Vegemite, Australian for a 4 Course Meal
Even Australians do not know where vegemite comes from but they can tell you that it is part of being Australian, as they pull it out of their backpack or pantry cupboard. Vegemite has to be one of the saltiest food next to Danish Licorice, but it has found a place in the hearts and stomachs of the Australian people. I remember going to school with a sandwich of vegemite and cheese, and fighting my mate Shaun over his salda and vegemite crackers on the school bus on the way home. During my basic training my parents sent a box of single spread vegemite packets which I was ordered to share with my platoon. The Senior Drill sergeant pulled me to one side and had me knock out 50 pushups as he said I had tried to poison him.
I have pieced together some facts from the official Vegemite homepage that you might enjoy. So read this as I go and make myself a vegemite sandwich.

Vegemite dates back to 1922 when the Fred Walker Company, which became Kraft Walker Foods in 1926 and Kraft Foods Limited in 1950, hired a young chemist to develop a spread from one of the richest known natural sources of the vitamin B group - Brewers Yeast.
Following months of laboratory tests, Dr. Cyril P Callister, who became the nation’s leading food technologist of the 1920s and 30s developed a tasty spreadable paste. It came in a two ounce (57g) amber glass jar capped with a Phoenix seal with the label "Pure Vegetable Extract".
In an imaginative approach, Walker turned to the Australian public to officially name his spread. He conducted a national trade-name competition offering an attractive 50 pound prize pool for the finalists. How the 50 pounds was distributed or who was the winning contestant has unfortunately been lost in history, but it was Walker's daughter who chose the winning name out of the hundreds of entries.
That winning name was Vegemite and in 1923 Vegemite first graced grocers' shelves. It was described as "Delicious on sandwiches and toast, and improves the flavour of soups, stews and gravies". However, it took 14 long years of perseverance from Walker before Vegemite finally gained acceptance and recognition with the Australian people.
http://vegemite.com.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.welcome

To try some don't trust an Aussie, they will spread it thick like peanut butter and laugh as you spit it out. Try a little bit on toast with lots of butter until you acquire the taste. It is very good for you with folic acid and vitamin B, but remember every time you try some, that you are enjoying a small piece of Australia, and for that small moment you are part Aussie.
Have fun, enjoy.
SSG Oz