The Favourite British Dish

[davec]

I wouldn't think that the Hullensians would notice any such interference from the South. Too busy forming, revising, modifying, tweaking, and abolishing that Humberside thingy, and probably still cleaning up after it, fourteen years on. What a mess.

[Kate]

Marmite is horrible: even the TV ads here say 'You either love it or hate it!'

Australians have 'Vegemite'. That's also probably horrible too.

Bleh. Tried Marmite when I visited England, despite the horrific smell that assaulted my nasal passages when I pulled the top off the little sample container. It's been nearly two years but just thinking about it makes me want to go swallow a bottle of mint mouthwash.

My sister's boyfriend is Australian. He's brought Vegemite over to our house. Mum loves it. I took one whiff and realized it was virtually the same thing as Marmite and would have nothing to do with it. Not surprised my mum loves it though, she's got seriously messed up tastebuds or something.

[Cap'n Jack]

Ahhhh Marmite is lovely, especially on toast with some nice cheese.

Kate, Marmite and mouthwash tastes horrible.... I just tried it!

It seems to be true, you love it or hate it.
Excellent source of Vitamin B complexes though.

[davec]

Speaking of cheese--did I mention I like Limburger? Yes indeed. My grandmother liked it too. Everybody found errands to run when it looked like she was about to make herself a sandwich...

[SepticTone]

I'd never heard of limburger cheese until you just mentioned it, dave.

So I wiki'd it & now can see why. & I'm a pretty adventurous eater, willing to try virtually anything as long as it's not still alive.

I'd say it's absolutely unknown in the UK, clearly for very good reasons.

Why would anyone want to eat something like that??

Quote from Wikipedia:

"The bacterium used to ferment Limburger cheese and other rind-washed cheeses is Brevibacterium linens; this same bacterium is found on human skin and is partially responsible for human body odor........In 2006 a study showing that the malaria mosquito (Anopheles gambiae) is attracted equally to the smell of Limburger and to the smell of human feet[2] earned the Ig Nobel Prize in the area of biology. This cheese has now been placed in strategic locations in Africa to combat the epidemic of malaria due to mosquitoes".

The Ig Nobel Prize, btw, are prizes awarded for discoveries "that cannot, or should not, be reproduced".

I doubt I'll be trying it any time soon, so thanks for the warning. I note the only places it's made now are in a little town in Germany, & in Wisconsin. Thank God.

[Kate]

I've never tried Limburger, and I don't think I will. I'm fairly surprised you haven't heard of it though, ST.

And since it apparently attracts mosquitoes, I'll avoid it at all costs in summer. Those things eat me up every year.

[davec]

ST:

You vilify the yeast-born Marmite, yet don't seem to find it out of joint for Britain to make it. But you think that Limburger, made with a human-friendly bacterium, isn't made in the UK for good reasons? Hmm....

The cheese, which I agree is redolent, does not smell much like feet as the germs are munching on milk, not skin. There may be a few compounds in the mix that mosquitos notice, but the overall effect is quite different. Not to mention that milk doesn't sweat.

Besides, people have different olfactory abilities. My business partner likes the smell of skunk, while I detest it. It has been shown that those who like it can't smell some of the compounds in it. I may not smell everything in Marmite that you do, and it doesn't surprise me that a lot of people don't like it.

But I do. Now, if it were just available at sane prices here. A little jar the size of a baby's fist is around $6.00, just too much, even if a little does go a long way.

[SepticTone]

I just think a smelly thing's a smelly thing: alright, we have Marmite, but at least it's in a jar & don't move too fast & hardly anybody normal consumes it: we don't have skunks or Limburgers, which apparently are free to roam around the US with impunity.

There's probably something wrong with your nose. Marmite has to be sold in small jars, so as to minimise its landfill profile when you open the jar, retch, then can't be arsed to throw it in the glass recycling bin in case it infects the rest of your nice clean glass recycling stuff with its contents.

Your analogy of a baby's fist is quite unsettling.

However, the good news: for the first time in 21 years, Haggis is legal to be imported into the US, I learn this week.

What a happy day for septics.

[davec]

<<<Your analogy of a baby's fist is quite unsettling.>>>

???? Going into seppock mode here, I'm afraid. I am completely lost for a response, honestly. I have a feeling some of us are about to learn something very very deep and basic about the British mind, or else uncover a major brainfart on my part (very possible. I am edging into Senior Moment territory. Be honest about it). I mean, babies do make fists, especially when they're upset or perhaps blowing off. And there, a cute little object of ready reference size. Please elaborate.

As for the haggis thing. The USDA and FDA are noted for being exceedingly conservative about allowing the US populace to come into contact with anything that proves in the faintest degree toxic (oh, except alcohol, tobacco, and fireams. Those items are covered by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms--honest, they're all lumped together! Hey, they're mainly concerned with tax revenue derived from the sales thereof. Hmm.....). Considering the dangers of drowning and burning to death, I'm surprised we're allowed to drink water and breathe (air contains oxygen, do note). So, even though the scrapie prion in sheep innards is apparently not transmissible to humans, it is, well...what? Bureaucrats (*sigh*!) I'm never surprised when the USDA and FDA seek to protect us from anything more toxic than sand or sharper than a rubber ball.

[SepticTone]

Sorry, dave, it's just I hadn't heard that baby's fist analogy before, & as you know, the British in general hate children other than their own, & any reference to 'baby' always puts me in mind of the scene in "Trainspotting".

Most commercial mass-market haggi, apart from the very expensive specialist ones don't contain all that offal that's usually referred to in the recipes, as it disgusts all but purists, nor are they encased in sheep stomach: they just usually have ground lamb, ground pork, oatmeal, suet, herbs, spices, salt & pepper, in the same sort of synthetic bag used to encase sausages. Along with Whiskey, it's one of the few Scottish things I actually consume regularly, as it's really quite nice.

I'm aware of the ATF, having seen live on TV the results these professionals produced at Waco. Bizarre. So that's my mental image of what an ATF person is & does. A redneck with lots of guns & tanks shooting children. You do have some odd institutions over there. Or perhaps that's a European misconception.