Crack and Cook! Quiz | Food & Drink

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Quail eggs have been a long time favourite Japanese treat, but now they have become popular around the world. Only one of the following statements is true. Which one is it?

Answer: The brown spots on quail egg shells are unique to each hen

The brown spots on quail eggshells are so unique to each hen that they can be compared to fingerprints on each human. Of the incorrect question choices, quail eggs do not contain any carbohydrates, five of these eggs contain 71 calories, while one large chicken egg contains about 150 calories, and, far from containing salmonella, none has been observed in quail eggs. They pose very little threat to the consumer, and, in fact, are eaten raw in Japan and elsewhere.

(Question and information submitted by Bob_Arctor)

2. What do you add to the stiffened peaks of beaten egg-whites to make Italian meringue?

Answer: Boiling sugar syrup

A standard meringue mix consists of beating egg whites and sugar together until stiff. This produces a crunchy base for pavlova when baked. This type is called a French meringue.

Making Italian meringue is more technical, as you need a thermometer to judge the temperature of boiling sugar syrup (sugar melted in water). When it reaches 115C, the boiling sugar should be removed from the heat and beaten gradually with the egg whites. It can then be baked in the oven, although this type of meringue is safe to eat without cooking. Just cover a pie with the mix and then use a blow torch to brown off the soft meringue edges - yum!

(Question and information submitted by Plodd)

3. In the Western world, colored eggs are a big part of Easter festivities. Many ancient cultures dyed eggs to celebrate the return of spring. Which was NOT one of them?

Answer: Vikings

The ancient Zoroastrians of Persia also dyed eggs to herald spring, as did Sumerians, Phoenicians, and many others. Christianity adopted the pagan practice of colored eggs at Easter, although the exact symbolic meaning of the egg varies among various sources. One legend has it that Mary Magdalene brought boiled eggs to share with the women who accompanied her to the tomb, but when she saw the risen Jesus, the eggs turned blood red.

(Question and information submitted by gracious1)

4. A Korean dish popular around the world is made with rice, beef, Korean spices, radishes, mushrooms, spinach, bean sprouts and julienned vegetables topped with an egg (raw, sunny side up or over easy), and often served in a warmed stone bowl. Its Korean name translates to "mixed rice". What is it?

Answer: Bibimbap

Although the name Bibimbap (Anglicized 'Be-beam-bop') has been used only since the late 1800s, the dish itself dates back to the Joseon Period from 1392. It became a way to eat up all of the leftovers before the arrival of the lunar New Year by mixing them with a bowl of rice. Bibimbap has become a popular dish for many reasons, including its delectable flavor, convenience of preparation, and healthy ingredients that can easily be modified for individual tastes.

Ingredients are often artistically arranged to maximize visual appeal. This colorful dish is served as a meal choice on many airlines that connect to South Korea. In a poll conducted by CNN Travel in 2011, bimbimbap was ranked number 40 on the World's 50 Most Delicious Foods.

(Question and information submitted by Coach_in_China)

5. At Christmas time in Australia, if you're up to it, why not try an eggnog made from the egg of which of our unique creatures?

Answer: Emu

The other three creatures above are marsupials. They carry their young in their pouch and are not egg producers. Making an emu eggnog will give you an awful lot of nog, believe me, as each emu egg is equivalent to approximately one dozen chicken eggs. Ingredients required are one of those huge eggs, 300 milligrams of thickened cream, a teaspoon of vanilla and some butterscotch schnapps.

To make, separate the yolk from the white of the egg, and then heat the yolk in a heat proof bowl on top of a saucepan of boiling water until it thickens slightly. Remove from stove, slowly mix in the thickened cream until you have a light lemon shade. Then beat the egg white and fold it into the yolk mixture. Finally, fold in the butterscotch schnapps. Good luck with this recipe should you ever be brave enough to try it. Be aware however that if you do, you'll need to resist a strong urge to either perform a German folk dance, or gatecrash a corroboree.

(Question and information submitted by Creedy)

6. If you find your tummy is rumbling before lunchtime, why not supersize your breakfast? Approximately how long does it take to soft boil an ostrich egg?

Answer: One hour

The ostrich holds the record for laying the largest egg of any living animal, though larger eggs have been found in fossilized form. The largest recorded ostrich egg to date weighed 2.589kg (5lb 11.36 oz), with an average one weighing 1.4kg (3lb). Although the egg is so huge, it is actually the smallest egg relative to the size of the adult bird. An average ostrich egg has the same volume as two dozen ordinary hen's eggs, enough to provide breakfast for the hungriest of families, or to bake a Victoria sponge cake half a metre wide!

The ostrich is native to Africa, but is now farmed all around the world for its eggs, meat, skin and feathers, which are great for dusters - although after a breakfast of that size, dusting would probably be the last thing you'd want to do.

(Question and information submitted by emiloony)

7. Crack two or three eggs into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt (if desired), whisk, and add a drop of milk or water. Melt a knob of butter in a pan, add the mixture and gently stir until thickened. Some people like to add cheese or smoked salmon. What dish is this?

Answer: Scrambled eggs

Scrambled eggs may really be served with anything. Smoked haddock is another tasty ingredient that can be added. Just with toast is fine for me!

(Question and information submitted by veronicavee)

8. In my view there's nothing more appetising and yet simple to prepare as boiled eggs for breakfast, and so much more enjoyable with soldiers to accompany them. But what are these soldiers?

Answer: Thin slices of bread or toast

I think this may be a mainly British tradition, but these thin strips of bread or toast dipped into the egg, and then eaten whist dripping with runny yolk, are just so moreish!

Apparently there is a similar custom down under in Australia where the 'soldiers' are instead coated with vegemite. Each to their own but I think I'll stick with the boiled eggs and soldiers. Mmmmmmmm!

(Question and information submitted by moonraker2)

9. Dating back to the Ming Dynasty, a way of preparing duck or chicken eggs is as outlandish as it is delicious. Eggs are preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, rice hulls, salt and quicklime and buried for several months until the yolk turns dark green or grey and the white becomes a dark brown translucent jelly. In Mandarin, the eggs are called 'p�d�n'. This means what?

Answer: Preserved eggs

Whatever you call this delicacy, the eggs can be eaten as a snack, mixed with fresh eggs in an omelet dish called "old and fresh," as hors d'oeuvres sliced atop tofu, or as a traditional cold dish served at wedding dinners.

Although the eggs are tasty with a creamy texture, they also have an odor of sulfur and ammonia, which gave rise to the erroneous belief that the eggs are soaked in horse urine. Perhaps this urban legend is why I lived in China eight years before I gathered the courage to taste one!

(Question and information submitted by Coach_in_China)

10. Hens with white earlobes tend to lay white eggs. True or false?

Answer: True

Across most breeds of chickens, if the earlobe is white or whitish, the egg is white. If the earlobe is reddish or any other color, the eggs may be brown or bluish or speckled or some other color. There really is no nutritional difference in the color of the shell. All hens of a given species use the same amount of calcium per eggshell, however, so bigger eggs have thinner shells. Hens lay most of their eggs between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m.

(Question and information submitted by gracious1)

Source: Author Creedy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Crack and Cook! Trivia Quiz

We Scrambled Eggheads are a team of good eggs around the world who like to eat. While some of us may not like to cook, we honor eggs in recipes and in life. Here are ten of our favorite ways to use eggs.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>