So the sugar bowl... [spoilers]

In the books, this is apparently the big, unanswered question: just what was in that sugarbowl, anyway?

The series reveals that it contains horseradish-infused sugar which not only cures but immunises against the medusoid mycelium. This was apparently important enough to steal the sugar bowl and cause the schism. However...

In the flashback scene where we see Beatrice steal the sugar bow, we also see her leaving its contents behind. When Esme is about to sweeten her bitter tea, she sees only a pile of sugar cubes where the sugar bowl used to be. Why not steal the sugar instead of the sugar bowl? Wouldn't any old container do? And in that case, no theft would be necessary, because Esme only cared about the sugar bowl, which completed her set - not its contents.

In short, they probably should have chosen the secret to be something else for the series.