“I’ll have the Negros, please.”

I made a joke on facebook last week about a Hungarian candy, Negro. The context of the joke should be easy to understand: A seemingly politically incorrect name, which could have been a misunderstanding if it weren’t for the black gentleman on the package. Oh, and the candies themselves are black.

After posting a photo and a snarky one-liner on facebook, David, a Hungarian friend set me straight (he also clicked ‘like’ so it was not an angry-face straightening out). He said the black gentleman on the Negro bag is a chimney sweep covered in black soot.

I made a frowny-doubtful face. Noticing my doubt, he said the candy’s slogan is “The chimney sweep for your throat.”

I asked the internet for details and verified his story, so it's all true. The internet also told me the name comes from the guy who invented the candies: Pietro Negro.

This triple coincidence takes the the steam out of my joke, but that’s what happens when you apply your North American sensibilities to a Hungarian grocery store candy.