BOOK REVIEW: VEGEMITE by Jamie Callister

BOOK REVIEW: VEGEMITE by Jamie Callister
Allen & Unwin Australia
May 2023
Paperback – RRP AUD$32.99
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
95%

Jamie Callister’s grandfather, Cyril Callister, invented Vegemite – and if that isn’t a claim to fame, then I don’t know what is.

Involved in munitions development in the UK during the Great War, Cyril was a scientist who soon turned his hand to the new field of food science with Fred Walker & Co, which would later become Kraft Walker in collaboration with the US cheese company.

Cyril took the waste product from beer brewing, and turned it into a shelf-stable vitamin B-rich spread, similar to Marmite (though as any Aussie knows, Vegemite is a far better product) – not that it was an easy process, taking several years. Cyril also had a hand in inventing processed cheese slices.

Jamie Callister’s family memoir is integral to the story of Australian icon Vegemite, and his book is a fascinating dive into both, as well as the early days of food science itself.

Category: Book Reviews