Blood-flavoured lollipops were believed to be mainly used to prank and trick people or exclusively as a delicacy for vampires. It is not clear whether either of these reasons matches the invention and production of Blood-flavoured lollipops. However, it is highly likely that Blood-flavoured lollipops were used for both these purposes and were a popular treat among both vampires and the rest of the magical community. Furthermore, there also exists a Muggle version of this sweet known as the Blood Pops, which do not use blood but use food coluoring and turn the tongue of its eater blood red.
How Blood-flavoured Lollipops Were Made
While it is unknown how the blood-flavoured lollipops were made in the wizarding places that sold candy, it is possible that they were made very similarly to the Muggle version of the popular candy eaten by Harry Potter characters.
There are several Muggle recipes for blood-flavoured lollipops. One of the most common ways to make them is to use an ice-water bath containing ice water of very low temperature, which can be measured with a candy thermometer, into which we pour syrup made out of the viscous mixture. This viscous mixture can be made by putting the major ingredients to a boil in a swirl pan or a larger pot with a bigger diameter, like a small saucepan.
The ingredients include a cup of water, glucose syrup, strawberry flavouring, and red food coloring, which should be released from a red food coloring – squirt to reduce bubbling during heating. This recipe involves pouring the syrup in intervals which will let the candy form hardened masses in the shape of small spheres. These spheres are then collected after about 5 – 10 minutes, and holes are made in them for lollipop sticks to be entered. A white lollipop stick looks best on a blood-red coloured lollipop, but other coloured sticks can also be used to add a new look or any other desired look.
Other methods for making blood-flavoured lollipops include pouring the viscous mixture onto a nice hard-level surface like a baking mat or a cookie sheet and attaching the lollipop sticks to the fluid masses. If poured into a mass together, the candy can be set apart – then press beaten after it reaches its hard-crack stage. Some recipes also suggest using moulds made of silicon to get the desired shape for a lollipop.
Appearances in the Harry Potter Series
Blood-flavoured lollipops first appeared in the Harry Potter book series when Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley went to Hogsmeade. While Harry, too, wanted to go to Hogsmeade, his uncle refused to sign his form granting permission to go to Hogsmeade because Harry had inflated Aunt Marge using magic because she insulted his parents.
While Harry had also asked for permission and requested Professor McGonagall to sign the form as his guardian, she refused. This was actually because most of the staff at Hogwarts and other authorities had been alerted that the reason Sirius Black had escaped prison was to kill Harry. Since Black had been spotted in Hogsmeade recently, Professor McGonagall refused to let Harry go to Hogsmeade.
However, Fred and George Weasley felt sympathetic toward Harry and gave him a map called the Marauder’s Map, which let Harry see all the secret passages in and out of Hogwarts, including the ones that directly went to Hogsmeade. Harry went to Hogsmeade through a secret passage wearing the Invisibility Cloak on top of him. The passage led right into the cellar at Honeydukes out of which he could easily come out.
When he entered the sweet shop, he saw Ron and Hermione discussing if it was a good idea to take blood-flavoured lollipops back to the castle for Harry. Ron thought it was a possibility, but Hermione was reluctant as she thought this candy was mostly eaten by vampires. In the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry steals a blood-flavoured lollipop from Neville Longbottom from under the Invisibility Cloak and takes a bite out of it.
In the game Hogwarts Mystery, Jacob’s sibling, the protagonist, feeds a blood-flavoured lollipop to a Chupacabra.
What Blood Tasted Like Before The Invention Of Artificial Blood Quenchers
Blood, in its raw state, tastes a lot like iron as it contains compounds made of iron. However, the Muggle world is limited in the creation of blood beyond taking it from people, which is why their version of blood-flavoured lollipops, which are known as blood pops make use of flavoring like strawberry, citric acid, peppermint, sugar mixture, corn syrup, and flavor oils which add to the taste of blood pops. Hence most blood pops are never anything close to the taste of blood, which most Muggles would probably consider a disgusting flavour.
Although there have been several attempts to create artificial blood quenchers in the Muggle community to replace blood, the chances of these being used in candy are almost slim to none. Firstly because there would be ample need for these quenchers to be used as blood substitutes in hospitals, and sparing them for candy would not be a good idea. Secondly, there is a strong chance that these quenchers would taste the same as blood and would not be a popular choice of candy in the Muggle world.
FAQs
What does Honeydukes sell in Harry Potter?
Honeydukes sweet shop sells a wide variety of sweets. Some of the most popular sweets sold by Honeydukes include Blood-Flavoured Lollipops, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Acid Pops, Cauldron Cakes, Fizzing Whizbees, and Exploding Bonbons. Some other sweets sold by Honeydukes include Cockroach Clusters, Fudge Flies, and Toothflossing Stringmints.
Who eats Blood-flavoured Lollipops?
Blood-flavoured Lollipops were a type of candy sold at the Honeydukes sweet shop at Hogsmeade. They were lollipops that were made out of blood. They were kept in the ‘unusual tastes’ section at Hogsmeade. It is believed that blood-flavoured lollipops were mostly eaten by vampires. However, it is possible that they were sold as a part of a trick or prank to make wizards and witches eat them.
What candy did Harry steal from Neville in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?
Harry visited Hogsmeade under the Invisibility Cloak after the Weasley twins gave him the Marauder’s Map. He used the secret passage that opened into the Honeydukes cellar and came out of it, only to eventually walk past Ron and Hermione deciding which candies to take home for Harry. Harry decided to confiscate the Blood-flavoured lollipop that was in Neville Longbottom’s hand and chomped into it, all while being invisible under his cloak.