Vegemite was invented in Melbourne in 1922 by food technologist Cyril Callister, who was tasked with developing a spread from the yeast left over from beer brewing. It took a few decades and a famous advertising jingle — ‘We’re happy little Vegemites’ — for it to conquer the nation, but today this dark, salty yeast extract sits on virtually every Australian breakfast table, and spreading it thinly over buttered toast is a rite of passage for every Australian child.
What makes it great is its intense, savoury, umami richness: a little goes a long way, and the combination of hot buttered toast with a thin, melting scrape of Vegemite is salty, toasty, and deeply satisfying. It’s the ultimate Australian breakfast — cheap, instant, and nostalgic — and while newcomers are advised to use it sparingly, devotees know there is no toast quite like it.
