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Fray Bentos—The Great Kitchen of the World

We visited the Museo de la Revolución (Industrial Revolution Museum) located in the neighborhood of Anglo in Fray Bentos, a small city on the west coast of Uruguay. Here we learned about a time when this region was at its most productive.

When the Liebig Extract of Meat Co. was created in Fray Bentos, the region entered into a new phase in terms of seizing agricultural resources. The industrial revolution had begun in the Río de la Plata. By 1865, the factory located on the banks of the Uruguay River was one of the most important venues in the world.

The region experienced a remarkable development. Housing units for the working class were built in the Anglo neighborhood. So called because the investment to the region came from Germany and England. Here they had electricity three years before the service reached Montevideo. The whole world talked about the excellence of the products made there, especially the meat produce.

Today, 140 years after that historical time, only traces of its prosperous past remain. In the Anglo neighborhood, where the old buildings of the former Liebig factory are located, is where you’ll find the Industrial Revolution Museum. The most important items of this golden era are preserved and displayed here.

Here you’ll learn about the history of this remarkable industrial era, and that Fray Bentos was nicknamed the “great kitchen of the world” as a result of the more than 200 products made there.

In 1924, the Anglo company of Uruguay replaced the famous Liebig company and during the next 47 years, it advanced the technology of the meat processing industry. The industrial facilities and the Anglo neighborhood were declared a National Historical Monument in 1987. In the machine room, the huge chimney of the factory can be seen—an important landmark in the region.

Different labels that were used to promote the products are displayed in the museum, along with the many containers used for each product. A tour recreates scene from this era, from the arrival of the cattle, to the yielding of product and by-products from the cow. (It was said at the time that “the only thing that was wasted there was the mooing of the cow”.) Many of the products were used as provisions for the European armies during World Wars I and II, and by those who conquered Mt. Everest.

What’s more, the products that came from the factory of Fray Bentos are included in the novel “From the Earth to the Moon” by Jules Verne. The author chose a delicious meat broth from Fray Bentos for his astronauts’ breakfast. The food was also eaten by the soldiers in the movie “The English Patient”.

The museum is in constant development and it is a cultural tourist attraction worth visiting.

The information in this article has been reproduced here with the permission of www.welcomeuruguay.com.