The jar is round. Why didn't they call it "Roundtine"? (my compliments to the writers of the Jerry Seinfeld Show). This week we look at an old favorite. In the same aisle as most of the other drink mixes, we find two flavors of Ovaltine. This what we talk about this week, not really an incredibly rare or obscure product but an old one.
Apparently this stuff existed as early as the 1930s, and possibly predated a lot of today's options for chocolate drink mix. One of America's most endearing movies " A Christmas Story" (also one of my favorite movies) has a nice role for Ovaltine in it. In the movie we learn that even in the golden age of radio, marketing gimmicks ran wild, when Ralphie finds that his" secret decoder ring " that he waited so long for is really just a vehicle for an Ovaltine marketing campaign.
Ovaltine has been around for a while and it's good. I think this is one of this products that should make a larger comeback. I certainly think the flavor is as good as Hershey's Syrup or Nestle Quik (Ovaltine is also a Nestle brand). Also, there are vitamins! That's right Ovaltine is chocked full of stuff like B1 and B2. A serving of the mix without the milk gives you about 60% of your B1 requirement for the day.
Here is the web site of Ovaltine, check it out. You can even take a survey and get yourself a couple of coupons worth over a buck.
Enjoy it hot or cold. Rich Chocolately Ovaltine.