What Do Pixies Eat?

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The pixies that are present in British folklore eat fruit, cake, honey, and sugary pastries.

Pixies are thought to originate in the Devon and Cornwall area of the UK and are represented as small mythical creatures that are childlike.

Nowadays, pixies are usually depicted as having spiky ears and wearing green outfits with pointed hats, like elves.

If you compare a pixie to a modern-day elf, like Will Ferrell in the movie “Elf”, then one could conclude that they eat marshmallows and candy and/or drink hot chocolate to maintain a sustained sugar high and keep their innocent energy levels up.

Pixies love to dance and play with village people. They have been known to fraternize with Santa Claus himself.

If one believes that pixies are born from the souls of unbaptized Catholic children, then the hypothesis that pixies live off sugary things for sustenance also makes sense.

However, pixies don’t need to eat, surviving solely off drinking dewdrops. No ancient stories back this up, though.

Fairies (winged mythical creatures that are a lot like pixies but are rumored to be bitter enemies) eat fruits, cakes, and other sugary pastries that are prepared by the cooking talent in Pixie Hollow (apparently pixie chefs can also use their magic to flip pancakes).

Fairy folklore experts have come to believe that fairies enjoy consuming naturally sweet foods like milk, honey, and sweet butter.

Some believe that if you leave these foods out for fairies then they’ll come and snack on them when you’re not looking. If they go untouched, then they may have still come by but simply fill up on the spirit of the sweet snacks.  

Where the Word “Pixie” Came from and Different Kinds of Real-Life Present-Day Pixies 

There are different schools of thought regarding where the word “pixie” originated, some believing that it began from the Swedish word “pyske” meaning “small fairy”.

However, other historians believe that it derived from the Celtic word “piskie”.

There are also different types of pixies, like a colt pixie that takes the shape of a horse or a pony that was prominent in the southern parts of England that eat mainly apples (but if they could get their chompers on some cupcakes, then they probably would).

There are also pixie frogs that eat insects, and pixie-bobs which kind of look like bobcats and are mainly carnivores that eat meat.

More About the Difference Between Pixies, Fairies, and Sprites

Many ancient stories suggest that while fairies and pixies are similar in character and stature, they became bitter enemies when the fairies tried to invade the pixies' home in Cornwall.

Early folklore stories allude to fairies being sneaky and malicious, born from environmental spirits whereas pixies are gentler and kind, being closer relatives to humans.

If you look at pixies as a smaller version of humans, then they likely eat the same things as humans do, just in lesser amounts.

Sprites are also somewhat like pixies, but they spend their time near water. Pixies mainly reside in meadows, forests, barrows, stone rings, and most recently tree stumps and gardens. Sprites are regarded as harmless to humans but aren’t as nice as pixies.

Pixie Recipes

Since pixies like sweet treats, fruit, and snacks- consuming the same kind of food that fairies and humans do- then putting together a pixie party should be a piece of cake (literally and figuratively).

Consider making some edible pixie dust of raw sugar and food coloring and sprinkling it on cupcakes or honey muffins.

Make Pixie Dust Popcorn by popping some kernels, drizzling white chocolate and butter over it, and then adding some colorful sprinkles or edible flakes to the top.

Or put out a spread of Twigs and Berries comprised of pretzel sticks, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and a plate of Fairy Wands made of grapes on a stick and topped with star-shaped marshmallows.

Use a cookie cutter to make slices of kiwi in the shape of flowers with a raspberry center.

Top it off with a display of pixy sticks, Ojai pixie tangerines, and candy kabobs.

Keep it Sweet and You’ll Eat Like the Pixies

Remember what liked to eat back when you were five years old and that’s pretty much what pixies consume when their little bodies are hungry. Just add a little sweetness, magic, and gratitude to whatever you’re making, and it will taste that much better.