# American version of Vegemite **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289 "2018-05-16T15:19:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/1 "2018-05-16T15:19:54Z")
Over a decade ago I worked with an older guy (mid-60s) who said that when he was a kid he ate something similar to Vegemite. I think he was from back East. I want to say he said it was Bovril, but I’m not sure. I think Bovril is/was a British product. Also, it’s (or was) a beef extract. So I don’t know if that’s what my coworker ate as a child. It sounds very familiar though. Was there an American equivalent of Vegemite, that would have been commonly available in the U.S. in the mid-20th Century? Or was Bovril commonly available, and was that what my coworker ate? ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/2 "2018-05-16T15:55:07Z")
[Marmite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmite)? Though I am very much an Australian, I can’t stand Vegemite. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/3 "2018-05-16T16:00:11Z")
[Here’s a list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spreads#Yeast_extract_spreads), any stand out? In my experience, none are very common in the US, though Vegemite is easier to find tucked away in non-specialty grocery stores than Marmite is. East coast might be a different experience. > [@Shakester](#): > > [Marmite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmite)? > > Though I am very much an Australian, I can’t stand Vegemite. To Van Diemen’s Land with you! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/4 "2018-05-16T16:18:21Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > [Marmite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmite)? He definitely did not say Marmite. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > [Here’s a list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spreads#Yeast_extract_spreads), any stand out? Promite sounds vaguely familiar, but it’s an Australian product. Bovril is the most familiar. Maybe it was more widely available in the U.S. in the '30s/'40s/'50s? > [@Shakester](#): > > Though I am very much an Australian, I can’t stand Vegemite. I love the stuff. I’d like to visit Australia so someone can try to prank me with it. Apparently I put it on thicker than they do. 😉😛 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/5 "2018-05-16T17:16:58Z")
I loves me the yeast extracts, including cenovis. But I’m unaware of any ‘american’ versions. As a kid, I had to nibble on beef bouillon cubes to get my fix. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/6 "2018-05-16T22:25:39Z")
And neutronium, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/7 "2018-05-16T22:39:02Z")
There’s also [Bonox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonox) if we’re looking for a “B” name ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/8 "2018-05-16T23:03:51Z")
Vegemite, by the way, is a fantastic cooking ingredient. I use it in rich soups and stews with beef, bison, or lamb. Simmered with garlic, shallots, tomatoes and potatoes, and some other vegetables, and meat, it will impart a delicious savory flavor, not unlike a combination of a good dark beer and soy/worcester sauce… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/9 "2018-05-16T23:41:18Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Vegemite, by the way, is a fantastic cooking ingredient. You bet. Hence the reason for the presence of a [2.5 kg container](http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server3200/pp0z8r3b/products/665/images/838/dr1639_kraft_vegemite_2_5kg_tub__34376.1357605963.1280.1280.jpg?c=2) of the stuff in my cupboard. It takes 3-4 years to go through, but it’s worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/10 "2018-05-16T23:42:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And neutronium, of course. I could never differentiate between neutronium and vegemite all that well, frankly. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/11 "2018-05-17T01:34:13Z")
I also have a 2.5 kg pail of Vegemite. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-version-of-vegemite/814289/12 "2018-05-17T02:34:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I also have a 2.5 kg pail of Vegemite. 🆒 And I have an opened, but unused jar of Vegemite on my desk at work. It’s 18 years old and as fresh as the day I bought it in Australia. 😃