Bovril Beef Flavoured Drink - 450gm

Product Information

Salt, Flavourings (contain Celery), Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5'-Ribonucleotides Bovril was an inspired name marrying together meat, myth and magic: the first part of the word ‘bo’ borrowed from bovine and the second part ‘vril’ from Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s science fiction novel, The Coming Race, in which the Vril-ya were an underground people with awesome electrical powers. In 1994, enough Bovril drink was made to fill 90 million match day mugs. In the same year, Andy Cole became the highest ever Premiership scorer with 34 goals in a season for Manchester United.

In 1968, the year Bovril production moved from London to Burton on Trent, Burton Football Club was saved from relegation when Stevenage Town left the Southern League!

Our eight year old daughter just asked this yesterday! Somehow or other, both Pepper Mill and I knew the answer, although I don’t think they’ve ever had Bovril here in the States. As Rayne Man suggests, we told her it was like beef bouillon.

Bovril has been exported to countries around the world for many years. As well as expatriates looking for a taste of home in countries like France and Spain, Bovril is extremely popular in Malaysia, Singapore and China where generations of people have grown up with the iconic British drink. One serving provides a fifth of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of folic acid, a quarter of our riboflavin needs and 15 per cent of the niacin requirement. One serving provides a third of the Recommended Daily Allowance, and is rich in vitamins B12 and B6, which are essential for the formation of red blood cells. Bovril is derived from beef. When warmed and diluted with a bit of water, Bovril, or “beef soup,” is soothing and easy to digest when you may have lost appetite or have a weak stomach. a b c Wong, Cecily; Thuras, Dylan (2021). Gastro obscura: a food adventurer's guide. New York: Workman Publishing Company. p.2. ISBN 9781523502196. The scientific theories that surrounded Bovril linked it with electricity, another marvel of science that was changing people’s lives. “In the late Victorian era, there were many popular therapies that used electricity as a stimulant and tonic for nervous complaints and constipation,” said Steinitz. “Bovril also slotted into the temperance movement as a drink that was alcohol-free and yet not namby-pamby. It has a suitable dark, macho look and a meaty, macho smell.”

Some 130 years ago a Scotsman spotted a gap in the market. Tasked with supplying preserved beef from the ranches of North America for Napoleon III’s army, following their defeat due to starvation during the 1870/71 Siege of Paris, John Lawson Johnston saw the potential for a beef extract with added protein. He produced an extract made by heating carcasses of cattle and reducing the liquids that came off into a residue which was mixed with powdered dried meat. This substance, which Johnston believed was truly nutritious, overcame all the problems associated with the transportation of meat across thousands of miles of ocean. Since its invention, Bovril has become an icon of British culture. It is associated with football culture. During the winter British football fans in stadium terraces drink it as a tea from Thermos flasks – or from disposable cups in Scotland, where thermoses are banned from football stadiums. [20] [21] "The Two Infallible Powers: The Pope & Bovril"; poster for Bovril, c. 1900