said to be a successful attempt to sell industrial waste; but this should not be a disincentive: compare with the success of rotting grape by-products (a.k.a. wine).

I removed this remark, as the humour is somewhat laboured, in my view, and bordering on POV. Yes, Marmite is a successful attempt to market what would otherwise have been a wasted by-product, but the comparison is poor: non-fermented grapes are more a by-product of the production of wine than the other way around (most grapes are grown to make wine; most beer is not brewed to make Marmite). No-one ever set out to market rotting grapes as a principal product and then discovered that there was a market for the juice they had ben thowing away. The origin of Marmite in brewers' waste should indeed be mentioned, but in a better way than this. --- Picapica 10:46, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Note also that Burton, where Marmite apparently started, is famous as a brewing town. PeteVerdon 17:50, 28 March 2006 (UTC)
A better comparison would be with pomace brandy, a byproduct of wine making. RMN 14:03, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Used Cylindrical Jars in Canada

Actually, although I once wrote 10 rhyming couplets about Marmite [1] (also probably dejanews searches--soc.culture.british), I've been off it for quite a few years. I believe it is being imported into Canada now--it was when I was last using it. However, for a few years it was produced in Canada and marketed in cylindrical brown glass jars--about the same size as the small marmite-shaped ones, but not marmite-shaped. I'll see if I have one or two saved at home (I vaguely remember the lids starting as metal and then changing to plastic). If so, I'll try to see about getting a photo or two.--SportWagon 22:57, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

The jar I bought recently in Toronto was glass with a plastic lid and shaped like a proper Marmite jar, definitely not cylindrical. Dabbler 03:11, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

I was talking about sometime in the late eighties or early nineties. I indicated, though vaguely, that the use had ceased before I stopped "using".--SportWagon 16:49, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately,when I found a stash of old Marmite jars at home, none of them were the cylindrical kind I describe. I'm not sure whether I actually have any saved somewhere, or not.--SportWagon 22:46, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

The jars in Canada were cylindrical for some time, (I'm guessing) about 2.25" in diameter and 2" high, dark brown glass with a yellow pastic lid. Right now they are the "standard" shape, but incredibly small compared to the ones in England that I originally used. For the last few years I've only seen one size, but I think at some point there was a somewhat larger size available. --Brat32 20:02, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I think in early years the cylindrical jars may have had metal lids. I've started "using" Marmite once again, BTW.--SportWagon 20:52, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I think metal lids might have been present, I vaguly remember them. Also I'm pretty sure at some point the jars in Canada were brown plastic, but I'm not sure which shape. --Brat32 20:57, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

In the northeastern U.S. we had the cylindrical jars -- I recall this being as early as the 1970's, and that they were imported from Canada. I only saw yellow plastic lids. Aside from resenting the break with tradition, I thought it was amusing that the label showed a "proper" jar of Marmite. If you looked closely, you could see the ceramic pot on the label of the pictured jar. I imagined one day seeing a tube with a cylindrical jar on the label, with a "proper" jar on its label, and so on. Monomoit (talk) 22:02, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Sri Lanakan

No references to state that it is part of Sri Lankana delicacy. Iolakana•T 18:42, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Missing the green cyndrilical Marmite jar picture

I noticed that the picture of the green cyndrilical Marmite jar is gone. Even though I enjoy the English Marmite, seeing such a unique version of its packaging was informative and interesting. Can some one find a place for the previous image in the article? Whitebox 18:00, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

+1 Vote to bring picture back —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.214.147.168 (talk) 06:17, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Advertisement?

Recently, an "advertisement" template was added to the page. I don't want to just delete it, but I also don't think that it is an appropriate comment. (I certainly don't think that the article text is going to have millions of Wikipedia readers racing to the stores to pick up a jar...) Thoughts? --Ckatzchatspy 05:55, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] James O'Sullivan

The following text was added to the "History" section (I've moved it here for discussion):

"There is an oral history that Marmite was initially conceived by James O'Sullivan who, while working for Bass Breweries, tasted the yeast residue left over after fermentation. He liked the flavour of the congealed yeast and decided that it could be marketable. It is said that he then sold the idea for £20."

Anyone know if this is true? Verifiable? --Ckatzchatspy 18:27, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Emergency rations

When after Hurricane Mitch emergency supplies including Marmite were sent to Honduras the locals thought it was mosquito killer, SqueakBox 18:31, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Need for Refrigeration?

It would be nice to know if this needs to be refrigerated, and if so, it should be included in the article. --Eptin 19:32, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

It doesn't need refrigeration and although there may be a Best Before date on the label, the stuff lasts forever unless you eat it. Dabbler 01:58, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
Indeed not. I was joking with my parents when they came to visit me recently (bringing the required jar) about the best before date because this stuff indeed doesnt go off (for those who can refrain from eating it for long enough), SqueakBox 02:18, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
This is mostly true, but I did have one jar that went way past useby date that was inedible. Otherwise I've never had a problem going months/years past useby (I keep a stockpile as it's hard to get Marmite in Australia :) ) I prefer not to refrigerate as it makes the marmite go too hard. Storing on a cool shelf for long periods if fine

[edit] Too much salt

You could mention how much salt its got in it, and that there is a low salt alternative, called Natex I think.

[edit] The bowl/pot thing.

A Marmite is actually the cooking pot thing on the label. - - - BigglesPiP - Talk | Contribs - 03:12, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes, this is mentioned in the fourth paragraph. --McGeddon (talk) 08:52, 2 June 2008 (UTC)