Cockroach Clusters were quite popular among the students of Hogwarts. They were especially popular among students who had an acquired taste in the sweets department, as cockroaches were not considered a common delicacy among most Muggles. Therefore, it is possible that Cockroach Clusters were mostly popular among students who had lived among wizards and witches who introduced them early to this sweet than students who had lived among Muggles till they came to Hogwarts.
How Was It Made?
Cockroach Clusters used cockroaches as their main ingredient. Although the recipe for Cockroach Clusters was not public as it was specially made in the Honeydukes Sweet Shop, it is very likely that the sweet used a cockroach dipped or glazed with some sweetening agent and later stir-fried, brought to a boil or just left to dry. The exact constituents of the sweetening mixture weren’t known, but it was most likely sugar syrup, honey, or caramel. It is possible that other than real cockroaches and a sweetening agent, the clusters also used other ingredients like vanilla essence, peanut butter, and even melted chocolate. The end product resembled pecans or large peanuts. To be precise, they looked like a pecan half that was cut in the middle and consisted of short pair of antennae.
Appearances in the Harry Potter Universe
Cockroach Clusters have appeared several times in the Harry Potter universe. In the Harry Potter, spinoff movie series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Cockroach Clusters feature on several occasions. In Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Jacob Kowalski who is a Muggle and a friend of Newt Scamander, accompanied the latter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, he was offered a packet of Cockroach Clusters by a group of boys who were from the Slytherin house. Given the reputation of Slytherin House for mostly hating Muggles, it is possible that they wanted to prank Jacob Kowalski with it. However, Jacob did eat the Cockroach Clusters and even enjoyed them. But when he realized what they were made of, he seemed very uncomfortable. This is probably because cockroaches are rarely considered a delicacy in the Muggle world.
Newt Scamander, the famous magizoologist, is known to not like Cockroach Clusters as he once claimed that he “never cared much” for them. It is also possible that since Newt is a magizoologist and an animal lover, he did not eat most animals or insects.
In the Harry Potter universe, Cockroach Clusters were a common sweet bought from the Honeydukes Sweetshop in Hogsmeade when the students from Hogwarts went there. Ron once planned to give some Cockroach Clusters to his elder brother Fred in the guise of peanuts. This may have been a plan to prank Fred as both Fred and his twin brother George were pranksters who had pranked Ron several times. So, when Ron went to the Honeydukes Sweetshop in Hogsmeade during his trip, he intended to prank Fred by buying some Cockroach Clusters and giving them to Fred, claiming that they were peanuts.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was known to like sweets and candy a lot and was also featured on a Chocolate Frog Card. Another interesting aspect about him was that he always named his passwords after some sweet or candy. So, when Harry tried to enter Albus Dumbledore’s chamber in Hogwarts, he once gained access by saying “Cockroach Clusters,” which happened to be the password at that time.
It is possible that the Cockroach Clusters featured in the Harry Potter series are actually inspired by the “Crunchy Frog,” a confection in the Monty Python sketch. Although they sound a lot like another sweet in the Harry Potter series named the Chocolate Frog, they are possibly an inspiration for the Cockroach Clusters as Chocolate Frogs already exist in the Muggle world and are a famous British confection.
Cockroach Clusters in the Muggle World
Cockroach Clusters are not only a delicacy in the wizarding world but were also made in the Muggle world. However, they were not remotely as popular as the Cockroach Clusters in the wizarding world and were, therefore, very hard to spot except in select shops. However, they were mostly inspired by the Harry Potter Cockroach Cluster and didn’t use actual cockroaches as their ingredient. Instead, they used soft gummy candy to mimic the body of a cockroach and crunchy candy to mimic its wings. They were rated as one of the grossest candies by the Candy Addict website. The nutritional information on the packet claims the use of chocolate in the making of this cluster.
Furthermore, there are several recipes online to make Chocolate Clusters at home. One popular recipe uses pecan nuts as the base and dark chocolate, honey, chocolate chips, and almond butter. After the pecan is assembled with all the other ingredients, it is kept in the microwave at medium heat for a while to bake it slightly. It is later kept in the refrigerator, more specifically, a freezer, for the compounds surrounding the pecan to solidify. They are finally placed in a bowl and served at room temperature, especially to guests who understand Harry Potter references and appreciate the Cockroach Clusters.
FAQs
What are cockroach clusters?
Cockroach Clusters are sweets sold in Hogsmeade’s Honeydukes Sweetshop. They are made of cockroaches and are a famous confection among the students of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series. Ron Weasley even considers giving them to his brother Fred as a prank.
What are cockroach clusters made of?
Cockroach Clusters are primarily made of cockroaches. Furthermore, they are also made of some sweetening agents and other ingredients which make them delectable. In the Muggle world, people have used pecan nuts and sometimes even peanuts to replicate the appearance of a Cockroach Cluster.
Where are cockroach clusters sold?
Cockroach Clusters are sold in the Honeydukes Sweetshop at Hogsmeade. Several students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry used to frequent this shop and buy sweets from there. Cockroach Clusters were a popular sweet too, except that it was an acquired taste and students who came from Muggle families would probably take a while to get used to the taste of Cockroach Clusters as cockroaches aren’t a common delicacy in the Muggle world.
