History Main / InsubstantialIngredients

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'': Explains that the power source for the monsters' city is "scream," harvested from terrified children by the titular utility company. "Scream" is stored in steel canisters as if it were compressed gas. It's later replaced by laughter, which has ten times as much energy.

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'': Explains that the power source for the monsters' city is "scream," harvested from terrified children by the titular utility company. "Scream" is stored in steel canisters as if it were compressed gas.

* According to the opening titles, the ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls'' were made with sugar, spice, and "everything nice" (which if we go by what's on-screen apparently includes rabbits, unicorns, and cartoon hearts (could be toys and candies, who knows?)) before Chemical X was accidentally added.

** The most unique example may well be the binding of Loki. Loki is bound to a stone with chains, transmuted from the intestines of Loki's murdered son (who had been killed for the sole purpose of using his guts to bind Loki). No chain would actually have bound Loki, but what is actually binding Loki is not the chains or the fact that they were made from the intestines of a god, but rather that the chains contain an insubstantial ingredient: the bond between father and son, something that not even a god can break[[note]]This could imply that the chains could be broken by someone who had no ties to the late Vali, as to such a person the chains would not represent the bonds of friendship or kinship, but mere iron. However, by the time Loki was bound, he had become so unpopular that only his immediate kin had any interest in freeing him, and since they all had ties to Loki or Vali, the magic worked on them just fine[[/note]]. However, Ragnarok is fated to occur due to [[MyopicArchitecture a simple oversight]] on the part of the gods: The chains binding Loki are unbreakable, but the stone that Loki is bound to is an ordinary rock, so his endless struggling against the stone slowly grinds it to dust.

A subtrope of EyeOfNewt. Compare IntangiblePrice, IntangibleTheft, and AbstractEater. See also MadeFromRealGirlScouts.

* ''ComicBook/Robin1993'' #168 mentions some of the seven parts needed to put together a map to the usually unmappable [[TheShangriLa Nanda Parbat]]. These include a pendant, a scrap of parchment, a tattoo, a birthmark and a ''speech impediment'' all held and passed down by families across the globe.

* ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'': The queen's "peddler disguise" spell contains such ingredients like "black of night", an "old hag's cackle", and a "scream of fright". Interestingly, "mummy dust" is TruthInTelevision; ground-up mummified remains have been used as both as medicine and paint pigments.

* ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'': Has the White Queen putting a two teaspoons of "wishful thinking" (pale pink and resembling cake frosting) into her potion.

* ''Film/GhostbustersII'': Has emotions like hate and anger coalesce into a pink slime that flows like a river underneath New York City. Our heroes later find out how to make slime with "good vibes".

--> Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it in dew\\

* In the first ''Literature/TheElderScrolls'' novel, ''The Infernal City'', the lords of Umbriel eat souls, and can "taste" the states of life, death and ethereat.

** Pretty common in ''Warhammer'', actually. Chaos Sorcery tends to require both physical ingredients and insubstantial ones (such as certain emotions present in the area where the ritual is performed), and since Daemons are essentially mankind's hates, fears etc. given form, it's not uncommon for them to carry swords forged out of pure hate and such.

* In ''Valiant'', the troll alchemist Ravus keeps these for his potions. However, they are often found in seemingly mundane items. For example, 'A dying man's breath' can be found in the stub of a cigarette and 'summer sunlight' can be found in dried grass.

** An advertisment for Merkle and Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce in ''The Compleat Ankh-Morpork City Guide'' claims that it's made from "100% Real Brown".

** Deep sea blowfish sushi (the Disc's counterpart to fugu) is an interesting one. The deep-sea blowfish is a real, material thing. It's also incredibly poisonous in multiple ways. A skilled blowfish chef creates sushi around the ''idea'' that there was a blowfish in the kitchen at one point, and then carefully drops the real thing in an incinerator. With tongs. And tries not to inhale.

