It's such a polarizing food that even the official website asks visitors if they hate or love it. Marmite, a popular yeast extract in Britain and many Commonwealth countries, is truly something you have to learn to appreciate. If you are a hardened Marmite fanatic or are just trying to figure out how to survive after eating this sauce, there are many tips, tricks and recipes you can try to get the most out of Marmite. With the right strategies, you may even begin to enjoy it!
Ingrediants
For the Traditional Marmite Cream
- Marmite
- Butter (to taste)
- Bread, crackers, or croutons (optional)
For a "Marmite Meal"
- Marmite
- 2 slices of toast (white or durum wheat)
- Half a cup of cherry tomatoes
- 5-10 slices of cucumber
- Red peppers (julienned)
- 2-3 pieces of cauliflower or broccoli
- 2 eggs (hard-boiled)
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Surviving the Taste of Marmite
Step 1. Smear Marmite very sparingly
In Britain and other countries where Marmite is popular, it is often eaten as a spread on toast and other baked goods. Because Marmite has such a strong, yeasty flavor, it is usually eaten in small quantities even by its connoisseurs. If you choose to enjoy Marmite as a spread, instead of using a whole spoonful of it like you would for jam or peanut butter, use a small pea-sized amount instead (like you do with toothpaste).
In theory, when you spread this minimal amount of sauce on the bread, there should be a very thin layer of Marmite left, enough to color the bread. The sauce should not have a visible thickness, because otherwise the flavor would be too strong
Step 2. Mix the Marmite with butter or another spread (to dilute the flavor)
One of the ingredients that is most often paired with Marmite is butter, especially when it is spread. The rich, velvety flavor of the butter pairs well with the salty, strong flavor of Marmite. If you hate Marmite, try spreading a nice thin layer of butter on the bread before or after using the sauce. The more you abound, the less you will taste Marmite. For many people, this makes Marmite much more palatable.
Step 3. Eat small bites
Getting used to eating Marmite is like the old saying about how to boil a frog: if you put a frog in a pot of hot water, it will pop out, but if you put it in a pot of warm water and increase the heat slowly, it won't understand. that something is wrong until it's too late! Instead of trying to gulp down Marmite in a few big bites, start with small bites. Over time, the strong salty flavor should become more acceptable.
If you can't swallow even the smallest bites of Marmite, try carefully taking each bite to the back of your mouth so you can swallow it without chewing too much. This should minimize the flavor of the salda, but be careful, you will have to take small bites to be able to swallow them without choking
Step 4. Drink a lot after each bite
To keep the Marmite flavor in check, try drinking after each bite. The drink will extinguish the flavor of the sauce, which will leave your mouth first.
Regular water will come in handy, but if you really hate the taste of Marmite, you might consider a stronger tasting drink. After each bite, try taking a sip of your favorite soda, or if you're old enough, an alcoholic cocktail. The strong flavors of these drinks should help drown the Marmite flavor
Step 5. Try not to smell the Marmite before eating it
The senses of taste and smell interact closely with each other to produce the "high" you feel when you eat. The smell that a food has can influence the perceived taste (and vice versa). If you hate the taste of Marmite, there's a good chance you don't even like the smell of it. In this case, try your best not to smell the sauce when you eat it. Usually the flavor, while still strong, will be less intense if you try to hold your breath until you have swallowed the sauce.
Step 6. Pair Marmite with strong flavored foods to minimize the flavor
The easiest way to handle the sauce is not to make it the center part of the dish. Pairing Marmite with other foods (especially those with strong flavors) can make it much more palatable. While you may never like the sauce on its own, you may find that you enjoy it when paired with other foods or used as an ingredient in a recipe!
- There is no wrong way to eat Marmite - any combination is fair. Some of the most common sauce pairings are eggs, cheese, meat, fish, apricots, jams, and more!
- In the following section, we will explore some flavorful combinations of Marmite. Try them as you like, or invent a recipe yourself!
