Bovril is the trademarked name of a thick, salty
meat extractMeat extract is highly concentrated meat stock, usually made from beef. It is used to add meat flavor in cooking, and to make broth for drinking....
, developed in the 1870s by
John Lawson JohnstonJohn Lawson Johnston was the creator of Bovril.He was born in 29 Main Street, Roslin, Midlothian. A plaque is on the property and can be seen above the door...
and sold in a distinctive, bulbous jar. It is made in
Burton upon TrentBurton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
,
StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, owned and distributed by
UnileverUnilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
UK.
Bovril can be made into a drink by diluting with hot water, or less commonly with milk. It can also be used as a flavouring for
soupSoup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...
s,
stewA stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
s or
porridgePorridge is a dish made by boiling oats or other cereal meals in water, milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish...
, or spread on
breadBread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
, especially
toastToast is bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction. Toasting warms the bread and makes it firmer, so it holds toppings more securely...
, rather like
MarmiteMarmite is the name given to two similar food spreads: the original British version, first produced in the United Kingdom and later South Africa, and a version produced in New Zealand...
.
The first part of the product's name comes from
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
bos meaning "ox" or "cow." Johnston took the
-vril suffix from Bulwer-Lytton's then-popular 1870 "lost race" novel
The Coming Race, whose plot revolves around a superior race of people, the Vril-ya, who derive their powers from an electromagnetic substance named "Vril."
History
In 1870, in the war against the
PrussiaPrussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
ns, Napoleon III ordered one million cans of beef to feed his starving troops. The task of providing all this beef went to a
ScotsmanScotsman may mean:* a man from Scotland, in common parlance - see also Scottish people.* No true Scotsman, a common logical fallacy.*The Scotsman, a national newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland....
named
John Lawson JohnstonJohn Lawson Johnston was the creator of Bovril.He was born in 29 Main Street, Roslin, Midlothian. A plaque is on the property and can be seen above the door...
. Large quantities of beef were available across the British Dominions and South America, but its transport and storage were problematic. Therefore Johnston created a product known as 'Johnston's Fluid Beef,' later called Bovril, to meet the needs of the
French peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and Napoleon III. By 1888, over 3,000
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
public houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s,
grocerA grocer is a bulk seller of food. Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...
s and chemists were selling Bovril. In 1889, the Bovril Company was formed.
Bovril continued to function as a "war food" in
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and was frequently mentioned in the 1930 account
Not So Quiet... Stepdaughters of War by Helen Zenna Smith (
Evadne PriceEvadne Price , who wrote mostly under the pseudonym Helen Zenna Smith, was an English writer, actress, astrologer and media personality....
). As a drink mixing the beef flavouring with hot water, it helped sustain ambulance drivers and men in trenches.
A thermos of
beef tea was the favoured way to fend off the chill of winter matches for generations of Scottish and English football enthusiasts; to this day Bovril dissolved in hot water is sold in stadiums all over the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Bovril
beef tea was the main warm drink that
Ernest ShackletonSir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE was a notable explorer from County Kildare, Ireland, who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration...
's team had to drink when they were marooned on Elephant Island during the
Endurance ExpeditionThe Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition , also known as the Endurance Expedition, is considered the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent...
.
When John Lawson Johnston died,
George Lawson JohnstonGeorge Lawson Johnston, 1st Baron Luke, KBE , was a British businessman.Luke was the second son of John Lawson Johnston, a beef manufacturer and the founder of Bovril Ltd and Elizabeth, daughter of George Lawson, biscuit manufacturer of Edinburgh...
inherited the Bovril business. In 1929, George Lawson Johnston was recognised by the British Government and
monarchyA monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
and was ennobled as
Lord Luke of PavenhamBaron Luke, of Pavenham, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1929 for the businessman George Lawson Johnston. He was the second son of John Lawson Johnston, the founder of Bovril Ltd. the title is held by his grandson, the third Baron, who succeeded his father in 1996...
in the county of Bedford. This hereditary title passed to Ian St John Lawson Johnston in 1943 and to
Arthur Charles St John Lawson JohnstonArthur Charles St John Lawson Johnston, 3rd Baron Luke is a British peer and currently Opposition Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport and for Defence...
in 1996. The current Lord Luke is one of the 92 hereditary peers elected to remain in the
House of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
of the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
after its 1999 reform.
Bovril's instant beef stock was launched in 1966 and its "King of Beef" range of instant flavours for
stewA stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
s,
casseroleA casserole, from the French for "saucepan", is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a casserole dish or casserole pan...
s and
gravyGravy is a sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking. In North America the term can refer to a wider variety of sauces and gravy is often thicker than in Britain...
in 1971.
In 1971,
Cavenham Foods-History:The Company was founded by Sir James Goldsmith in 1965 when he bought up a series of bakeries.In 1971 Cavenham acquired the Bovril Company but then sold most of its diaries and South American operations to finance further take-overs...
acquired the Bovril Company but then sold most of its dairies and
South AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n operations to finance further take-overs. The brand is now owned by
UnileverUnilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
.
Bovril holds the unusual position of having been advertised with a
PopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. An advertising campaign of the early 20th century in Britain depicted the Pope seated on his throne, bearing a mug of Bovril. The campaign slogan read:
The Two Infallible Powers - The Pope & Bovril.
