Honey

• Type: Foodstuff, Ingredient
• Source: Bees

Honey is a sweet, viscous, golden-colored fluid produced by bees. In the wizarding world, it functions identically to its Muggle counterpart, serving as a natural sweetener and a key component in various foods and beverages. Its distinct color is often used as a descriptive term; for example, certain toffees sold at Honeydukes are described as “honey-colored”.

While not a frequently mentioned substance, honey appears in several notable contexts, primarily related to confections and beverages.

• Confectionery Ingredient: Honey is a fundamental ingredient in the wizarding confectionery industry. The very name of the famous Hogsmeade sweet shop, Honeydukes, suggests its importance. During his first visit, Harry Potter observes “fat, honey-colored toffees” for sale, confirming its use in popular wizarding sweets.
• Beverage Ingredient: Honey is the primary fermentable sugar used to create mead, an alcoholic beverage enjoyed by wizards. A bottle of Oak-Matured Mead plays a critical role in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Professor Horace Slughorn intended to give the bottle as a Christmas gift to Albus Dumbledore, but it had been poisoned by Draco Malfoy. Ron Weasley accidentally consumed the poisoned mead and was only saved when Harry Potter administered a bezoar.

• The name of the wizarding sweet shop, Honeydukes, is likely a portmanteau of “honey” and “duke,” a title of nobility, implying that their sweets are of a very high or “noble” quality.
• In the video game Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, one of the foods that can be given to a Niffler is honey cake. (video game)