[Sca-cooks] Totally OOP: looking for recipes with Marmite...

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Gianotta wrote:
>However, the stuff I am talking about is a yeast-based spread, a 
>sticky brown "savory" goo beloved by Brits and Brit ex-pats (but not 
>even all of them). Has nothing to do with the French vegetable soup.

Actually, it *was* originally created as instant soup stock. Same 
goes for Vegemite. That's why "Marmite" is in the marmite pot shaped 
jar. The spreading on bread part is a later transformation from its 
intended purpose.

>It is fairly nutritious, has lots of riboflavin and B vitamins.

>But I am told that some like to add a bit of it to soup stock.

For which purpose it was originally invented. It says - or at least 
used to say - on the back label how much to put into hot water to 
make broth. IIRC, it's about 1 tsp. in a cup of hot water. Waa-lah, 
instant pseudo-beef tea.

>BTW, the jars the spread come in look a bit like a marmite-style 
>soup pot. Thus the name ...

No, the jar and the name come from its intended purpose as quickie 
soup stock or instant broth.

In many ways it seems to me that this reflects back on the how did 
Medieval cooks improvise - beet-hamburger - threads. Marmite was 
invented as an instant broth - no boiling beef for hours - a quick 
assist to the cook. Vegemite is another brand of the same stuff. At 
some point, someone began spreading it on bread. Now it appears folks 
have forgotten it is actually an instant soup stock. My mom had 
Marmite in the cupboard back in the 1950s in Illinois and we sure 
NEVER put it on bread.

Now, not only has its original purpose been forgotten, it is 
apparently even treated as being some sort of wacky idea, while the 
use that supplanted its use as broth is considered to be the reason 
it was invented, at least by some.

Sigh.

Anahita