Aussies Swear By Vegemite And Jam Toast, So I Tried It First To Protect The Rest Of You

"It's sweet 'n' sour, Aussie style."

When I set out to be a writer, there were many things I envisioned myself doing — penning a best-selling YA book series, interviewing celebrities or anonymous whistleblowers and, who knows, maybe winning a Pulitzer Prize, just for the hell of it.

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The reality is, thanks to my job at BuzzFeed (which I wouldn't trade for anything in the world), I've actually spent much of my career documenting my times eating weird foods, sipping strange drinks and, well, generally just being a pest on the internet.

Which brings me to today's riveting piece of journalism and the next step on my culinary journey to greatness: The brave sampling of Vegemite and jam on toast.

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Let's get freaky, friends. 

Now, this is not a flavour sensation I dreamed up on my own — nay, it seems many already know and love this bizarre pairing:

Kobe Roberts @kobejennifer

@kailaswild Vegemite and apricot jam together on toast 👌🏼

11:02 AM - 08 Oct 2021

Twitter: @kobejennifer

💧 Fire and Water for life @mandyhoskin1

@Wolfie_Rankin 😳 it appears I've missed the listing of foods. 🤪 Vegemite on toast with a thin spread of apricot jam on top. Sweet and sour Aussie style (?)

08:48 AM - 04 May 2020

Twitter: @mandyhoskin1

Cherry Bogunovich @cherryleeb62

@DaevidArt @perthfest I've not tried strawberry jam. Apricot jam and vegemite on toast is a winner.

01:23 AM - 07 Feb 2016

Twitter: @cherryleeb62

And so, I set out to sample this seemingly ill-fated pair — because how else should I be filling my day, but by listening to advice on Twitter?

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As you can see, I was delighted to begin.

Toasting the bread was essential — A) because what kind of sicko smears Vegemite straight onto plain bread? And B) because my bread was stale and it needed a little burning to bring it back to life.

BuzzFeed

I then added lashings of butter, 'cause I'm just a butter girl, through and through.

Then came the familiar comfort — a nice, even coating of Australia's favourite yeast paste.

BuzzFeed

Followed by a fairly generous, gloopy teaspoon of apricot jam.

BuzzFeed

This part was important because several people had called out apricot’s superiority when paired with the saltiness of Vegemite. Now, I'm normally a strawberry jam kinda gal, but I knew it was important to play by the rules.

I re-smeared those flavours together and then, thanks to another user's suggestion on Twitter, added a slice of Tasty cheese to the the second piece of toast.

BuzzFeed

Princess Buttercup ☠🎗️ @sckitupbuttercp

@_curly_ju Get them to try cheese and apricot jam and vegemite :D

09:44 PM - 09 Jan 2022

Twitter: @sckitupbuttercp

I figured if I was going all in, I may as well try a couple of varieties.

Which led me to this pure, revelatory moment that will forever change my views on Vegemite toast...

BuzzFeed

BuzzFeed

No lie! It was salty, it was sweet, it was tangy, it was umami — honestly, it was a taste sensation. The more I chewed, the more I fell under this flavoursome spell. 

But then, it was time to try the ultimate pairing — Vegemite, apricot jam and cheese.

BuzzFeed

And oh LORD, was it something else! Even better than the simple Vegemite and jam pairing — this baby was smooth and tangy, rich and bitey. It was like a charcuterie board in every mouthful.  

Not convinced by my opinion alone? Well, good news, I had another join me in this wild, wonderful taste-test experiment:

BuzzFeed

I gave a crust to my dog, Leo, to masticate on and he delivered a five-star review (many licks of lips, became a sloppy, drooly mess).

So there you have it! Proof that even the most bizarre, unexpected food pairings can find love in each other's arms — or, you know, something else nice and touching to wrap this up...

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