Bovril / Marmite / Vegemite

Excuse me, I was wondering whether anyone still remember what is Bovril. I was watching some movie on HBO recently when I noticed one of the actors spreading something which looked like Bovril on the bread. If I recall, Bovril was really big in Singapore in the 80's and there were commericals running on TV that showed mothers feeding their children with Bovril-spread bread because it is supposed to be nutritious. For those who are too young to remember, Bovril is supposed to be salty beef extract. You can spread them on bread or mix it with hot water into a hot drink. According to Wiki, Napoleon wanted one million cans of beef for his army during his war against the Prussians in 1870. His poor servant couldn't find enough cows to provide all the meat but invented beef extract which one can mix with hot water for a drink. This way, more soldiers could be fed.

Some of my friends swear by it and say they even mix it with porridge. Some told me it was the most evil thing they have ever tasted. They rather eat roots. I never tasted it before because it was really expensive in the 80's and my family couldn't afford it. People eat Bovril with their bread, I eat mine with butter. Apparently, only those western, educated Singaporean families have a habit of eating Bovril or Vegmite or Marmite. Afterall, Bovril / Vegmite / Marmite are all legacies of our British colonial history. Indeed, all my friends who eat Bovril clearly come from well educated families. There are other versions of Bovril. Below is Marmite - made from yeast. For vegetarians.

And then, there is vegemite. I heard that it is like Marmite only it is from Australia.

I wonder whether they still sell Bovril in Singapore. I wouldn't mind buying one now and try just to see what I have been missing. I doubt I would like all these salty extracts stuff but what the heck. Now that I am financially stable, it is time to buy stuff that was denied to me when I was young and poor.