Method 2 of 3: Using Marmite in Recipes
Step 1. Add Marmite to soups and stews to make them more salty
In small quantities, Marmite can give soups, stews and other hot liquid dishes a rich salty flavor (and can be very useful for darkening them too). For example, try mixing a tablespoon of Marmite in a pot of onion soup instead of beef broth. The flavor of the soup will go great with bread and cheese, like regular sauce.
Typically, you can substitute Marmite mixed with water, your favorite vegetables, and oil for beef broth. This can allow you to make excellent vegetarian versions of all your meat soups
Step 2. Pair Marmite with cheese
Many Marmite aficionados agree: the sauce pairs delightfully with many types of cheeses. Aged cheddar, in particular, is a great choice: Marmite's salty, yeasty flavor enhances the spiciness of the cheese, creating a bold (yet delicious) flavor combination. Try adding a few slices of cheese to traditional butter and Marmite toast for a more satisfying breakfast.
Step 3. Use Marmite as a glaze for roast meat
Strange as it may seem, Marmite can be a flavorful ingredient to add to glazes and sauces for meat dishes. When used correctly, the sauce gives the outer crust of roast beef, chicken and fish a rich and distinct umami flavor. Try brushing a roast chicken with a light solution of melted butter and Marmite for a delicious dinner - a spoon or two will be enough to cover it.
If you use Marmite as a glaze for meats, you may want to avoid salting it, especially if you need to control your sodium intake. Marmite sauce contains a lot of salt - 10% of its mass
Step 4. Use Marmite sparingly on pasta
Believe it or not, some people eat pasta with Marmite sauce - they love it. If you're willing to experiment, try adding half a teaspoon of Marmite to spaghetti al dente, with a drizzle of olive oil! You may want to avoid using tomato or cheese sauces until you are sure you like the dish!
Note that some fans of this recipe describe the flavor as similar to the British snack "Twiglets" (and for this reason the snack is also considered a food that you love or hate)
Method 3 of 3: Prepare a Marmite Based Meal
Step 1. Prepare two hard-boiled eggs
If you have recently learned to like Marmite and are looking to expand your repertoire, try this simple Marmite dish, which can make for a good meal and can easily be adapted for many servings. Start by boiling some eggs in a pot of water until they are hard-boiled. Depending on the size of the eggs, it can take eight to ten minutes.
Wet the eggs with cold water when they are ready. Cooling them stops cooking and prevents them from becoming overcooked
Step 2. Prepare the vegetables
As a next step, let's think about vegetables. Wash a pepper, a handful of cherry tomatoes, a cucumber, a carrot and some broccoli under running water. Cut everything into bite-sized pieces. Choose the shape you prefer, but to save time, you'll need to cut the julienne peppers (into thin strips) and the cucumbers into circular slices.
Step 3. Make the toast
Finally, make a couple of golden slices which, after all, are the most famous accompaniment to this sauce. You can use white, durum wheat or whatever you prefer, such as potato or nut bread - you choose! When the bread is ready, butter it. As mentioned earlier, butter and Marmite are a great match.
Step 4. Plate the ingredients with the Marmite sauce in the center
Arrange vegetables, eggs and bread in a circle on the outside of a large plate. Open a jar of Marmite and place it in the center.
Don't forget to peel the hard-boiled eggs. If you want to use them to contain the sauce, cut the eggs into quarters or eighths to make thin curved slices
Step 5. Enjoy your Marmite meal to the fullest
Using a butter knife, smear small amount of sauce on top of each bite before eating it. You can eat bread without sauce to clean your mouth between bites, or, if you're bold, spread Marmite on each slice as well.
If you want, you can even dunk the food directly into the jar of Marmite. Be careful, it's easy to get more sauce than you would like this way
Advice
- Remember: quantity lowercase.
- Marmite and Vegemite are perfect with cheese.
- Almost all of the advice in this article can also be applied to Vegemite (a similar product based on yeast extract).
