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 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. The inventor of Bovril found an unusual word in a book. The first two letters of the Latin word ‘bovir’, meaning ‘electric fluid’, were combined with the word ‘vril’, which means ‘an electric fluid’. The word was used in the 18th century to describe the fluid that flowed through the human body. It was also used as a name for a type of electric battery, and it is still used today. Is Bovril high in B12? Bovril is produced in South Africa by the Bokomo division of Pioneer Foods. [18] Cultural significance [ edit ] Advertisement for Bovril at Southsea, c. 1914 Bovril advertising token issued for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria Bovril was promoted as a superfood in the early 20th century. Advertisements recommended people to dilute it into a tea or spread it on their morning toast. Some adverts even claimed that Bovril could protect one from influenza. [5]

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? Bovril is good for your health. It is possible to build healthy bodies. When times are tough, explorers drink bovril to keep their spirits up. When you’re recovering from a bad day at the office, your British granny gives you a sip of it.

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. 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. Food is the stuff of life: the fortunes made in food manufacturing rely on the creation of narratives that tap into our deepest hopes and fears. The story of Bovril as the ultimate processed beef-based food is an example of brilliant marketing and myth-making – one that famously brings together notions of Britishness and beefiness into a bulbous bottle with a chunky red lid. Advertising connected Bovril to the fashionable and popular physical culture movement by getting sporting celebrities to endorse the brand. One of these, the world’s strongest man at the turn of the 20th century, an Adonis-like star called Eugen Sandow, had developed his rippling muscles so that his body resembled a classical sculpture which he showed off to enormous crowds in the music halls. In the 1910s Bovril was also marketed as a highly advanced, scientific beverage that had been shown in experiments to boost the weight, assumed to be muscle mass, of humans and dogs.

In 1871, a Scot named John Lawson Johnston won a 'canned beef' contract to feed Napoleon's troops with his invention "Johnston's Fluid Beef", the original name for his famous Beef Extract. Renamed Bovril in 1886, the Great British drink we know and love was born. Bovril jars are commonly excavated as part of archaeological assemblages, such as at Knowles Mill in Worcestershire. [19] 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 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 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] British mountaineer Chris Bonington appeared in TV commercials for Bovril in the 1970s and 1980s in which he recalled melting snow and ice on Everest to make hot drinks. [22] See also [ edit ] Established over 100 years ago, Unilever are one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. They are known for their great brands and our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. The product did however hit a few blips: Bovril had its own horse-meat scandals during the late 1800s, and in 1906 sales of Bovril dipped as result of public horror at the appalling human and animal conditions in the massive Chicago meat processing plants exposed by the publication of Upton Sinclair’s bestselling novel, The Jungle. More recently Bovril went beef-free for a period in response to concerns about BSE (mad cow disease). Salt, Flavourings (contain Celery), Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5'-Ribonucleotides

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! a b c Wong, Cecily; Thuras, Dylan (2021). Gastro obscura: a food adventurer's guide. New York: Workman Publishing Company. p.2. ISBN 9781523502196.Wainwright, Martin. "Bovril drops the beef to go vegetarian". The Guardian . Retrieved 28 May 2018. In Malaysia they stir it into porridge and coffee 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. 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.

Halsted, Jon; Hewitson, Chris; Booth, Tim (2010). Knowles Mill, Wyre Forest, Bewdley, Worcestershire - Historic Building Recording, Archaeological Evaluation. Birmingham: Birmingham Archaeology. pp.14–22. 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. 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). 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.As a brand that for decades stood the test of time and still boasts iconic status in the public imagination, Bovril encapsulated notions of health and energy, stamina and stoicism. Bovril is good for you. It helps to build healthy bodies. Bovril is what explorers drink to keep their spirits up when times are tough. It’s what your British granny gives you to sip when you’re recovering from a bug. Bovril makes your Sunday roast gravy dark and strong. 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. 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. From the start, Bovril was heavily advertised through campaigns that tapped into the mood of the public quite brilliantly. It was British and the company worked hard to make sure it was a food of choice of the army – it was patriotic and nutritious. Advertising featured pictures of bulls: the strongest of beasts, whose meat turned British men into the strongest and smartest in Europe. Essentially Bovril was imagined as a bull in a bottle. In this way, the advertising of Bovril is strikingly different to the advertising of meat products today which rarely if ever carry images of animals,” said Steinitz. By 1968, the Bovril empire owned Argentinean beef ranches that totalled the equivalent to half the size of England. Production was also moved from London to its current home in Burton on Trent.