Americans reveal the items in the Harry Potter franchise they first thought were ‘magic’ – but they were actually just British
- Non-British fans were stunned to discover treacle tarts were in fact real
- READ MORE: I played an extra in Harry Potter as a child – but I was paid next to nothing
The Harry Potter franchise is brimming with so much magic, American fans were duped into thinking several British customs and items that featured in the films were actually fictional.
Whilst it is fairly obvious that we Britons don’t fly around a Quidditch pitch in sports class, the reality of a treacle tart is apparently not.
Americans took to a Reddit forum, sharing that they believed various British desserts and products such as Christmas crackers only existed in the magical blockbuster series.
Treacle tart, rock cakes and spotted dick were all on the list of sweet treats they believed to be fictional.
Regarding yummy treacle tarts, one US Harry Potter fan wrote: ‘I thought it was something like butterbeer or chocolate frog lol. I found out it was real two months ago.’
Many fans, who are not native to Britain, were shocked to find out that so many customs seen in Harry Potter are a real part of British culture (file image)
Others noted how ‘delicious’ the famous British dessert is, with some only now learning it is not fake, adding: ‘Just learning from this right now that it’s not a magical food.’
American wizarding fans were also stunned to discover that spotted dick was a real name of an actual steamed pudding.
A Reddit user commented: ‘This will always shock me, every single time I read it not only in Harry Potter. I can’t believe there’s a dessert with that name.’
But these weren’t the only unthinkable sweet treats – Americans also thought rock cakes were too other worldly to be real.
Many believed Harry named the dessert a ‘rock cake’ because Hagrid was so awful at cooking.
One person quipped: ‘I was convinced it was just that Hagrid makes cakes that happened to be rock hard, so Harry nicknamed them rock cakes.’ Adding: ‘They’re actually rock hard rock cakes?!’
Anybody who has been in British full-time education has probably experienced a prefect hounding them with orders in the school corridors.
But appears to be an alien concept for those across the pond, who seemingly believed prefects and school houses were only appointed in the magical land of Hogwarts.
Christmas crackers are a common sight on our tables during the festive period, but certain Americans thought they were too other worldly with their magical prizes (stock image)
A shocked transatlantic wizarding fan said: ‘I didn’t know the school houses and prefects were a British thing.’
Peppermint humbugs may be a staple for our supermarket shelves, but those who are not native to the British Isles thought it was also a magical treat.
Meanwhile, a Christmas cracker is a common sight on tables across the nation during the festive season – but some Americans thought cracker prizes are so amazing they could only exist on the television screen.
A US film fan expressed: ‘I was so confused when two characters were pulling apart the crackers and there was stuff inside of them. But I was just like, “oh this wacky magical world and their novelty-filled giant cheezits!”‘
Another continued: ‘Wizard crackers. I was SO confused. Like, why are they finding hats and other prizes in crackers?
‘Took me a long time to find out what crackers were and that they’re a popular holiday tradition. Now I’m mad we don’t really do them in the US!’
Elsewhere, commuters across the UK will be very familiar with the sound of trollies accompanied with smiles and offerings of food rolling down certain train aisles.
But for our American friends it was a shock to find out this was not only a custom found on the Hogwarts Express.
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