Cheesymite Scrolls

I have always been pretty fascinated by Vegemite spread, the Australian condiment that is in nine out of ten pantries there. I've never seen or tried it, but you hear about it a lot. I always hear about it every year during the Australian Open tennis tournament, during which Australia Day always falls. On Australia day there is always some televised feature about Australian culture and Vegemite is always mentioned.

In the United States, it's pretty hard to find Vegemite. It is manufactured by Kraft, an American food company, but is not widely distributed there. Here in Canada there are quite a lot of Australians so it's sold in some places. Today I spotted it in the grocery store and decided to experiment with it. I decided to go with Cheesymite Scrolls, a sort of cinnamon bun with cheese and Vegemite instead of cinnamon and icing. I've heard Vegemite is an acquired taste, so I figured mixing it with two familiar ingredients, cheddar cheese and bread, would be less risk.

I spread the Vegemite, which looks like dark chocolate peanut butter, onto some crescent roll dough, which I deliberately did not rip into triangles. Then Georg sprinkled on some grated cheddar cheese, and then I rolled them up and cut them into buns for the oven. They produced a nice beefy/cheesy smell while in the oven, and I was excited to taste them when they were done.

The verdict? Vegemite is truly an acquired taste...it has these beefy, salty, bitter flavors that are a bit weird at first and especially in large quantities (I put way too much Vegemite into my cheesymite scrolls; I would recommend just a very thin smear). But I think it's something I could learn to like.