Vegeta (condiment)

{{Short description|Seasoning}}

File:Podravka Vegeta.jpg

Vegeta is a brand of savoury seasonings of dehydrated vegetables, spices, and MSG, produced by Croatian food company Podravka. It is considered a staple of Eastern European cuisine.{{cite web |title=My Family Can’t Cook Without Vegeta |first=Sam |last=Smart |date=25 August 2023 |website=Bon Appétit |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-vegeta-seasoning |access-date=25 September 2023}}{{cite web |title=This Is the ONE Seasoning I Put on Everything |first=Michelle |last=Baricevic |date=1 August 2021 |website=Food Network |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/shopping/vegeta-seasoning-review |access-date=25 September 2023}}

The product was originally developed at Podravka's labs in Koprivnica, then part of Yugoslavia, in 1958. Zlata Bartl, a Bosnian Croat chemical technician who created a popular line of dehydrated soup packets, led the team that developed Vegeta.{{cite web |title=Zlata Bartl, the woman behind the best-loved spice in the Western Balkans |first=Nikola |last=Đorđević |date=6 February 2021 |website=Emerging Europe |url=https://emerging-europe.com/after-hours/zlata-bartl-the-woman-behind-the-best-loved-spice-in-the-western-balkans/ |access-date=25 September 2023}} It was first sold in 1959 under the name "Vegeta 40", and first exported in 1967 to Hungary and the Soviet Union.{{cite web|url=http://www.vegeta.com/history-making-of|title=Vegeta history|access-date=25 September 2023|publisher=Podravka d.d.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125235422/http://www.vegeta.com/history-making-of|archive-date=25 January 2014}} Vegeta has been produced by Podravka in Koprivnica since its introduction, and is also manufactured in Poland, Austria, Hungary,{{cite web |title=Vegeta: The Croatian Seasoning You Should Know About |first=Nikita |last=Ephanov |date=26 August 2022 |website=Tasting Table |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/982642/vegeta-the-croatian-seasoning-you-should-know-about/ |access-date=25 September 2023}} and Tanzania.{{cite web |title=Vegeta Producers Podravka Open Factory in Africa= |date=19 February 2017 |website=Croatia Week |url=https://www.croatiaweek.com/vegeta-producers-podravka-open-factory-in-africa/ |access-date=25 September 2023}}

Vegeta was a commercial success for Podravka and led to an economic boom in Koprivnica.{{cn|date=September 2023}} Bartl, who became known as "Auntie Vegeta" ({{langx|hr|Teta Vegeta}}), was made an honorary citizen of the city before her death in 2008.{{cite web |title=Teta Vegeta: Woman from Sarajevo who invented the most popular Yugoslav Spice! |date=5 March 2020 |website=Sarajevo Times |url=https://sarajevotimes.com/teta-vegeta-woman-from-sarajevo-who-invented-the-most-popular-yugoslav-spice-2/ |access-date=25 September 2023}} Nielsen named Vegeta the best-selling universal food seasoning in Europe in 2021,{{cite web |title=Vegeta – the best-selling dehydrated food seasoning in Europe |date=20 February 2022 |website=Croatia Week |url=https://www.croatiaweek.com/vegeta-the-best-selling-dehydrated-food-seasoning-in-europe/ |access-date=25 September 2023}} and the products are sold in 40 countries worldwide.

There is also a "no MSG added" version for those avoiding monosodium glutamate.{{cite web|url=http://www.vegeta.com/products|title=Products -- Vegeta|publisher=Podravka d.d.|access-date=2015-07-25|archive-date=2015-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725080048/http://www.vegeta.com/products|url-status=dead}}