Hot on the heels of the discovery by Louis Pasteur that yeast cells are living plants, a German chemist realised that yeast could be made into a concentrated product resembling meat extract in both smell and colour. However, it was not until 1902 that the Marmite Food Company was formed, and even then it turned out that the British extract of brewer's yeast behaved in a markedly different way from the French. It was a long, slow road to the success it currently enjoys - the British palate acquired the taste over time, its popularity increasing with the discovery of its vitamin content in 1912, which turned it instantly into the darling of hospitals and war-torn countries. High in folic acid. Some people adore it. I do not.
