Vegemite on toast

Vegemite on toast is an authentic Australian breakfast food, and very polarizing at that, since people either love it or hate it. However, Australians love it, as Vegemite is an ingredient that is in nine out of ten pantries in Australia. It all began in 1922 when the Fred Walker Company (known today as Kraft Food Company) employed a chemist to invent a new spread from one particular ingredient that is rich in Vitamin B.

He called it Vegemite, a spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract, spices, and vegetable additives. Its texture is thick, gluey and dense, similar to peanut butter, while its color is dark red to brown, almost black. The taste is an acquired one, as Vegemite is extremely salty.

For Vegemite on toast, slices of white bread need to be hot and toasted. After that, butter is generously smeared on the hot toast, which allows the butter to melt. It is not recommended to spread Vegemite in large amounts, like peanut butter or fruit jams.

It needs to be spread over toast and butter in a fine, thin layer that you can see through, since it accentuates the flavours that are already present. It adds a bit of depth, savoriness, and richness to plain buttered toast, which is probably the reason why it is so beloved by the Australians and commonly found in Aussie travellers' backpacks, as a tiny reminder of home.