The old phrase “keep a stock pot boiling” was a popular instruction in big households, inns, and even ships in the past. A large pot — the stock pot — would be kept simmering on the hearth day and night. Into it went bones, meat scraps, vegetable peelings, herbs, anything spare from the kitchen. Over time, it became a perpetual broth, constantly topped up with water and fresh ingredients. It may sound yucky, but since it never stopped boiling, it couldn’t go “off”. It’s actually the ancestor of the everyday stock cubes we use nowadays.
Because bones and connective tissue were a major part of what went in, the stock would have been naturally rich in collagen (which, when simmered, turns into gelatin) and a continuous source of nourishment and flavour, full of collagen from bones.
The Glue That Holds Us Together
Collagen itself is the most abundant protein in the human body, a building block that gives strength and flexibility to skin, bones and connective tissues. The word comes from the Greek kólla, meaning glue, and for centuries cooks everywhere have known that a pot of bones left to bubble on the stove produces a rich, gelatinous stock that quite literally holds things together.
A Recipe Shared Across Civilisations
Every culture has its own version of this culinary wisdom. In China, slow-cooked broths made with chicken feet or pork trotters were prized for their nourishing properties. French cuisine turned to pot-au-feu and aspics, elegant dishes that relied on collagen-rich stock to set into delicate jellies. In Vietnam, the beloved soup pho gets its depth of flavour from beef bones simmered for hours. In Mexico, caldo de res – a hearty beef and vegetable soup – makes full use of marrow bones and cartilage. In the Middle East, long-simmered lamb shank stews have been valued as both comfort food and sustenance. Though the flavours differ, the principle is the same: nothing goes to waste, and slow cooking unlocks both taste and texture.
From the Hearth to the Health Aisle
For most of history, collagen-rich foods were simply part of daily life. Families routinely ate soups, stews and cuts of meat that included skin, joints and bones. But the problem is, they take so long to cook! With so little time for cooking, and the modern preference for lean cuts and quick meals, many of these traditions faded. In the twenty-first century we eat less collagen than ever before in human history. It is surprising, then, that today’s interest in collagen supplements feels less like a brand-new discovery rather than a return to a more traditional diet.
Top 10 Benefits of Collagen
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Collagen is your body’s scaffolding – it makes up around a third of all the protein in the human body, giving structure and strength to skin, bones, muscles and tendons.
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It’s what keeps skin springy – collagen fibres form a supportive mesh that gives skin its elasticity and firmness.
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Collagen acts like shock absorbers for joints – in cartilage, it provides the cushioning and flexibility that help keep knees, hips and shoulders moving smoothly.
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It’s a built-in glue – the word collagen comes from the Greek kólla, meaning glue, because it literally holds tissues and organs together.
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Your gut lining relies on it – collagen proteins are part of the tissue that maintains the integrity of the digestive tract.
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It makes up your hair and nails too – while keratin gets most of the credit, collagen provides the amino acid building blocks needed to grow strong hair and nails.
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Collagen gives bones their strength and resilience – it’s the protein framework that minerals like calcium attach to, making bones both hard and slightly flexible rather than brittle.
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It keeps blood vessels flexible – collagen is a vital part of artery walls, helping them stay strong yet elastic as blood flows through.
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Collagen is essential for wound healing – when skin is damaged, collagen fibres knit together the new tissue that closes and repairs the injury.
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It even affects how teeth sit in your gums – collagen forms part of the connective tissue that anchors teeth and supports gum health.
Bovine Collagen: Old Wisdom, New Convenience
This is where bovine collagen steps in. Sourced from cattle, it is especially rich in Types I and III collagen, the same forms most abundant in human skin and connective tissue. What makes it appealing is not only its composition but also its practicality. Modern processing techniques break collagen down into hydrolysed peptides, which dissolve easily in hot or cold liquids and have little to no taste. Instead of waiting twelve hours for a pot of broth to finish simmering, you can stir a spoonful of powder into your morning coffee or blend it into a smoothie. The principle is identical, but the convenience is designed for modern life.
Collagen and the Idea of Renewal
What is particularly striking is how collagen-rich foods were often linked with renewal, recovery and beauty long before the science was fully understood. In East Asia, broths made with skin and bones were traditionally given to new mothers during the postpartum period. In Europe, shimmering jellies made from meat stock were served to convalescents as both nourishing and refined. In South America, bone broths were considered restorative and were often given to those feeling under the weather. Different cultures spoke in different terms, but the thread of intuition was the same: collagen carried something special.
Broth, Powders and Pancakes
Today, collagen has reappeared in a dazzling variety of forms. For some people, it is a scoop of bovine collagen powder whisked into tea, coffee or post-gym shakes. Others prefer the convenience of capsules or incorporate collagen into cooking, adding it to soups, sauces and even pancakes. In this sense, we are not doing anything radically new, just continuing an age-old practice in ways that fit our busy lives.
Some Savoury Meals to Beef up with Bovine Collagen
This list is for those of you who want to get all the health benefits of traditional collagen recipes, but have better things to do than stand over a simmering stock pot for 12 hours. All you need is a tub of VitaBright grass-fed bovine collagen and you’re ready to get started!
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Irish stew / Lancashire hotpot / Scouse / Hotch-Potch or Cawl – Going by more regional names than the bread rolls we eat with it, we all love gently simmered lamb with veggies full of thick gravy, much like traditional bone broths. You can chuck in some bovine collagen to ramp up the nutritional rating even more. Right then, where are the baps / cobs / barns / muffins / stotties / rolls?
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Chicken soup – Whether homemade or shop-bought, it’s the modern cousin of the long-simmered chicken broths valued across cultures.
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Shepherd’s pie – Back in the old days, that ever-simmering stock pot would provide some extra flavour for the gravy in a shepherd's pie. Nowadays, that yummy rich gravy beneath the mash is perfect for stirring in collagen powder without changing the taste.
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Sunday roast gravy – You may find this sacrilege, but hydrolysed bovine collagen mixes very smoothly into gravy, echoing the gelatin-rich sauces of traditional roasts.
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Noodle beef soup – Whether you go for the Chinese version, Thai noodle soup or Vietnamese Pho, adding collagen powder to the broth keeps the spirit of its slow-cooked beef bones.
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Ramen – Japanese noodle bowls are already prized for their rich broths, and collagen powder blends in seamlessly.
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Chilli con carne – The saucy, slow-cooked nature of chilli makes it a perfect modern base for collagen, linking back to collagen-rich stews.
An Ancient Practice in Modern Form
The story of bovine collagen is therefore not one of invention, but of rediscovery. From ancient pots simmering on hearth fires to sleek tubs of powder in kitchen cupboards, collagen has followed us through the ages. What has changed is not the substance itself, but the way we access it. Modern supplements give us speed, portability and consistency, while still honouring the principle of nose-to-tail eating — making use of parts of the animal that might otherwise be discarded.
Adding bovine collagen to your routine can feel like a contemporary lifestyle choice, but in truth it connects you to traditions stretching across continents and centuries. It is a reminder that some of the most enduring practices are also the simplest: simmer bones for long enough, and you uncover the glue that quite literally holds us together. Today’s collagen powders and capsules may look modern, but their roots lie in the same steaming bowls of broth our ancestors enjoyed. Far from being a passing trend, collagen is part of the human story — one that continues to evolve, but never really went away.
