The Swiss aren't the only ones who love Aromat
1.2.2023
Translation: machine translated
Iodised edible salt, flavour enhancer, lactose, wheat starch, yeast extract, spices, vegetable oils, anti-caking agent, mushroom extract. Here are the ingredients of Switzerland's favourite condiment... and South Africa's.
In the Teufelberger family, there was always a sprinkler of Aromat on the table, in addition to the salt and pepper. With the exception of my mother-in-law, everyone in the family would pounce on the little yellow box before they'd even tasted what was on their plate. The Aromat had become so indispensable that everyone always placed it next to their plate instead of in the centre of the table. In my family, it's called 'Revient', a nickname it has kept for generations. This year, Revient is celebrating his 70th birthday.
"Households" as a marketing strategy
In every self-respecting Swiss bistro, customers are also offered the essential trio of salt, pepper and Aromat. And they do this in what's known as a "ménage". In 1953, Knorr offered 30,000 of these to restaurants when the powdered condiment was launched on the market. Suffice to say, the strategy worked. A year later, 80 per cent of the Swiss were already familiar with it, with its famous Knorrli designed by Ticino artist Hans Tomamichel.
Another factor contributed to the condiment's success: unlike competing products, such as Maggi's liquid seasoning, Aromat does not alter the colour of the dish, making it more appetising. We owe this to Walter Obrist, who perfected the recipe after months of research and testing. Today, the condiment is still made to the same recipe in Thayngen, in the canton of Schaffhausen.
For the 70th anniversary, tabloids declared a state of emergency for Aromat, as some shelves were empty in the country. "Aromat is also, and above all, enjoying great popularity on the occasion of its 70th anniversary and it may therefore be the case that voids have formed here and there on the shelves," explains the press office of Unilever, the group to which Knorr and therefore Aromat belong. "By next week at the latest, the gaps that have appeared should also be filled."
Popular in South Africa thanks to the emotions factor
Although Aromat is distributed all over the world, there is only one other country where it is as famous as it is in Switzerland: South Africa. An acquaintance from Johannesburg, who grew up in a small village in the semi-desert of the Karoo, confirms that Aromat is present in many South African kitchens. Why South Africa? Unilever's press department can only speculate: "On the one hand, the communication emphasises emotion rather than functional benefits. On the other hand, Thayngen had an export department that sold a lot of Aromat in Africa. Perhaps that's where its popularity came from."
Source: Unilever
The success of the yellow sprinkle condiment seems unbroken over the past 70 years, despite the fact that the flavour enhancer glutamate has been demonised for years in Western Europe. It is considered unnatural and therefore unhealthy, something that no study has been able to confirm. Nevertheless, it is precisely for this reason - and also because it also contains palm oil - that you won't find it in my spice cupboard. I've replaced it with Herbamare. It's organic, vegan and additive-free. In other words, everything someone like me, who lives in the centre of Zurich, shops at the overpriced weekly market and never takes a plastic bag, would want.
My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.
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