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A rose in every cheek: 100 years of Vegemite, the wartime spread that became an Aussie icon

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hannah-viney-1153558">Hannah Viney</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p>There are roughly <a href="https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/vegemite">22 million jars of Vegemite</a> manufactured in the original Melbourne factory every year. According to the Vegemite website, around 80% of Australian households have a jar in the cupboard.</p> <p>The cultural status of Vegemite is so enduring that, in 2022, the City of Melbourne Council <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/01/smell-of-vegemite-factory-given-special-heritage-recognition-by-melbourne-council">included the smell of the factory</a> at 1 Vegemite Way, Fishermans Bend, in a statement of heritage significance.</p> <p>Vegemite first hit Australian supermarket shelves in 1923, but it took a while to find its feet.</p> <p>Indeed, the now classic spread may have failed into obscurity as “Parwill” if not for a very clever advertising campaign in the second world war.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YNiOZInvLog?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>A product of war</h2> <p>Vegemite has German U-boats to thank for its invention.</p> <p>When the first world war began in 1914, Australians were big fans of <a href="https://www.marmite.co.uk/">Marmite</a>, the British yeast extract spread.</p> <p>As the Germans began sinking ships full of British supplies to Australia, Marmite disappeared from the shelves. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JHRM-06-2015-0019">Due to the conditions of its patent</a>, Marmite could only be manufactured in Britain.</p> <p>As a result, there was a gap in the market for a yeast spread.</p> <p><a href="https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/walker-fred-8953">Fred Walker</a>, who produced canned foods, hired food technologist <a href="https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/callister-cyril-percy-5468">Cyril P. Callister</a> to create a homegrown yeast spread using brewer’s yeast from the Carlton Brewery.</p> <p>Callister’s experiments produced a thicker, stronger spread than the original Marmite. Callister’s inclusion of vegetable extracts to improve the flavour would <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08949468.1993.9966612">give the spread its name, Vegemite</a>, chosen by Walker’s daughter from competition entries.</p> <p>Australians were wary of Vegemite when it first appeared on grocery shelves, perhaps due to brand loyalty to Marmite.</p> <p>To try and combat this, <a href="https://vegemite.com.au/heritage/">Walker renamed Vegemite “Parwill”</a> in 1928 as a play on Marmite: “if Ma might, Pa will”.</p> <p>This rebrand was short-lived. Australians were not any more interested in Parwill than they were in Vegemite.</p> <h2>A nutritious food replacement</h2> <p>In the 1930s, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JHRM-06-2015-0019">Walker hired American advertiser J. Walter Thompson</a>. Thompson began offering free samples of Vegemite with purchases of other Kraft-Walker products, including the popular Kraft cheese.</p> <p>Kraft-Walker also ran limerick competitions to advertise Vegemite. Entrants would write the final line of a limerick to enter into the draw to win a brand new car.</p> <p>It would take another world war, however, before Vegemite became part of Australian national identity.</p> <p>The second world war also disrupted shipping supply routes. <a href="https://www.oldtreasurybuilding.org.au/work-for-victory/housewives-to-action/food-rationing/">With other foodstuffs hard to come by</a>, Vegemite was marketed as a nutritious replacement for many foods. One 1945 advertisement <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1106308">read</a>: "If you are one of those who don’t need Vegemite medicinally, the thousands of invalids and babies are asking you to deny yourself of it for the time being."</p> <p>With its long shelf life and high levels of B-vitamins, the Department of Supply also saw the advantages of Vegemite. The department began buying Vegemite in bulk and <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1070486">including it in ration kits</a> sent to soldiers on the front lines.</p> <p>Due to this demand, Kraft-Walker foods rationed the Vegemite available to civilians. Yet the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JHRM-06-2015-0019">brand increased advertisements</a>. Consumers were told Vegemite was limited because it was in demand for Australian troops due to its incredible health benefits.</p> <p><a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1106308">One ad told Australians</a>: "In all operational areas where our men and those of our Allies are engaged, and in military hospitals, Vegemite is in great demand, because of its value in fighting Vitamin B deficiency diseases. That’s why the fighting forces have first call on all Vegemite produced. And that is why Vegemite is in short supply for civilian consumption. But it won’t always be that way. When the peace is won and our men come home, ample stocks of this extra tasty yeast extract will be available for everyone."</p> <p>This clever advertising linked Vegemite with Australian nationalism. Though most could not buy the spread during the rationing years, the idea that Vegemite was vital for the armed forces cemented the idea that Vegemite was fundamentally Australian.</p> <p>Buying Vegemite was an act of patriotism and a way to support Australian troops overseas.</p> <h2>Happy little Vegemites</h2> <p>In the postwar baby boom, Vegemite advertisements responded to concerns about the nation’s health and the need to rebuild a healthy population.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vLhk_wE4l2Q?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>This emphasis on <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46442748">Vegemite as part of a healthy diet</a> for growing children would remain the key advertising focus of the next 60 years.</p> <p><a href="https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/happy-little-vegemites-jingle-1953">The ear-catching jingle was composed</a> in the early 1950s, first for radio and then later used in the 1959 television ad.</p> <p>The link between Australian identity and Vegemite was popularised internationally by Men At Work’s 1981 song Down Under, with the lyrics “He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich”.</p> <p>The 1980s also saw <a href="https://youtu.be/h5r3HAJh8es">the first remake of the 1950s television campaign</a>, re-colourising it for nostalgic young parents who had grown up with the original.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h5r3HAJh8es?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>In February 2022, the first international arrivals welcomed back into Australia post-COVID were greeted with a DJ playing Down Under, koala plushies and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/21/today-we-rejoined-the-world-hugs-tears-and-vegemite-as-australia-reopens-international-borders">jars of Vegemite</a>.</p> <p>On Vegemite’s centenary in 2023, the unassuming spread is now firmly cemented as an Australian cultural icon. Love it or hate it, Vegemite is here to stay. <!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204917/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hannah-viney-1153558">Hannah Viney</a>, Researcher, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-rose-in-every-cheek-100-years-of-vegemite-the-wartime-spread-that-became-an-aussie-icon-204917">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Braised beef cheeks

