Marmite

photo credit

         
I have written lots of posts about delicious food, but today I'd like to discuss one of the most disgusting foods I know of: Marmite.

Alexander McCall Smith's novel The Right Attitude to Rain makes the comment, "she noticed the spurning of Marmite [since] it was her test of acculturation. Only the most determined of anglophiles would eat Marmite, and not even all of those. It was an inexplicable British taste, quite beyond sympathy. Drinking lukewarm beer and takng tea with lashings of milk were understandable[...]; but to spread on one's toast a salty black yeast paste was beyond comprehension" (62).

For those of you scratching your heads wondering, what is Marmite, let me better explain. The above description of what Marmite looks like is spot on. British people smear this unsavory paste on their toast and they eat it for breakfast. Now I'm an adventurous eater, a really adventurous eater, but we all must draw the line somewhere. My central question when it comes to Marmite is the grand why? Why eat a salty black yeast paste on your toast for breakfast? There is a whole world of butter, jam, peanut butter, and even cinnamon and sugar that offer much more dignity to a breakfast of toast.

When I visited England back in March I tasted Marmite for the first time. Keep in mind that I was served Marmite toast along with a steaming hot mug of Caro (a barley based coffee substitute). I took a bite of toast. I sipped. I set down the plate and the mug. I like everything, I had assured my English friends a few minutes before. Now I feel compelled to modify that statement. I like everything except for Marmite on toast!

What are your most hated foods?