Drinkers have been enjoying a rise in interest in beef-based teas such as this one for a long time. The ancient health drink has seen a resurgence in the US and the UK, with experts and celebrities alike touting its nutritious benefits. Bone broth, although very trendy in professional circles, could just be the precursor to an unlikely competitor: Beef tea.
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What is Beef Tea?
Beef tea might seem like a British tradition that only the elderly and sick should partake in, but this simple dish is making a resurgence – at least in high-end restaurants.
The original recipe calls for just salt because it was meant to help invalids, but you can add spices, herbs, butter, pearl onions and carrots to make it a flavorful treat.
Beef tea is a simple decoction made by steeping beef, usually rump meat, in water for a couple of hours and seasoned with salt. This mild meat tea was often used as a remedy in England for all kinds of health conditions, including colds, coughs, and recovery after different kinds of viral infections.
The tea differs from beef broth or bone broth because it is made by steeping meat instead of the bones. It is traditionally served hot and is meant to revitalize the body on cold days. Beef tea became popular among invalids back in 1760 in Dublin when it was mentioned in an edition of the Dublin Courier.
However, it gained popularity among hospital staff and Florence Nightingale as an antidote for many types of ailments around 20th century until many people questioned its effectiveness.
Beef tea also received flak for its high levels of meat wastage; unfortunately a report published when some visiting gents had dinner at an inn revealed that 62,000 lbs of beef were being used annually just to make one iced tea from one London hospital alone!
Nonetheless, this simple British classic is making bit of a comeback today thanks to chefs who have been cooking with it on menus at high-end venues such as Manresa
Beef Tea Recipe
This 19th-century tea is one of the most traditional ways to make meat tea. Meat is boiled in water, sometimes with a savory stock, or a chicken and veggie broth, until it’s fully cooked before boiling it down into a liquid. Bovril is actually from Scotland according to entries on both Wikipedia and Now I Know!
If you want to try this British classic, let us know about your experience in the comments below. You can also tag your picture with #organicfactsrecipes if you loved the recipe!
Today we’re going to show you how to make the traditional British meat tea. There are many ways to put this 19th-century recipe together, but our preferred method is to use a jar of Bovril.
This notable beef paste was invented by Scotsman John Lawson Johnston in 1886 because Napoleon Bonaparte of France asked for a convenient way to make an easy, healthy beef tea for his troops – with Bovril, all they needed to do was add hot water and past it on bread or crackers too as well as other recipes requiring a conical beef taste.
We think this is worth trying if you’ve got the time – please let us know your review in the comments below! You can also follow us on Instagram through our Organic Facts’ Recipes account! See the end of our recipe for more information on where you can find the Bovril mentioned in our post.
Let’s look at the step-by-step method for making this tea. While this is the traditional way of making the meat tea, 19th-century tea was also made with a jar of Bovril. Bovril, a beef extract paste, was invented in 1886 by Scotsman John Lawson Johnston due to a request by Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon, who had an intense craving for beefy flavors, wanted to create quick and easy ways to make healthy meat stew that could be served warm or cold during battle season.
The invention of Bovril caught on and is now used as both a spread on bread and an ingredient in many recipes that require a beefy taste.
