Marmalade. Black pudding. Sausage rolls. Pork pies. Earl Grey tea. All these are typical British food products, but there is a particular one which men and women across the UK are divided over: Marmite. Denmark, though, appears to hate it because it was recently all over the news that it has been banned over there.
What is Marmite?
You can buy it in any supermarket and in many different jar sizes. It is a sticky, dark brown paste with a powerful flavour, which is extremely salty and savoury. The distinctive taste comes from the yeast extract it is made from and it is usually eaten with bread and butter, or just toast. As the flavour is so extreme, it is either all or nothing for a lot of people.
Why does Denmark hate it?
Denmark appeared to have banned it, but it was misreported. In fact, it can only just be sold if the shop has a license to sell it, approved by the government. This is because Denmark is very strict on additives added into food and thinks that Marmite has too much vitamin B in it, which can be dangerous. Whether this was right or wrong, at least it had nothing to do with the taste.
Why do people love it?
Instead of going backwards and forwards about the health advantages and disadvantages of Marmite, I shall give you reasons why our school teachers love it: Dan: “It is yeasty and meaty. Not many things have that taste.” Amy: “Especially on a Saturday morning, I eat it on toast with an omelette, with a knife and fork. I also like salty foods in my mouth” Roger: It thrills my taste buds. I like it on white bread, with lots of butter and lots of it. I must also have it with a cup of tea with milk and sugar, or just a plain glass of milk. Very refreshing.” Neil: “It’s one of the saltiest substances on earth, and I have a salty tooth. Marmite on toast with a lot of butter.” As well as our teachers, some boys and girls even add salt and pepper to it, or prefer eating it with a glass of coke with ice and lemon!
Try it yourself
So as you can see, there’s a lot of love for Marmite here at the school. Sooner or later, I hope you all get to try it. It doesn’t really matter if it’s more or less than what you expect – it’s just very different. You can eat it at anytime of the day, morning or night, in hot or cold weather, or even in the peace and quiet of your own home. I know the Word café next to the school even sells it, so give it a try. Would you love it or hate it? Some pairs of words in English which go together always come in a certain order. For example, we always sat ‘Love or Hate’ and ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ NOT ‘Hate or love’ and ‘Gentlemen or Ladies’.
Collocations: word pairs order with and/or
- Men and women
- Bread and butter
- All or nothing
- Right or wrong
- Backwards and forwards
- Advantages and disadvantages
- Knife and fork
- Milk and sugar
- Boys and girls
- Salt and pepper
- Ice and lemon
- Sooner or later
- More or less
- Morning or night
- Hot or cold
- Peace and quiet
