5 Weird Facts About Bovril You Probably Didn't Know

1. Its name is half Latin, half science fiction. "Bo" comes from the Latin bos (ox); "vril" is borrowed from an 1871 novel, The Coming Race, about an underground civilisation powered by a fictional energy force called Vril.
2. It was invented to feed an army. Scottish butcher John Lawson Johnston created it in the 1870s to supply preserved beef extract for Napoleon III's troops — he originally called it "Johnston's Fluid Beef."
3. It wasn't renamed "Bovril" until 1886 — over a decade after it was first developed.
4. It's a football terrace tradition. A hot mug of Bovril at a cold match has been a British football ritual for generations.
5. It isn't sold in most US grocery stores at all. Bovril is a genuine UK institution with essentially no mainstream American distribution — fans import it directly.

What it actually is

A thick, salty beef extract — stirred into hot water as a warming drink, spread thinly on toast, or used to deepen the flavour of gravies, stews and casseroles.

Where to buy it in the US

Get the genuine Bovril Beef Extract, 250g jar from Great British Imports, shipped directly across the United States.