By Eben van Tonder, 13 September 2025.
To Lesley, who wrote to me asking about the origins of Marmite and how it is made.
Introduction
Marmite is a British savoury spread made from yeast extract, a dark sticky paste with an intense salty and umami character. It is culturally famous for dividing opinion, giving rise to the saying “love it or hate it” (Collins 2016). This text explores Marmite’s historical origins, its original and modern methods of production, and compares it with three related products: Vegemite from Australia, Bovril from Britain, and the meat brand Fray Bentos.
Historical origins of Marmite
Marmite was created in 1902 in Burton upon Trent, England, by the newly established Marmite Food Company, which sourced yeast from the nearby Bass Brewery (Ferrell 2002). The product’s origins lie in the work of Justus von Liebig, a German chemist who discovered in the mid-19th century that surplus brewer’s yeast could be concentrated into an edible, nutritious paste (Liebig 1865; Bown 2012). The belief that Liebig not only invented meat extract but also personally devised the process that led to Marmite requires closer consideration.
A popular idea is that Liebig stumbled upon yeast extract by accident, though this seems to appear first in brand-related histories. The Marmite Museum website tells the story that in the 19th century Liebig “accidentally discovered that the waste product derived from yeast used in brewing beer could be made into a meaty flavoured concentrate that was completely vegetarian.” This narrative connects Marmite’s birth directly to Liebig’s reputation and his earlier work on meat extract. An article in Gambero Rosso titled “The curious story of Marmite …” repeats the notion that Marmite “was discovered by chance by a German scientist, Justus Liebig, who … accidentally concentrated brewer’s yeast …” The phrasing closely mirrors the museum’s wording, suggesting that such accounts draw on one another. Even the Wikipedia entry for Marmite carries a similar formulation: “before Marmite … was invented during the late 19th century when the German scientist Justus von Liebig discovered that brewer’s yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten.” This version removes the “accident” but continues the theme of Liebig as the discoverer of yeast extract.
Taken together, these sources suggest that the story originates in company histories and brand heritage narratives rather than in archival material. The Marmite Museum, which collects and presents memorabilia related to the spread, is likely to rely on tradition and folklore in its storytelling. From there, secondary publications such as food magazines and blogs have picked up the anecdote and repeated it, sometimes embellishing it with the language of chance discovery. What is lacking is documentary evidence. No surviving publication or letter by Liebig himself indicates that he experimented with brewer’s yeast in this way. The historical record clearly establishes his role in developing meat extract, but the connection to yeast extract remains unproven. The “accidental discovery” should therefore be understood as a popular narrative rather than a substantiated fact.
Even apart from the claim of its “accidental discovery,” many later accounts state that Liebig “discovered that brewer’s yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten.” Yet no direct text by Liebig has been identified that describes a yeast-extract process in his own words. In short, there is no verifiable primary quote from Liebig explaining how to make Marmite. What is certain is that Liebig did publish, in 1847, the detailed method for producing meat extract. In his Chemische Untersuchung über das Fleisch und seine Zubereitung zum Nahrungsmittel (Heidelberg: C. F. Winter, 1847), he set out the procedure for preparing concentrated beef extract. This work illustrates the intellectual and industrial background from which yeast-extract processes were later developed, most likely inspired by his principle of transforming low-value raw material into stable and nutritious concentrates.
The speculation that Liebig may have “accidentally discovered” yeast extract likely arose from the fact that he was already working with extracts, solvents, and food chemistry, while brewer’s yeast was abundant in brewing towns like Burton-upon-Trent. It is therefore not implausible that yeast could have been tested in a similar way to meat, producing an extract by accident. However, there is no published evidence in Liebig’s own writings that confirms he carried out such an experiment. The story remains anecdotal rather than documented fact.
A representative statement from Liebig’s Chemische Briefe highlights how he framed the ethical and medical importance of meat extract:
„Jetzt, nachdem uns die Wissenschaft mit der Natur und Beschaffenheit des Fleischsaftes genauer bekannt gemacht hat, erscheint es als eine wahre Gewissenssache, die Vorschläge dieser edlen Männer der Aufmerksamkeit der Regierungen wiederholt zu empfehlen… Für die zahlreichen Hospitäler des Continents … würde dieser Fleischextract die Fleischbrühe ersetzen und der Arzt darin das Mittel haben, stets und unter allen Umständen eine Fleischbrühe von gleichförmiger Beschaffenheit und beliebiger Stärke zu verordnen.“ — Liebig, Chemische Briefe, 6. Auflage, 1878, S. 287
Translation:
“Now that science has made us more precisely acquainted with the nature and composition of meat juice, it appears a true matter of conscience to again recommend the proposals of these noble men to the attention of governments… For the numerous hospitals of the Continent … this meat extract would replace meat broth, and the physician would thereby have the means to prescribe, always and under all circumstances, a meat broth of uniform composition and of any desired strength.”
