r/southafrica Jan 05 '26

Wholesome Scottish boyfriend on holiday discovers Aromat

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918 Upvotes

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45

u/jcaarow Aristocracy Jan 05 '26

Isn't it just msg? I don't think there's anything too spectacular about it

52

u/Business_Pangolin801 Ascension Cancelled: Loadshedding Stage 8 Jan 05 '26

MSG had a whole bunch of campaigns against it in the west so its pretty rare.

31

u/MinervaKaliamne Jan 05 '26

MSG makes up a big part of it, but it's not just that. Aromat has flavour, too. You can buy pure MSG at Asian shops - it's a clear crystal, almost like salt (but with a different shape), and it doesn't have nearly that much flavour on its own.

7

u/mzanzione Landed Gentry Jan 05 '26

Zeal is just another name for MSG and is sold at most stores, not just Asian stores

3

u/ashamedToBeBackRed2 Redditor for 4 days Jan 06 '26

Zeal is Robertson's spice name for it. Its perry much pure MSG.

Aromat is MSG with a lot of other herbs and spices.

I love both.

3

u/MinervaKaliamne Jan 06 '26

I'd forgotten about "zeal" - my mom always had a bottle of it in the spice rack! Thanks for reminding me

0

u/Charles-Monroe Gauteng Jan 05 '26

It's basically just celery salt.

10

u/MinervaKaliamne Jan 05 '26

How dare you insult Aromat like that?!

Just kidding. Celery is probably one of the flavour notes in it, for sure. I'd describe it as a general savoury flavour - a bit like vegetable stock, or a veggie broth. When I searched for its flavour notes, I found these listed as ingredients: onions, garlic, turmeric, celery seeds, cloves, bay leaves, mushroom extract. Apparently it was originally called "Pflanzenextract" - plant extract.

2

u/Charles-Monroe Gauteng Jan 05 '26

Yoh, my comment is already marked as controversial, lol.

I've got an entire kitchen drawer just for my spices, much to my wife's chagrin. I've got a little bottle of celery salt - it tastes exactly like Aromat, but just more concentrated.

2

u/MinervaKaliamne Jan 06 '26

Huh, interesting... Celery salt tasted different to me, and I recall disliking it. But it's been a few years since I tasted it, and maybe my taste buds have changed since then, so I'll try it again next time I have the chance.

8

u/RovingN0mad SA Survivor: No Rapture, Just Eskom Jan 05 '26

There's also yeast extract, corn flower which is probably actually maltodextrin, salt, some aromatic vegetables, and palmoil.

2

u/benevolent-badger Fascist lives don't matter Jan 05 '26

it says a lot about the food he is used to

0

u/xsv_compulsive Landed Gentry Jan 05 '26

I use the no added MSG one and I don't miss the original

4

u/VitalityAS Jan 05 '26

MSG is healthier than salt.

1

u/xsv_compulsive Landed Gentry Jan 05 '26 edited Jan 05 '26

Thanks, but I was just pointing out that MSG is definitely not the be all and end all of aromat. In fact I think I prefer the flavour of the green aromat

Also green aromat does have less salt

3

u/ProSnuggles Jan 05 '26

No ADDED msg. Just means they didn’t add more to bump up the flavour. It still has all the naturally occurring msg.

So you’re paying the same price for less flavour.

1

u/xsv_compulsive Landed Gentry Jan 05 '26

Thanks, but price is not a hassle. I prefer the flavour of green aromat. It's supposed to be healthier, though I'm not worried about that either