** The most unique example may well be the binding of Loki. Loki is bound to a stone with chains, transmuted from the intestines of Loki's murdered son (who had been killed for the sole purpose of using his guts to bind Loki). No chain would actually have bound Loki, but what is actually binding Loki is not the chains, or the fact that they were made from the intestines of a god, but rather that the chains contain an insubstantial ingredient: the bond between father and son, something that not even a god can break[[note]]This could imply that the chains could be broken by someone who had no ties to the late Vali, as to such a person the chains would not represent the bonds of friendship or kinship, but mere iron. However, by the time Loki was bound, he had become so unpopular that only his immediate kin had any interest in freeing him, and since they all had ties to Loki or Vali, the magic worked on them just fine[[/note]]. However, Ragnarok is fated to occur due to [[MyopicArchitecture a simple oversight]] on the part of the gods: The chains binding Loki are unbreakable, but the stone that Loki is bound to is an ordinary rock, so his endless struggling against the stone slowly grinds it to dust.

* In the tale of the Butterfly Lovers (Liang Shanbuo and Zhu Yingtai), the titular Yingtai fakes being ill, and then crossdresses as a doctor claiming to her family (who don't recognize her in disguise) that what it would take to cure her would be a collection of such impossible ingredients.

** Hedgespun ItemCrafting usually includes at least one insubstantial ingredient per item, so a changeling looking to enchant a dagger might have to work out a narratively appropriate way to imbue it with their spite, or to forge a secret into the metal.

* Alchemy in ''TabletopGame/TheDarkEye'' is based on allegories. If the concepts are related, the effects will work in the same direction (as a side effect, players can be prevented from "inventing" gun powder, as it simply will not work). A shrinking potion for example will require among other things dwarven beer and ant legs, while a wisdom elixir needs snake eyes and owl feathers. More powerful recipes will play out this trope harder. Having the first snowflake of winter and the skull of a former emperor at hand can be expected from a seasoned alchemist.

* The webcomic ''Webcomic/CyanideAndHappiness'' is named from a strip where a character tells another the ingredients for cotton candy.

** Played with in "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E22The30PercentIronChef The 30% Iron Chef]]", where LethalChef Bender is given a vial of "the essence of pure flavor", which makes any dish he adds it to delicious. At the end of the episode, the Professor analyzes the vial and reacts with astonishment that it contains nothing but water, leading Fry to conclude that the vial was a MagicFeather and that all Bender needed to be a good cook was to believe in himself. The Professor then finishes his earlier sentence: the vial contains nothing but water... laced with LSD.

* According to the opening titles, the ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls'' were made with sugar, spice and "everything nice" (which if we go by what's on-screen apparently includes rabbits, unicorns and cartoon hearts (could be toys and candies, who knows?)) before Chemical X was accidentally added.

** Homer offers Lisa a donut. She refuses, and asks if he has any fruit,
--->"[[ComicallyMissingThePoint It has purple in it. Purple is a fruit]]"

** A Springfield Elementary cafeteria worker once mentions that their gravy is just made up out of "brown and water".

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E18MissingIdentityPlanktonsArmy Plankton's Army]]", an episode where Plankton's family gets together and attacks the Krusty Krab, among the ingredients for the Krabby Patty is "a cup of love". This is told completely nonchalantly, since this is NOT the secret ingredient. Yet, it is a pretty important one, as [[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E19FoolsInAprilNeptunesSpatula other attempts]] to make Krabby Patties [[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS4E5SellingOutFunnyPants without it]] turned out ''vile.''

* Subverted in the ''WesternAnimation/GummiBears'' episode "Too Many Cooks". Sir Paunch calls out rather odd ingredients as he makes his special taffy, like "Starfire Blossoms" and a "golden goblet of midsummer fog". In truth, he's doing this to fool the eavesdropping King Gregor, and only using conventional ingredients, like flour, milk, sugar and the like.

* Played with in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'', featuring an elderly neighbor who makes the perfect lasagna, and a corporate entity which is trying (and failing) to replicate her recipe. At the end Garfield reveals that her special ingredient is "love", but then he explains what that means: the old woman constantly tastes her sauce while it's cooking so as to add exactly the correct amount of spices.

