Peppermint humbugs, mentioned in the Harry Potter books, are a traditional British sweet with a black and white striped appearance. They were involved in a case of accidental poisoning in 1858, which may explain Harry’s avoidance of sweets. They are still available in various flavors and shapes, including as hard candy.
Those who are fans of the Harry Potter books may note JK Rowling’s mention of sweet peppermint humbugs. These are not a magically concocted sweet and may refer to Dumbledore’s love of “Muggle” sweets that runs throughout the Harry Potter series. What’s interesting about the reference is Harry’s careful avoidance of dessert, which may imply that they were a magical take on a classic dessert, or just something to be avoided in general.
Peppermint humbugs are a simple treat, typically flavored with peppermint, and often feature black and white stripes. They can come in different shapes and sizes. Some are round, relatively flat cylinders, and others are cushion-shaped reliefs with pinched ends. As early as the mid-19th century, they were known as humbugs, though the recipes have changed since then. Some still describe them as chewy and gooey, but in the 1800s they really were, and they were often a combination of sugar, peppermint oil, and different types of gum substances. Today they are considered more of a hard candy, excellent for sucking instead of chewing.
Perhaps Harry avoided sweets at the table because they were involved in a terrible case of poisoning in Britain that killed 20 people by accident in 1858. A man named William Hardaker was using a substance called stupid to replace sugar in sweets mint. Unfortunately, a tragic mistake at the pharmacy resulted in arsenic being accidentally bought instead of stupid. As many as 200 people were poisoned by arsenic as a result of this mistake and 10% of them died. Since this happened in England, it’s possible that children view mint humbugs there with some wariness, as many of the victims were children.
Story aside, you can actually find a variety of humbugs on the market. They aren’t always peppermint flavored, and some have red stripes rather than white. Aniseed is a typical alternative flavor, and peppermint humbugs can come in the shape of black balls rather than a cushion or cylinder shape. You can also occasionally find strawberry humbug, and at least in the UK you may be able to find diet sweets, which contain no sugar.
You’ll find a few peppermint humbug recipes online, but they’re not much different than the typical flat barrel mints you’d buy in the United States from companies like Brach’s. Even the shape of the pillow resembles certain shapes of candy mostly available at Christmas in the United States. The UK origin of the name is lost and is not a reference to Scrooge’s use of the term humbug in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. However, you can find peppermint humbugs in greatest abundance during the winter holidays.
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