Condiment of the Day: Australia Might Limit Vegemite Sales So It's Not Used to Make Alcohol, Even Though That's Impossible

Some Australian officials have begun clamoring for a limited ban on the national condiment Vegemite.

If you've ever tried the stuff, especially if you have an American palette, you may want the yeasty brown spread to be banned on its taste merits. But those officials have a different desire to get rid of the stuff, according to the BBC

Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion described the salty spread as a "precursor to misery".

He said it was being bought in bulk to make moonshine.

Brewer's yeast is a key ingredient in the spread and is used in the production of beer and ale.

In communities where alcohol is banned because of addiction problems, Mr Scullion said Vegemite sales should also be restricted.

It's not something that Prime Minister Tony Abbott is espousing, but it has many champions in the right-leaning government of Australia.

See, but, the thing is: it's not possible to make alcohol out of vegemite.

As they detail in this Gizmodo article, you can't remove the brewer's yeast from the Vegemite.

that the yeast in Vegemite is deactivated as it's processed. As my wife said yesterday when we were talking about the story, trying to extract brewer's yeast from Vegemite would be like trying to extract an egg from a cake.

So, if you want to get the weird condiment banned, you're going to have to use its taste as the platform.