Vegemite turns 100 years old: how the spread changed the way Australia eats, from nostalgia to Noma

Born out of imitation in the 1920s, the pantry staple with a global reputation is also increasingly used in Australian professional kitchens

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Jamie Callister, the grandson of Vegemite creator Cyril Callister, is one of the millions of Australians who starts the day with a slice of buttery toast licked with a thin swipe of our beloved national spread.

He was a brilliant scientist," Callister says of his grandfather, who was recruited by Melbourne-based entrepreneur Fred Walker to develop a homegrown alternative to Marmite using spent brewer's yeast from the nearby Carlton and United Breweries. Today marks the 100-year anniversary of the first jar of his creation coming off the production line."