Rosario Monachino
People have been left ‘disgusted’ after finding out what Vegemite is made from.
The food condiment was invented in Melbourne after an Australian food manufacturer wanted a product that was similar to Marmite.
Much like its British counterpart, it leaves people divided due to its unique flavours.
And now people are being left grossed out after finding out what is used to make it.
Watch this one-year-old try Vegemite for the first time below…
ABC’s The Great Australian Stuff goes in-depth on the process behind the spread and how it’s made in the factory.
It turns out the main ingredient behind Vegemite is ‘brewer’s waste’ – the leftover bits from beer.
In the episode, a brown liquid is poured into a factory tub and the narrator explains: “This is the brown sludge at the bottom of your VB factory.”
Comedian Nazeem Hussain features in the episode and adds: “Vegemite is made from leftover beer.”
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It is then explained in another voiceover that during World War I, Marmite stocks ran out so Australians started looking for an alternative.
Marmite first started getting made in 1902 in Britain and it is recognised as the world’s very first spread, according to The Great Australian Stuff.
The narrator continues: “When Aussies couldn’t get enough of it, Fred Walker, a businessman in the food industry, saw an opportunity.
“He challenged a food scientist called Cyril Callister to come up with an equivalent to Marmite.
The original name that Callister came up with for the product was ‘Pure Vegetable Extract’.
However, this was rejected as it didn’t sound ‘very sexy’.
At the time in Australia, there was a ‘craze’ for public competitions for naming things or designing things.
An example of this is the recognisable Australian flag – which was designed thanks to one competition in 1901.
This same process was used to come up with the name ‘Vegemite’.
The episode also reveals that the spread was originally marketed as a ‘health food for babies’ that will help kids ‘grow up big and strong’.
In the mid-30s American company Kraft picked up the product and made some marketing changes – such as the iconic ‘happy little Vegemite’ jingle that is synonymous with the breakfast spread.
Since finding out what is used to make the product, people have taken to social media to react.
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One person says: “YUM! Especially now I know I’m eating beer.”
“Love me a nice cold glass of Vegemite,” jokes someone else.
Another user adds: “Love it. I understand those who have not grown up with it might find it a bit much.”
A fourth viewer comments: “Never had it – so glad now!”
“Interesting. No wonder I don’t like Vegemite,” someone else says.
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