[kall]

before googling - Its kind of like a caramelised Hot Chocolate..

after googling -

Originally Posted by http://slate.msn.com/id/2074516/

What Is Ovaltine, Please?
By Brendan I. Koerner
Posted Friday, Nov. 22, 2002, at 1:18 PM PT

Associated British Foods recently paid over $270 million to purchase the Ovaltine beverage line from Novartis AG, a Swiss conglomerate. What exactly is Ovaltine?

Familiar to generations of kids as a chocolaty treat, Ovaltine was originally concocted as a nutritional supplement for those in need of more rounded diets. In the late 19th century, Swiss chemist Georg Wander invented a cheap process to harvest malt extract, a syrup derived from malted barley that's commonly used by beer brewers. The barley was first allowed to germinate, or sprout rootlets, in a moist environment. Wander then used a vacuuming process to dehydrate this softened grain, leaving behind a thick, sweet goo. He hoped this syrup, once fortified with goodies like vitamin D and phosphorous, would someday win the world's battle against malnutrition.