* In accounting, there is such a thing as Intangible Asset; a class of assets that has no physical form and non-monetary in nature, but it does have value, can be exchanged and traded. For instance, purchasing Google would cost significantly more than another obscure company, even if both companies possess exactly the same amount of physical resources. You're spending that higher amount for the reputation Google had built over the years, which is known as Goodwill in accounting.

** Played with in "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E22The30PercentIronChef The 30% Iron Chef]]", where Bender is given a vial of 'the essence of pure flavor.' The Professor later reveals that the vial contained nothing but ordinary water, implying it was just a MagicFeather... until he goes on to mention it also had a few spoonfuls of LSD in it.

[[caption-width-right:350:And how am I supposed to get most of these ingredients?]]

->''"They might be the colour of your hair. Or they might be all of your memories before you were three."''
-->-- '''"Slave Girl"''' describing how much her wares cost, ''Film/{{Stardust}}''

* In Creator/KateDiCamillo's '' Literature/BecauseOfWinnDixie'', Miss Franny tells the girls that the Littmus Lozenge's secret ingredient is ''sorrow''.

[[caption-width-right:350:I can see how to get most of these, but ''mummy dust?'']]

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' explains that the power source for the monsters' city is "scream," harvested from terrified children by the titular utility company. "Scream" is stored in steel canisters as if it were compressed gas.
* In ''WesternAnimation/OverTheMoon,'' [[GodOfTheMoon Chang'e]] says that [[JadeRabbit Jade]] created the city of Lunaria from her "tears, heartbreak and sighs."
* In Disney's ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'', the queen's "peddler disguise" spell contains such ingredients like "black of night", an "old hag's cackle", and a "scream of fright".
* The Fairy Godmother in ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'' is seen brewing a love potion out of ingredients such as "a drop of desire," "a pinch of passion," and "just a hint of lust" (though she dumps in a large container of it).

* ''Film/GhostbustersII'' has emotions like hate and anger coalesce into a pink slime that flows like a river underneath New York City. Our heroes later find out how to make slime with "good vibes".
* A theoretical example in ''Film/MeanGirls'':

* The song "The Candy Man" from ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory''.

* Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'' has the White Queen putting a spoonful of "wishful thinking" into her potion.
* In ''Film/AustinPowersTheSpyWhoShaggedMe'', Dr. Evil's plot involves stealing Austin's 'mojo' from his [[HumanPopsicle cryogenically frozen body]]. This takes the form of a liquid extracted with a syringe from Austin's crotch, which Dr. Evil has a sip of when it's delivered to him. When he does, he gains a taste of the [[SexGod incredible sexual abilities]] possessed by Powers when he had the 'mojo'.
* ''Film/StreetFight'': In this political documentary, a young girl is giddy with delight after mayoral candidate Cory Booker shakes her hand while walking around a Newark residential neighborhood. She says that if anyone doesn't believe her, they can smell her hands. When the nonplussed cameraman asks if Cory Booker has a smell, she says "''He smells like the future''."

** Well, the sunlight could be because the grass likely dried out in the summer, and the dying man's breath is pretty obvious. Guess what killed him? [[spoiler:Smoking.]] AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Saga}}'', the people of Wreath have a spell that allows them to escape bindings through the revelation of a secret. Either they or someone else has to tell a secret they haven't told anyone else. Marko and Alana use it to break out of jungle vines by having Alana reveal she's tasted her own breast milk. [[spoiler: Marko's father uses it by revealing that he has a terminal illness.]]

** Death [[TheGrimReaper has a scythe, naturally]] - but this one is made of pure sharpness. Makes sense, since the things it's designed to reap [[OurSoulsAreDifferent are pretty insubstantial themselves]].

* ''Literature/TheScholomance'': Magic runs on ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve, so a wizard who's hopped up on the right drugs can spin "things like the flavor of freshly-picked strawberries and poems and golden-green" into household furnishings - at least, as long as they stay in a sufficiently magical place.

