Why Is It Called Ovaltine?

Ask your parents what this photo depicts. They'll either say, "some chocolate milk drink I made you when you were young" or "I TOLD YOU NOT TO DISTURB ME WHILE I'M WORKING."

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


Documents obtained by Mother Jones suggest that the reason Ovaltine is called Ovaltine instead of Roundtine despite the fact that “the mug is round; the jar is round” has to do with the Latin word for eggs.

Ovaltine was developed in Berne, Switzerland, where it is known by its original name, Ovomaltine (from ovum, Latin for “egg,” and malt, which were originally its main ingredients).

My friend, put your rifle down, and come down from that wall. You’ve served your country well, but the war is over. You’re coming home.

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2022 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2022 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate