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Bovril
The trademarked name of a thick, salty meat extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston. It is sold in a distinctive, bulbous jar.
History
In 1870, in the Franco-Prussian War, Napoleon III ordered one million cans of beef to feed his troops.
The task of providing all this beef went to a Scotsman living in Canada named John Lawson Johnston. 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 Napoleon III. By 1888, over 3,000 UK public houses, grocers and dispensing chemists were selling Bovril.
In 1889, the Bovril Company was formed.
How to make some yourself
Available to buy in most Supermarkets, you can simply add a few teaspoons of the Bovril to hot water. Great for those cold nights in front of the fire.