Foods Beginning with Z Trivia Quiz

Answer: za'atar

Za'atar is one of those spice blends which, like "chili powder" and "curry powder," can be compounded in innumerable ways. A basic recipe normally includes dried oregano, dried thyme, dried marjoram, dried sumac, slightly ground sesame seeds, and dried wild hyssop (also called, itself, za'atar).

Some mixtures include salt. This mix produces bold, bright, herby flavours and scents. It may be used simply, mixed with yoghurt and garlic, mixed with puree of chickpeas, on sliced tomatoes and/or cucumber, atop feta cheese, or stirred into egg yolks to make deviled eggs.

It may be eaten with bread dipped in olive oil or baked into flatbread. The flavour "blooms" when heated in oil; the flavour dissipates when ignored in the jar for too long.

Answer: zapote/sapote

Zapote (Manilkara zapota) is a sweet fruit with many names: sapodilla, chico zapote, the dilly, the chicle. It originated in southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The fruit is a bright-orange flesh surrounded by a tough peel. The sap of the tree contains "chicle" which has long been used to make chewing gum. The fruit is eaten out of hand or pureed. The zapote mash is used to make milkshakes, puddings, ice cream and as a pie filling.

Answer: zeppole

A zeppola (the singular in Italian) may be called a "frittelle" or a "tzípulas" or a "sfinge" or a "blenzi" or a "crispelli" or a "Bignč di San Giuseppe." The last of these names is a reference to the custom of eating zeppole on the Feast of Saint Joseph (19 March). Balls of dough are deep fried, filled with things like pastry cream or jelly, and topped with powdered sugar. There are also savoury zeppole, filled with anchovy, but these are less common.

Answer: Zinfandel

The dark-coloured Zinfandel grape is genetically similar to the Croatian Crljenak Kastelanski and the Italian Primitivo. Zinfandel is grown extensively in California and bottled both red and white. The red Zinfandel is robust; the white Zinfandel is actually more of a blush and is semi-sweet.

Answer: zinnias

Many flowers are edible; zinnias are among them. Zinnias are related to sunflowers and daisies. The flowers tend to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to home gardens. The flowers should be eaten only if they are free of pesticides. They should be washed and the seeds removed.

They bring a splash of colour to salads, decorate cakes, surprise in tacos, and make an interesting tea, especially when blended with other floral flavours. Eating zinnias is part of "the edible landscaping movement"; there are several cookbooks available which explain cooking with flowers.

Answer: ziti

There are several tube-shaped pastas made in Italy, penne and elbow macaroni among them. Ziti are a tube-shaped pasta, cut straight across its length rather than diagonally like penne. The name "ziti" derives from the Italian noun "zita" meaning a bride (or unmarried girl).

This is because ziti is a traditional dish served at weddings. Ziti are tubes of pasta with a smooth exterior, usually made about ten inches long and then cut into shorter lengths. Three-inch lengths are common; others abound.

A common use for ziti is in casseroles where it is mixed with the other ingredients while still somewhat underdone and "finished" in the oven ("al forno).

Answer: zizania

The Ojibwe Native American peoples call wild rice (Zizania palustris) "manoomin" which means "harvesting berry." It is traditionally gathered from lakes where it grows wild by Dakota, Menominee, Meskwaki, Ojibwe, Cree, Omaha, Ponca, Thompson, Winnebago, Ottawa/Odawa and Potawatomi tribes. Zizania is not rice at all but rather the seed of one of four species of grasses which grow mainly in North America.

A portion of the wild rice grown in the US is now grown commercially in paddies. It is stewed or steamed and used as a side dish, in pilaf, as a stuffing for roasted birds, or in rice pudding made with maple syrup.

Answer: zucchini

Unlike many fruits and vegetables which might be stolen out of one's garden, zucchini are more likely to be left on one's front porch or perhaps deposited in the passenger seat of one's unlocked car. The prolific zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) is also known as courgette and baby marrow.

It is a kind of summer squash which grows on vines. Most zucchini are green; a few are orange. Left to their own devices, zucchini will grow to immense length, as long as three feet, but are better when picked at about twelve inches in length.

There are innumerable ways in which zucchini can be cooked. It may be baked, grilled, steamed, stir-fried, or boiled. Zucchini is indispensable in ratatouille. It may be blended into bread or cake batter. Zucchini cookies are not to be scoffed at.

The flowers are edible and may be stuffed with savoury goodness (such as crumbled sausage and bread). They are also sometimes deep-fried like tempura ("fiori di zucca").

Answer: zwetschge plum

There are numerous kinds of plum trees. They are all subspecies of Prunus domestica. One of these is P. domestica subsp. domestica. It produces a freestone fruit known as zwetschge, blue plum, damask plum, and sugar plum. The fruit may be enjoyed fresh in the fall or dried into prunes. Prunes bake well and make excellent jams. They are also fermentable into excellent alcoholic beverages called "eaux de vie" in Europe and "pruno" in American prisons. The "visions of sugar plums" in Clement Moore's poem do not involve this fruit at all but are rather a reference to a sugar confection.

Answer: zwieback

The German word "zwieback" is a compound of two German words: "zwei" meaning two and "backen" meaning baked. It literally means twice-baked as do the Italian "biscotte" and the Croatian "dvopek." The name describes a sweetened egg bread which is baked, sliced, toasted and dried.

It was invented by Albrecht von Wallenstein to feed to soldiers on campaign. Modernly, it is fed to babies as teething food and to people recovering from gastrointestinal illness because of its perceived easy digestability.

It may be compared to Melba toast.