Marmite accident closes major British highway

[November 29, 2011]  LONDON (AP) -- It was not your typical road accident.

A tanker carrying yeast extract -- the key ingredient in that uniquely British spread Marmite -- overturned on a major British highway, spilling the pungent-smelling liquid onto the road.

The liquid has the same unique smell of Marmite and was being transported to the Marmite factory in Burton-on-Trent in central England to be turned into the black sticky paste that generations of Britons have spread on hot buttered toast.

South Yorkshire Police said the accident happened Monday evening after the tanker collided with a motor home on the M1 highway that links London with north England. Marmite is a widely popular British food that provokes strong feelings. Those who dislike it cannot bear to even smell the contents of a jar.

[Associated Press]

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