* In ''{{Series/Dollhouse}}'', while Adelle and Topher are [[spoiler: doped up on memory drugs]]:
-->'''Topher''': You know what I like? Brown sauce. What's it made of? Science doesn't know!\\
'''Adelle''': It's made of brown.\\
'''Topher''': Brown. Mined from the earth by the hardscrabble brown miners of North Brownderton.

-->'''Judge''': Really makes it pop.

--->'''Gilda''': ''([[SarcasmMode sarcastic]])'' Don't tell me. Friendship?\\
'''Pinkie Pie''': Uh, no. Baking powder.

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' - In the backstory three gods forged a magical sword capable of destroying the demon Aku from the goodness of Jack's father, manifested as a brilliant spark they extracted from his body (though it looked painfull, he was ultimately no worse for wear).

* Homeopathic remedies from [[https://www.homeopathycenter.org/remedy/luna moonlight]]. Or, in the most commonly encountered form, [[https://homeopathyusa.org/homeopathic-medicine.html the memory of medicine or poison]].

* Music/GlennMiller's "Moonlight Cocktail":

As AppliedPhlebotinum, they serve to highlight the magical skill of the one who utilizes it (face it, you have to be pretty badass to be able to capture a bear's fury in a jug, not to mention use it as alloy when forging a blade), and the inherent power and uniqueness of the end result. It also makes the recipe much harder [[DontTryThisAtHome for the viewer or reader to attempt to recreate]] (AndSomeOtherStuff serves the same purpose, without naming the items).

* As a homage to the Norse Mythology examples, in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'' there's a quest to collect three components for a legendary armor: A Dragon's Fury, the Screams of the Innocent, and an Ultimate Sacrifice. The sequel ''Videogame/GodOfWarRagnarok'' continues the trend, with remarks that it's specifically Dwarven magic that can catch and use these. You even get a demonstration as you're riding an elevator through a windy canyon with [[UltimateBlacksmith Brok]], looking to capture the Sound of the Wind to forge a spear: The place is so loud and gusty that everyone has to yell to be heard even while standing right next to each other... and then Brok gets a leather bag out, ''somehow'' swipes the Sound into it right in front of you, and suddenly the entire canyon is so quiet you can hear the elevator's creaks.

* Shown in one issue of ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': when Ganthet personally forges his own GreenLanternRing, massive amounts of willpower must be channeled in the process of creation.
** It could be said that in one way or another, every [[GreenLanternRing Lantern Corps ring]] is made out of their respective emotion.

* The ritual used to bind Morpheus in ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' has a lot of these, such as "I give you a song that I stole from the earth" or "I give you a name, and the name is lost."

* In ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'' #168 mention some of the seven parts needed to put together a map to the usually unmappable [[TheShangriLa Nanda Parbat]]. These include a pendant, a scrap of parchment, a tattoo, a birthmark and a ''speech impediment'' all held and passed down by families across the globe.

[[folder:Comic Strip]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': [[EvilCounterpart Dark]] [[SpaceElves Eldar]] use tortured souls as currency (they use them to extend their lifespans and stave off the advances of [[GodOfEvil Slaanesh]] on their own souls). A subspecies called [[LivingShadow Mandrakes]] goes even further by demanding things like the heartbeat of a virgin or the dying breath of an innocent as payment for their services.

* As a homage to the Norse Mythology examples, in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'' there's a quest to collect three components for a legendary armor: A Dragon's Fury, the Screams of the Innocent, and an Ultimate Sacrifice.

It also may be the secret ingredient in GrandmasRecipe: maybe "love" or "kindness" or "happy thoughts."

* From ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'': "Mom's Robot Oil: Made with 10% More Love than the Next Leading Brand". In this case, "Love" is also a registered trademark.
** Played with in [[Recap/FuturamaS3E22The30PercentIronChef The 30% Iron Chef]], where Bender is given a vial of 'the essence of pure flavor.' The Professor later reveals that the vial contained nothing but ordinary water, implying it was just a MagicFeather... until he goes on to mention it also had a few spoonfuls of LSD in it.