This passage shows Liebig’s concern for nutrition, uniformity, and medical application. It also demonstrates the type of reasoning that could easily have been extended to brewer’s yeast, a plentiful by-product of beer brewing, even though no evidence has been found that he personally described the yeast autolysis method later employed for Marmite.
Within a year of its launch, Marmite won awards at exhibitions in 1903, and by 1907 a second factory opened in London to meet rising demand (Burton Mail 2017). Its high vitamin B content made it especially valued during wartime. In World War I, British soldiers received Marmite rations to prevent deficiency diseases such as beriberi (Bown 2012).
Original production method of Marmite
The early method of producing Marmite relied on yeast autolysis. Brewer’s yeast was treated with salt to create a hypertonic solution that caused the yeast cells to rupture, enabling the yeast’s own enzymes to digest its contents. The mixture was then heated to complete the breakdown, and cell walls were filtered out to produce a smooth paste (Ferrell 2002; Burton Mail 2017).
At first Marmite was sold in stoneware jars, from 1902 until around 1920, when the now iconic brown glass jar was introduced (Burton Mail 2017). Marmite was vegetarian from the start and naturally rich in B vitamins. Later, scientist Lucy Wills used Marmite as a folic acid source in pioneering studies on anemia (Wills 1931).
Modern production of Marmite
The recipe remains a trade secret, but the modern process still involves yeast autolysis through salting, heating, and filtering (Unilever 2021). The resulting yeast extract is rich in glutamates, producing Marmite’s strong umami taste.
Today’s product also contains vegetable and spice extracts and is fortified with riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and added vitamin B12 to support vegan diets (Bown 2012; Unilever 2021). Marmite continues to be used as a thin spread on toast, stirred into soups and casseroles, or dissolved in hot water as a savoury drink (Collins 2016).
Vegemite (Australia’s yeast extract spread)
Vegemite was invented in 1922 by Cyril P. Callister in Melbourne for the Fred Walker Company (Kellaway 2012). The project was triggered by the interruption of Marmite imports during World War I, prompting a local alternative (Smith 2010). Callister used brewer’s yeast from Carlton & United Breweries and blended it with salt, onion and celery extracts, and spices (Carter 2019). Initially called “Pure Vegetable Extract,” it was later named Vegemite (Smith 2010).
Vegemite is darker, thicker, and more bitter than Marmite, with malty and vegetal notes (Carter 2019). It is commonly eaten on buttered toast, in sandwiches, or in pastries such as Vegemite scrolls (Kellaway 2012).
It is a cornerstone of Australian culture. The “Happy Little Vegemites” advertising jingle of the 1950s embedded it in national identity, and today around 80% of Australian households keep a jar (Smith 2010).
Bovril (meat extract spread and drink)
Bovril was developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston as a concentrated beef extract for troops in the Franco-Prussian War (Hutchinson 2015). The product was first marketed in 1886 under the name Bovril, a combination of bov- (ox) and -vril (energy) (Hutchinson 2015).
Originally made by simmering beef and bones into stock, then concentrating it, modern Bovril combines beef extract with yeast extract, salt, and spices (Unilever 2021). It has a meaty, bouillon-like taste, less bitter than yeast spreads but equally salty.
Bovril is consumed as a spread, but also dissolved in hot water to make “beef tea” – a tradition linked to football matches, polar expeditions, and wartime meals (Williams 2019).
Fray Bentos (meat products and pies)
Fray Bentos began in 1863 when the Liebig Extract of Meat Company set up a factory in Fray Bentos, Uruguay, to produce concentrated beef extract for export (Bown 2012). By 1899, the Anglo company was producing canned corned beef under the Fray Bentos brand for the British market (Bown 2012).
During the 20th century, Fray Bentos became famous in Britain for its corned beef and later for its canned pies, which became a staple of convenience food in the 1960s and 1970s (Burton Mail 2017). Today it is marketed as a nostalgic, retro brand (Williams 2019).
Also see: The Battle of Extracts: Liebig, Puro, and the War of Purity in Early 20th Century Europe
References
Bown, S. (2012). A Most Damnable Invention: Dynamite, Nitrates, and the Making of the Modern World. Penguin.
Burton Mail. (2017). Marmite factory anniversary features. Burton Mail Archives.
Carter, P. (2019). Australian Icons: Vegemite and National Identity. Melbourne University Press.
Collins, T. (2016). British Food Culture: Icons and Traditions. Routledge.
Ferrell, J. (2002). Burton upon Trent: The Brewing Town. History Press.
Hutchinson, J. (2015). The Bovril Story. London: Harper.
Kellaway, L. (2012). The Story of Vegemite. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Liebig, J. (1865). Researches on the Chemistry of Food. London: Taylor & Walton.
Smith, G. (2010). Australians and Their Food. UNSW Press.
Unilever. (2021). Product Information: Marmite and Bovril. Unilever Technical Data Sheets.
Williams, R. (2019). British Comfort Foods: A Cultural History. Oxford University Press.