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Comment by PopeDotNinja | Hacker News Reader

I know you're joking, but I looked it up :)

'Ovaltine was developed in Bern, Switzerland, where it is known by its original name, Ovomaltine (from ovum, Latin for "egg", and malt, which were originally its key ingredients).' [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovaltine

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Ha, as a Swiss, from the Bern region, I was thinking whether this strange sounding Ovaltine has anything to do with Ovomaltine and was about to look it up.

In Switzerland, Ovomaltine is among the products with highest brand recognition ever and has a cult status because of their advertisement in the 80s and 90s.

Never knew it was a thing outside of Switzerland

I am from South America and I drink Ovomaltine every day. It has a lot less sugar than the local brands, which is a plus in my book. More actual taste than just sugary overload.

Used to be pretty big in Italy in late 70s/early 80s, then Nestlé destroyed all competition with their Nesquick. You can still find Ovomaltine in large supermarkets but it's clearly a bit player.

I wonder if it's a generational thing as well?

It is still sold as Ovomaltine in Germany and some other countries[1].

[1] https://www.ovomaltine.com/country-locator

And oval also comes from ovum. So it's a sibling rather than parent relationship.

Oh! That explains why I’d always get really sick after drinking/eating Ovaltine based products!

Because of the malt? Egg and egg products are no longer used.

It's a Jerry Seinfeld bit.

cerved was referencing an episode of Seinfeld

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