<p>These beef cheeks have a rich sauce that is transformed by the cacao powder.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>2 beef cheeks (around 500g each)</li> <li>Ghee or butter for frying</li> <li>1 large carrot, cut into small chunks</li> <li>1 onion, chopped</li> <li>1 stick celery, chopped</li> <li>4 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li> <li>1 teaspoon cacao or cocoa powder</li> <li>750ml bottle red wine, chianti or shiraz</li> <li>2 cups beef bone broth or stock</li> <li>1 sprig each rosemary and thyme</li> </ul> <p><em>For the mash</em></p> <ul> <li>½ whole bulb of garlic</li> <li>1 bay leaf</li> <li>2 sprigs thyme</li> <li>Olive oil for drizzling</li> <li>5 large carrots, peeled and chopped</li> <li>½ celeriac, peeled and chopped</li> <li>½ swede, peeled and chopped</li> <li>1 parsnip, peeled and chopped</li> <li>60g butter</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Season beef cheeks with salt and pepper. Heat a knob of ghee or butter in a large, heavy-based pan and sear beef until well browned all over. Remove from pan.</li> <li>Add carrot, onion, celery and garlic to pan and sauté 8-10 minutes until softened and golden. Add cacao or cocoa and stir for a minute then remove vegetables from pan.</li> <li>Add half the wine to the pan, scrape the bottom to loosen all the goodness, then add remaining wine and simmer until reduced by almost half.</li> <li>Add stock and herb sprigs, beef cheeks and sautéed vegetables. Cover and simmer over low heat for 4-5 hours. The beef is done when you can push a fork into the meat and it breaks apart easily. Remove from pan and blitz remaining stock and vegetables with a stick blender to make a smooth gravy. For a thicker consistency, simmer until reduced. Serve beef cheeks with the gravy and root vegetable mash.</li> </ol> <p><em>For the mash</em></p> <ul> <li>Heat oven to 200°C. Wrap garlic in tinfoil with bay leaf, a few thyme leaves and a little olive oil. Roast 40 minutes or until soft.</li> <li>Cook carrots, celeriac, swede and parsnip in boiling water until soft. Drain and mash with roasted garlic (squeezed from skins), butter and remaining chopped thyme. Season to taste.</li> </ul> <p><em>Written by Andrew McKenna. First appeared on <strong><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></a></strong>. Image credit: Stuff.co.nz / Rachel McKenna.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Beluga whales jumps out of the water to kiss man on cheek

<p>A group of rescued beluga whales have been seen showing their appreciation to the trainers that have been helping them. It would appear the whales have been giving their trainers quite the run around.</p><p>The playful creatures were clearly in the mood for mischief as they squirted water into the faces of their carers.</p><p>After splashing in the water during feeding time, the curious-looking creatures were seen bursting out of the water only to plant a kiss on the head of one of their trainers.</p><p>They were rescued by the Primorskiy Sea Mammal Research Centre in Vladivostok, after they were found either injured or orphaned in the wild.</p><p>Known for their friendly nature, the belugas have developed an incredible bond with their careers as displayed in these heartwarming images by Russian photographer, Youri Smityuk, 26.</p><p>Located in Paris Bay on the south east coast of Russia, the belugas live in an enclosure that uses the same waters as their natural habitat.</p><p><img width="650" height="1000" src="http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2015/03/24/1227276/117797-f63f5ef8-d1b5-11e4-b8cc-103b9fcc00b7.jpg" alt="They sure are playful. Picture: Your Smituk/Caters News"></p><p><img width="650" height="488" src="http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2015/03/24/1227276/116940-f3267b70-d1b5-11e4-b8cc-103b9fcc00b7.jpg" alt="Aww ... Picture: Your Smituk/Caters News"></p><p><img width="650" height="366" src="http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2015/03/24/1227276/116968-f785ffba-d1b5-11e4-b8cc-103b9fcc00b7.jpg" alt="What are you looking at? Picture: Your Smituk/Caters News"></p><p><strong>Related links:&nbsp;</strong></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/02/dachshund-helps-save-st-bernard-friend/" target="_blank">Meet the dachshund who saved his St Bernard best friend</a></strong></em></span></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/02/koala-driving-car/" target="_blank">This koala is a would-be carjacker</a>&nbsp;</strong></em></span></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/02/abused-pit-bull-finds-home/" target="_blank">An abused pit bull has found a new home and a new fashion sense</a></strong></em></span></p><p>&nbsp;</p>

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