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. Salt, flavour enhancers (monosodium glutamate, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate), potato starch, sugar, maltodextrin, colour (ammonia caramel), flavourings (containCELERY), beef broth (4%), rapeseed oil, anti-caking agent (silicon dioxide), yeast extract, acid (lactic acid), spices (pepper, lovage root), acidity regulator (calcium lactate). Wainwright, Martin (18 November 2004). "Bovril drops the beef to go vegetarian". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017 . Retrieved 1 March 2017. In 1871, a Scot, John Lawson Johnston, won a 'canned beef' contract to feed Napoleon's troops with his invention "Johnston's Fluid Beef". This has evolved into the Bovril we know today. 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.

It might not be the most appealing thing to Americans, but products like Bovril and Marmite contain high levels of vitamins C and E, which have been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer. Bovril holds the unusual distinction of having been advertised with a Pope. An advertising campaign of the early 20th century in Britain depicted Pope Leo XIII seated on his throne, bearing a mug of Bovril. The campaign slogan read: The Two Infallible Powers – The Pope & Bovril.

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. The first part of the product's name comes from Latin bovīnus, meaning "ox". [3] Johnston took the -vril suffix from Edward Bulwer-Lytton's then-popular novel, The Coming Race (1871), the plot of which revolves around a superior race of people, the Vril-ya, who derive their powers from an electromagnetic substance named "Vril". Therefore, Bovril indicates great strength obtained from an ox. [4] History [ edit ] Poster for Bovril, about 1900; V&A Museum no. E.163-1973

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

More From Bovril

By 1909, it wasn’t just explorers and soldiers that took strength from Bovril - hundreds and thousands of football supporters up and down the country were gulping down steaming hot cups of Bovril. In fact, by this time, Bovril was so popular with Brits that an electric advertising sign was erected in London’s Piccadilly Circus. In November 2020, Forest Green Rovers Football Club announced a collaboration with the makers of Bovril to create a beet-based version of Bovril to be sold at their New Lawn stadium, where meat-based products had been removed from sale some years prior. [17] Licensed production [ edit ]

Halsted, Jon; Hewitson, Chris; Booth, Tim (2010). Knowles Mill, Wyre Forest, Bewdley, Worcestershire - Historic Building Recording, Archaeological Evaluation. Birmingham: Birmingham Archaeology. pp.14–22. In the film In Which We Serve, the officers on the bridge are served "Bovril rather heavily laced with sherry" to warm them up, after being rescued during the Dunkirk evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. [ citation needed] 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. When John Lawson Johnston died, his son George Lawson Johnston inherited and took over the Bovril business. In 1929, George Lawson Johnston was made Baron Luke, of Pavenham, in the county of Bedford. Soy protein isolate, soy lecithin, hydrolyzed wheat protein, whey protein hydrolysate, sodium caseinate, maltodextrin, dextrose, citric acid, ascorbic acid. What does Bovril do to the body?

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Alexander Lawrie (7 August 2009). "Tribute to Scots Bovril inventor". Deadline News . Retrieved 20 October 2013.