Tuesday, January 05, 2016

Rounding out the Extract Trinity with Bovril

Bovril

I finally bought a bottle of Bovril to finish off the salty extract tastings. It's similar to Marmite and Vegemite in the sense that it's a dark, salty, thick paste. But it's based on beef rather than yeast, and definitely much better than Marmite, the latter of which is too one-dimensional.

Perhaps what's more interesting is how NTUC FairPrice supermarkets here put Bovril and Marmite in the "Health Supplements" section next to bandages, antacids, and cough medicine. It's also near the Brand's Essence of Chicken, perhaps because the stuff tastes pretty similar when you make a soup out of it.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

that's the yeast version of bovril, isn't it? I've always thought singapore prohibits the import of bovril beef because of concerns of CJD from beef originating from british sources

bma said...

Good catch. I just checked the label again and didn't see any beef listed in the ingredients (there is a "flavour enhancer" though). Now I'm curious to know what the real Bovril tastes like.

Unknown said...

Bovril for hot drinks on a winters night...Marmite for...on toast, in a sandwich with cheese and ham or spread on a steak during cooking...trust me i'm English!