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This girl is on fire! Chilli salt from Herrliberg leaves me speechless
by Darina Schweizer
Addicted to Aromat – how a visit to Knorr made me relapse
15.11.2023
Translation: Eva Francis
Pictures: Christian Walker
Knorr classics such as Aromat Seasoning are often considered unhealthy. Is there anything to it? Or is the famous yellow seasoning not as bad as its reputation? I visited Knorr – with serious consequences.
In the fairytale castle of my childhood dreams, there are no princesses, mythical creatures or scary witches. No, my dream castle is home to Switzerland’s favourite seasoning: Aromat. Having said that, there are indeed a few myths surrounding some of the ingredients used at the Knorr production facility in Thayngen (Schaffhausen). I’m here to test them.
The castle owner works director of Unilever Schweiz GmbH, Daniel Lötscher, welcomes me at the entrance gate. He’s a tall man – and the six-storey production building is even taller. That’s where our tour starts.
Fat and glutamate for extra flavour
We slowly approach a huge metal tank with a capacity of 800 kilogrammes. I peep inside through a small window. Thousands and thousands of Aromat grains dance before my eyes. «We whirl up the components with hot air to prevent them from clumping together,» Daniel Lötscher says.
Then he points to pipes on the ceiling. Salt, lactose and wheat starch are fed from the silos into the tank through these bypasses. A mixture of liquid yeast and flavouring fat flows through another pipe. «The exact composition is our big secret,» Daniel Lötscher says with a serious look on his face. He does reveal, however, that the fat, liquid at first, causes certain aromatic components to stick together. This makes the seasoning coarser and enhances the flavour.
Nevertheless, reports of people with glutamate intolerance emerge again and again. In some, for example, it seems to trigger headaches. It’s also said to affect the sense of taste, making natural products taste bland. For anyone wanting to avoid glutamate, Knorr produces Aromat with yeast extract.
If only my mum had known…
A childhood without yellow seasoning
That typical yellow tinge
Last stop: filling into containers
From pea flour sausage to success story
Other ideas from Knorr weren’t a first-time success either. When Carl Heinrich Knorr opened the Swiss site in Thayngen in 1907, success wasn’t immediate. Knorr’s first invention, the pea flour sausage (Erbswurst), was launched in 1889 at its birthplace in Heilbronn (Germany). It was a dried mixture of pea flour, bacon, onions and spices pressed into casing made of intestines. It’s mixed with water to create an instant pea soup.
Knorr’s second major success followed in 1953 – Aromat. That was shortly before Maggi’s Fondor seasoning was launched. For the first time, the Aromat seasoning came in a newly developed shaker can, making it easy to dose. And since Knorr Aromat was given away to restaurants as a table condiment, the Aromat flavour soon spread all over Switzerland.
The triumph of the yellow seasoning hasn’t stopped until today. In fact, quite the opposite. According to Blue News (link in German), when an Aromat shortage hit Switzerland at the beginning of this year, emotions ran high. Seems that Aromat is an integral part of most Swiss kitchens.
Not just a seasoning for amateurs
That’s a surprise to me, as I thought restaurateurs didn’t use Aromat or packet soup. Josef Tschigg laughs and says: «Of course they do. Many chefs use these products as a base or component of a dish. They then add their own personal touch, for example by adding a little coconut milk to the curry soup.»
He did the same for me – he cooked with Aromat. Tschigg scoops creamed spinach from a steaming pan and places an onsen egg on top. He seasons it with some original Aromat. He serves this with garlic bread topped with fresh garlic and garlic Aroma, the latest Knorr product. The main course is spaghetti all’arrabbiata with meatballs, seasoned with chili Aromat – also one of the latest Knorr products.
The onsen egg tastes delicious. Eggs and Aromat are famously a match made in heaven. I can’t taste the garlic Aromat to be honest, as the fresh garlic is unbeatable. The chili Aromat has a pleasant, slight spiciness. Just the way I like it.
In the end? Aromat excess
After I leave the Knorr production facility and board the train in Thayngen, I enjoy the last bit of flavour on my tongue. And I rethink my Aromat consumption. Maybe I could start using it again from time to time. And I could use packet soup every once in a while, together with fresh vegetables. In moderation, of course.
Haha – me, Aromat and moderation. Who am I kidding?
Fast forward a few hours and I’m at home on the sofa with an open jar of Aromat in one hand and a pile of yellow seasoning in the other. «Oh my, isn’t that delicious», I whisper through my parched palate. I’ll save moderation for tomorrow.
What’s your take on Aromat and packet soup? Any childhood memories? I’m looking forward to your comments.
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.
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