Cenovis is a dark brown food paste from
Switzerland consisting of
yeast extract
Yeast extracts consist of the cell contents of yeast without the cell walls; they are used as food additives or flavorings, or as nutrients for bacterial culture Growing media, media. They are often used to create savory flavors and umami taste ...
. It is similar to English
Marmite
Marmite ( ) is a British savoury food spread based on yeast extract, invented by the German scientist Justus von Liebig. It is made from by-products of beer brewing ( lees) and is produced by the British company Unilever. Marmite is a vega ...
, Brazilian Cenovit, and Australian
Vegemite. It is rich in
vitamin B1. It is used to flavour soups, sausages, and salads. The most popular way to consume Cenovis, however, is to spread it on a slice of buttered bread, as stated on the product's packaging (it can also be blended directly into butter, and then spread on bread, or used as a filling in croissants and buns).
Cenovis is popular in
Switzerland (particularly
Romandie). It was developed in
Rheinfelden Rheinfelden may refer to:
Places
* Rheinfelden (Baden), a town in the county of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
* Rheinfelden (Aargau), a town in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland
* Rheinfelden District, a district in the Swiss canton of Aa ...
in 1931, on the initiative of a master brewer named Alex Villinger,
[ and was subsequently produced by the company ''Cenovis SA''.
In 1999, the Swiss banker Michel Yagchi purchased the brand, and along with Didier Fischer and Frank Guemara relaunched it applying modern marketing methods.
On 29 February 2008, Michel Yagchi transferred the brand, acquired in 1999, to Gustav Gerig AG, an ]Aargau
Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau (german: Kanton Aargau; rm, Chantun Argovia; french: Canton d'Argovie; it, Canton Argovia), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capit ...
company, and the product thereby returned to its canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
of origin."In 1931, a brewer recycled the yeast used for the fermentation of beer: vegetal substances very rich in vitamin B1. After several tests, the product was perfected and a group of Swiss brewers launched Cenovis; the product was an immediate success and the famous spread was so good that from 1955 it was included in the rations for Swiss soldiers... Healthy and strong soldiers!"[ (French)]
See also
* ''Culinary Heritage of Switzerland
The Culinary Heritage of Switzerland (german: Kulinarisches Erbe der Schweiz, french: Patrimoine culinaire suisse, it, Patrimonio culinario svizzero, rm, Patrimoni culinar svizzer) is a multilingual online encyclopedia of traditional Swiss cui ...
''
* List of brand name condiments
* List of spreads
This is a list of spreads. A spread is a food that is literally spread, generally with a knife, onto food items such as bread or crackers. Spreads are added to food to enhance the flavor or texture of the food, which may be considered bland wit ...
* Marmite
Marmite ( ) is a British savoury food spread based on yeast extract, invented by the German scientist Justus von Liebig. It is made from by-products of beer brewing ( lees) and is produced by the British company Unilever. Marmite is a vega ...
* Promite
* Vegemite
* Vitam-R
References
External links
Cenovis SA
The makers of Cenovis (in German)
Yeast extract spreads
Brand name condiments
Food and drink companies of Switzerland
Umami enhancers
Products introduced in 1931
Culinary Heritage of Switzerland
Food paste
{{food-product-stub