What Is Fairy Bread And What Does It Taste Like?

Have you ever heard of fairy bread? It sounds like something supernatural or like the food of the mythical and legendary creatures of yore. But it might surprise you to learn that this magical food which consists of three simple ingredients — bread, butter, and sprinkles — has only cast a spell when it comes to taste on those young and old. Fairy bread's genesis began in Australia and New Zealand and is closely associated with the birthday parties of young children. But you do not have to be young to enjoy this food fit for Tinker Bell.

Typically made with white bread, slices are cut into two little triangles. The bread is then covered in a nice thick coat of butter — the real stuff. Once you have the right amount of butter, lots and lots of colorful, ball-shaped sprinkles are applied, because what would fairy bread be without them? Still, it makes us wonder what this mystical food tastes like.

So, what does this pixie party food taste like? Fairy bread gets mixed reviews. Members of the BuzzFeed community noted that the sprinkles added "texture" and could be "crunchy" but that the sprinkles also made it annoying to eat. One reviewer noted that at first, he wasn't sold, but then shared, "When I had the second piece, the perfect piece, it was heaven." While another taster offered, "It was not a familiar texture, but that didn't stop me from going back bite after bite. It was equally addicting and confusing." Just like a fairy would want it to be.

But why is it called fairy bread?  We definitely see this food's impish qualities and you would have to be a fairy — or a five year old — to eat bread with that much butter on it. Australian Food Timeline suggests the name may have been taken from a poem from Robert Louis Stevenson's beloved "A Child's Garden of Verses." The poem reads: "Come up here, O dusty feet!/ Here is fairy bread to eat./Here in my retiring room,/Children, you may dine/On the golden smell of broom/ And the shade of pine;/And when you have eaten well,/Fairy stories hear and tell." Regardless of where its name originated, you definitely should try fairy bread if you're in the mood to feel like a kid again.