Vegeta

Vegeta is a savoury seasoning powder made from dehydrated vegetables, spices and flavour enhancers, produced by the Croatian food company Podravka. It is widely regarded as a staple of Eastern European kitchens and is used to season soups, stews, meats and vegetables.

History

Vegeta was developed in 1958 in Podravka's laboratories in Koprivnica, then part of Yugoslavia, by a team led by chemist Zlata Bartl, who had already helped create a popular line of dehydrated soup packets. It first went on sale in Yugoslavia in 1959 under the name "Vegeta 40".

Its popularity grew quickly, and production expanded considerably over the following decades. The product was first exported in 1967 to Hungary and the Soviet Union, and it is now sold in around forty countries. Podravka has continued to make it in Koprivnica, with additional manufacturing in Poland and by licensees in Austria and Hungary, and its success has prompted numerous imitations.

Culture

Vegeta has become a pantry staple across Central and Eastern Europe, sprinkled into broths, rice dishes, stews, batters and salads. Its strong, salty flavour is part of the everyday cooking memories of many people who grew up with it. Its commercial success also helped drive the local economy of Koprivnica, where the company has a major presence.

The blend combines salt, dehydrated vegetables such as carrot, parsnip, onion, garlic and parsley, sugar, spices, cornstarch and monosodium glutamate, along with disodium inosinate and riboflavin for colour. A version without added MSG is available for consumers who avoid it.

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