Product range
- Bovril 125g
- Bovril 250g
- Bovril 500g
- Bovril 125g (Chicken)
- Bovril cubes (12x71g)
Licensed production
Bovril is also produced in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
by the Bokomo division of Pioneer Foods The product range includes a version with chili.
The manufacturer also hoped to increase exports (Unilever UK & Ireland Export) to Asian countries such as
Malaysia, a primarily
MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
country where the government was becoming restrictive regarding non-
halalHalal is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
meat. By changing Bovril to a non-meat base, Unilever hoped to increase sales there, where people enjoy Bovril stirred into 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. Beef extract was eventually reintroduced as a key Bovril ingredient in 2006, after the
European CommissionThe European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
lifted its ban on the export of Britain's beef products; it was only at this point that the manufacturer stated explicitly that this had been the main reason for beef's removal.
During the
Siege of LadysmithThe Siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 30 October 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal.-Background:...
in the
Second Boer WarThe Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, a Bovril-like paste was unofficially produced from horse meat within the garrison. Nicknamed
Chevril (by replacing the Bov (
ox) with Chev (
horse) in the Bovril name) it was produced by boiling down horse meat or mules to a jelly paste and serving it as a
beef tea.
Recipe changes
In November 2004, the manufacturers,
UnileverUnilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
, announced that the composition of Bovril was being changed from beef extract to a
yeast extractYeast extract is the common name for various forms of processed yeast products made by extracting the cell contents ; they are used as food additives or flavourings, or as nutrients for bacterial culture media. They are often used to create savory flavors and umami taste sensations. Monosodium...
, claiming it was to make the product suitable for vegetarians and vegans; at that time fear of
bovine spongiform encephalopathyBovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
(BSE) may have been a factor. 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."
It now once again makes Bovril using beef extract and a chicken variety using chicken extract, although the vegetarian formula is still sold in some countries, such as Australia and Hong Kong.
In popular culture
Bovril was famously advertised as a potential aid to slimming in the 1980s via an ad campaign featuring actress and model
Jerry HallJerry Faye Hall is an American model and actress, also known for her long-term relationship with Mick Jagger, with whom she had four children.-Early life:...
, using the slogan "Are you a Bovril body?"
Bovril is served at the
Groucho ClubThe Groucho Club is a well-known private social club located at Dean Street in Soho, London. Its members are mostly drawn from the media, entertainment, arts and fashion industries....
and is associated with football culture, being commonly drunk on the terraces from
thermosThermos may refer to:* A vacuum flask generically known as a "thermos"* a brand of domestic vacuum flask made by Thermos L.L.C.* Thermos , an ancient Greek city, the capital city of the Aetolian League...
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
cayenneThe cayenne pepper—also known as the Guinea spice,cow-horn pepper, aleva, bird pepper,or, especially in its powdered form, red pepper—is a red, hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes and for medicinal purposes. Named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, it is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum...
into the drink.
Burton Albion have named their home end after Bovril due to the sponsorships between club and company.
Famous Bovril drinkers include former Ipswich Town stalwart
Bontcho GuentchevBoncho Lyubomirov Genchev is a retired Bulgarian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.-Club career:Born in General Toshevo, Dobrich Province, Genchev started playing with PFC Dobrudzha Dobrich, switching to PFC Litex Lovech in 1982, for another sole season...
, BB7's
Aisleyne Horgan-WallaceAisleyne Horgan-Wallace is a British glamour model, fashion designer, magazine columnist, actress, and television & media personality. She rose to fame in 2006, when she appeared, and finished third, in the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother....
, Lewis Tomalin from the 'Perfect Week' and London Scottish's Martin Tattersall. In July 2008,
NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine referred to up-and-coming Manchester-based indie band Mucky Minds as
Vampire WeekendVampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
on Bovril.
On the February 20, 2011, episode of
Top GearTop Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
,
James MayJames Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
had Bovril in an urn inside a
ClaasClaas is an agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in 1913, now based in Harsewinkel, Germany, in the state of North Rhine Westphalia. Their agricultural products are usually sold under the Claas name, except in North America where combines are distributed under the Lexion brand by Caterpillar...
Dominator combine harvester in Norway, which was converted into a snow plow. Expressing its necessity on the British way of life as he knows it, he stated on the program, "We all know that when it's snowing and it's cold you have Bovril. That's a rule of life."
In
Roald DahlRoald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
's book
MatildaMatilda is a children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. It was published in 1988 by Jonathan Cape in London, with illustrations by Quentin Blake. The story is about Matilda Wormwood, an extraordinary child with ordinary and rather unpleasant parents, who are contemptuous of their daughter's...
, the title character would read books while drinking hot chocolate, but occasionally she would make Bovril or
OvaltineOvaltine is a brand of milk flavoring product made with malt extract , sugar , cocoa, and whey...
.
Posters advertising Bovril can be seen in the 1964 motion picture "My Fair Lady", at the end of the musical number "I'm getting married in the morning".
In the 'Lunch' episode of the British popular foodshow "Two Fat Ladies", Jennifer Paterson drinks a cup of Bovril while smoking a cigarette on a bridge.
External links