Beef comes in many forms. As Americans, we may think that we\u2019ve done just about everything imaginable with a cow carcass, but it turns out the Brits have been enjoying a form of beef for decades that Americans have barely even heard of. It\u2019s called Bovril. What is Bovril? How is Bovril made? Are you sure you want to know? Let\u2019s spread out some answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not every day that a food\u2019s origin story is connected to Napoleon, but this is certainly the case with Bovril. Well, it\u2019s Napoleon III, who was sort of like the Jason Schwartzman to Napoleon I\u2019s Francis Ford Coppola, but nevertheless, it\u2019s interesting! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the story goes, Napoleon III needed beef to feed his troops during the Franco-Prussia War, but transporting meat without spoilage was a significant challenge. Enter butcher John Lawson Johnson, who conceived of a \u201cfluid beef\u201d that could be easily shipped and stored. It was a success, and it became a staple of pubs and grocery stores soon thereafter. Bovril is a brand of that fluid beef. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s the long version. The short version is, Bovril is a meat extract paste first invented in the 1880s and currently owned by Unilever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bovril looks quite similar to yeast extract pastes such as Vegemite<\/a> and Marmite<\/a>. But there\u2019s one important difference: Unlike these vegetarian products, Bovril is made of meat. To get more specific, the ingredients list on a container of Bovril is as follows: Beef Stock (41%), Yeast Extract (24%), Water, Salt, Colour (Ammonia Caramel), Waxy Maize Starch, Dehydrated Beef (1.0%), Flavour Enhancer (Disodium 5′-ribonucleotides), Lactic Acid, Flavouring, Spice Extracts (contains celery).<\/p>\n\n\n\n