You know the thing about Marmite, don’t you? You either love it or you hate it.
The famous slogan, coined by ad execs in the mid-90s, puts the yeast extract spread front and centre on battlelines across the nation’s breakfast tables. Few sit on the fence when it comes to the subject.
Dark and salty with a tar-like consistency, some love nothing more than hot buttered toast slathered with the stuff, while others would rather eat car exhaust than start the day with it.
It’s been around since 1978 as a vegan byproduct of the beer industry and is as unmistakably British as marmalade, English Breakfast tea and weather-based small talk.
It’s so adored there have been multiple spin-off products in tribute, from XO, an extra-strength version, to peanut butter, cheese, houmous- even a designer tote from luxe label Anya Hindmarch. The Australians have a similar version, but we dare not utter its name for fear of treason. A chilli flavoured version was released last year, which proved so popular with the spread’s fans that it was soon being auctioned for silly money on sites like eBay.
Now, Marmite’s makers have dropped a brand new flavour, and it’s the most controversial yet.
A few flavour combinations are currently running amok through the UK’s food scene (CC: salted caramel, and G&T) but Marmite has interestingly placed its bet on the truffle trend, another food that splits public opinion.
The latest version, Marmite Truffle officially drops on May 2, and comes in the brand’s classic glass jar with a bright yellow lid, although the packaging has been modified slightly with gold foil lettering to reflect the new luxe ingredient. Truffles are part of the fungi family and are among the world’s most expensive foods; in 2016, Sotheby’s auctioned a 1.88kg white truffle for an astonishing $61,250.
Marmite and truffle are natural partners; both share an umami taste that’s earthy, rich and absolutely addictive - as long as you like the original flavours in the first place, that is.
We blindfolded some unsuspecting members of the ES team to see if they could guess the new flavour. See what they thought on our video.
Are you a lover or a hater? Will you be queuing up to buy Marmite’s latest invention or would you rather scrape off your tastebuds with a blunt axe?
