Bovril
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Bovril is the trademarked name of a thick, salty beef extract, sold in a distinctive, bulbous jar.
A spoonful of the semi-liquid paste in hot water makes a savoury drink. It can also be used as a flavouring for soups, stews or porridge, or spread on bread, especially toast. Its flavor is not dissimilar to that of Marmite.
The name, like many late 19th and early 20th century tradenames, comes (partially) from Latin, bos (gen. bovis) meaning "ox" or "bull/cow". The vril component of the name comes from Bulwer-Lytton's once-popular 1870 "lost race" novel, The Coming Race, in which a subterranean humanoid race have mental control over, and devastating powers from, an energy fluid named "Vril."[1]
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[edit] History
In 1870–1871, in the war against the Germans, Napoleon III found that his armies could not 'march on empty stomachs'. He therefore ordered one million cans of beef to feed his starving troops. The task of providing all this beef went to a Scot named John Lawson Johnston. Unfortunately, Britain did not have a large enough quantity of beef to meet the French people's and Napoleon III's demand, so Johnston created a product known as 'Johnston's Fluid Beef' -- later called Bovril.
By the year 1888, in excess of 3000 English pubs, grocers and chemists were beginning to sell Bovril. In 1889, the Bovril Company was formed. 1966 saw the beginnings of Bovril's instant beef stock, followed by the 'King Beef' range of instant flavours for stews, casseroles and gravy in 1971.
Bovril continued to function as a "war food" in World War I, and was frequently mentioned in the 1930 account "Not So Quiet... Stepdaughters of War" by Helen Zenna Smith (Evadne Price). As a drink mixing the beef-flavouring with hot water, it helped sustain the underfed and overworked female ambulance drivers throughout their years of harsh volunteer service.
Bovril was based in Argentina, and at the height of the Bovril empire, the company owned ranches in Argentina that were equivalent in size to half of England and sustaining over 1.5 million livestock.
When John Lawson Johnston died, George Lawson Johnston inherited the Bovril business. In 1929, George Lawson Johnston was recognised by the British Government and monarchy and was ennobled as Baron Luke, of Pavenham in the county of Bedford. This hereditary title passed to Ian St John Lawson Johnston in 1943 and to Arthur Charles St John Lawson Johnston in 1996. The current Lord Luke is one of the ninety hereditary peers elected to remain in the House Of Lords of the United Kingdom after the 1999 reforms.
[edit] Product Range
- Bovril 125g
- Bovril 250g
- Bovril 500g
- Bovril 125g (Chicken)
- Bovril cubes (12x71g)
[edit] Recipe
In November of 2004, the manufacturers, Unilever, announced that the composition of Bovril was being changed from beef to a yeast extract, both in the hope of allaying fears of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and to make the product suitable for vegetarians and vegans. According to Unilever, "in blind taste tests, 10% didn't notice any difference in taste, 40% preferred the original and 50% preferred the new product."
The manufacturers also hoped to increase exports to Asian countries such as Malaysia, a primarily Muslim country where the government was becoming restrictive regarding non-halal meat. By changing Bovril to a non-meat base, Unilever hoped to increase sales in the country, where people enjoy Bovril stirred into coffee and porridge.
The removal of beef from the recipe in 2004 was not without criticism, with many complaining that the new variant did not taste the same and had a different mouth feel. One individual even set aside space on his own website to try and persuade Unilever to re-release the old formula Bovril with beef extract.
Beef extract was eventually re-introduced as a key Bovril ingredient in 2006, after the European Union lifted its ban on Britain's beef products.
[edit] Culture
Bovril is served at the Groucho Club and is associated with football culture, being commonly drunk on the terraces from thermos flasks in winter. At Scottish football stadiums, containers such as thermos flasks are banned by law, so Bovril is purchased inside the grounds, where it is served in polystyrene or plastic cups.
Some Bovril lovers (as seen at football matches) like to shake white pepper and a little cayenne into the drink. Bovril can also be spread on buttered toast and eaten rather like Marmite.
