Maz said:
I love the smell of Bovril. Has it got beef in it, though, or is it vegetable extracts and things?
Bovril
should be beef, but I've got a nasty feeling they mucked it about.
<checks Wiki>
Yes, it did get changed, then back again...
"In November 2004, the manufacturers, Unilever, announced that the composition of Bovril was being changed from beef to a yeast extract, both in the hope of allaying fears of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and to make the product suitable for vegetarians and vegans. 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."
The manufacturer also hoped to increase exports (Unilever UK Export) to Asian countries such as Malaysia, a primarily Muslim country where the government was becoming restrictive regarding non-halal meat. By changing Bovril to a non-meat base, Unilever hoped to increase sales in the country, 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 re-introduced as a key Bovril ingredient in 2006, after the European Commission lifted its ban on the export of Britain's beef products."
I saw some old packaging in a museum once, for a similar product called "ExOx" - an even more graphic description of what it's made from really...
Marmite can also be made up as a drink, and that is veggie.
A stock made from Marigold Vegetable Boullion powder is also nice.
