Stuck in the Middle With You Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tomato

Quite possibly one of the most well known sandwiches, the BLT seems to have been around for ever. (B)acon, (L)ettuce and (T)omato are the simplest of ingredients, but they go so well together. The BLT is one of the top ten favourite sandwiches in the US and was ranked as the "nation's favourite" in a 2008 poll in the United Kingdom. References to the BLT have cropped up in various recipe books since the early 1900's. My personal preference is loads of crispy bacon, thinly sliced tomato and a nice dollop of mayonnaise!

The before and after combinations are cherry tomato and tomato soup.

Answer: Mustard

The "Merriam-Webster Dictionary" defines a condiment as a "seasoning or relish for food, as pepper, mustard, sauces, etc." and the "Collins Dictionary" has it as "something used to enhance the flavour of food especially: a pungent seasoning". There are such wide varieties of condiments, essentially anything you can think of can be used e.g. curry, soy sauce, chutney, sriracha, gravy, maple syrup, chocolate sauce etc. Upon hearing the word in the context of sandwiches though, ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard instantly spring to mind.

There are a host of different varieties of mustard, but they all originate from three kinds of mustard plants i.e. white/yellow, brown or black. The seeds are ground, bruised or cracked and then combined with different liquids, spices and flavourings. The most well known of the mustards are thought to be Dijon mustard (from the Dijon region of France) which was invented in 1856 and English mustard of which the first prepared format was sold in 1720.

The before and after combinations are English mustard and mustard seed.

Answer: Chicken

Chicken is certainly one of the more versatile sandwiches meats. Chicken mayo sandwich, chicken burger, Quebec's hot chicken sandwich (a chicken sandwich covered in poutine), Spanish and Latin American pepito (chicken or beef and beans on a bread roll). Grilled chicken, fried chicken, sliced chicken, shredded chicken. In any form, chicken works well as a sandwich filling, especially in combination with other meats as in the traditional Club Sandwich. This is one of my favourites; chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on a triple decker sandwich!

I have seen numerous recipes that suggest that turkey may be more common as a filling, but I do come from a country where turkey is not commonly consumed, so chicken it is.

The before and after combinations are rubber chicken and Chicken Little.

Answer: Jelly

In South Africa we have jam. Jelly is something we see on American television shows. Jelly it seems, is firmed fruit juice, whereas jam is the actual fruit, cut up or puréed. Both are generally cooked with sugar and pectin. As a child, my favourite snack was a peanut butter and apricot jam sandwich with a glass of milk on the side. Spreads are fun though and Marmite is a perennial favourite. Originally made from the by products of beer brewing, it does not appeal to everyone. Marmite and cheese, Marmite and peanut butter or just by itself on toast. Very tasty.

The before and after combinations are grape jelly and jelly bean.

Answer: Roll

Ah, bread products. Now we're talking. I love bread and there are so many different varieties and they are essential to the creation of any and all sandwiches. Without the bread, you would be staring at a stack of bacon, lettuce, tomato and Mayo in your hand and questioning your life choices. The basic recipe for bread includes amongst others, ingredients such as flour, yeast and water. So simple really. There are varieties of bread in every country and culture in the world, from flat breads, cornbreads, savoury breads and sweet breads. Different kinds of flour are used as well. Wheat flour is common, but rye flour is often used too.

And then of course we have the great sandwich debate. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, there is such a council - hot dogs are important) have stated that hot dogs are not sandwiches. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg thinks it may well be one. The "Merriam-Webster" dictionary states that it is one. Yes, no, maybe?

The before and after combinations are Swiss roll and roll call.

Answer: Onion

The common onion is of the genus "Allium" whose closest relatives are scallion, leek, chive and garlic. Varieties include the red/purple onion, white onion and yellow/brown onions. While they can be pickled, crispy fried onions are used in many different sandwich recipes. Batter coated and deep-fried, onion rings are a great side dish to the perfect sandwich. In Denmark, street vendors use them as the primary hot dog garnish.

Other vegetables used in sandwiches are sprouts, lettuce, peppers, pickles, cucumber. Fruits are great on sandwiches too, such as tomato, avocado or apple. Elvis Presley's favourite sandwich was a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich. Adina Steiman says in her book "The Good, the Bad and the Yummy" that he like them browned in a pan with butter.

The before and after combinations are spring onion and onion rings.

Answer: Pickle

The "Merriam-Webster" dictionary defines a garnish as "to add decorative or savoury touches to (food or drink)". Parsley is a common garnish, but garnishes can run the gamut of herbs and could even take the form of a fried egg, fried onion, mushrooms or even seaweed. Pickles are often used too. A very versatile ingredient, the pickle, it can be used inside and outside the sandwich.

Pickles are cucumbers which have been pickled in brine or vinegar. They are also referred to as gherkins which in comes from the Dutch "gurken" which just means "baby, pickled cucumber". The word "pickle" is from the Dutch word "pekel" which means "brine". They vary from being pickled with dill, tarragon, sugar and various other spices.

The before and after combinations are dill pickle and pickle jar.

Answer: Bacon

Evidence suggests that the domestic pig (Sus domesticus), was domesticated approximately 11,400 years ago in the region of Turkey. In 2019 China had the highest number of pigs at 310 million, which was over four times as much as the U.S. In actual fact, China had more pigs than the U.S., Russia, Canada, Mexico and the European Union combined. Pigs are very versatile creatures. Not only used to dispose of garbage on a large scale, literally every part of the pig can be consumed. Blood is used for black pudding, pork crackling/ scratchings are made from the skin, trotters are used in various dishes and even the head is used to make brawn, also known as head cheese. Intestines are used for sausage casings or chitlins/chitterlings and then there are all the more common uses, most important of these being bacon. The word is taken from the Proto-Germanic "bakken" which means "back meat". Bacon is salt cured pork, although Canadian pea-meal bacon is wet cured instead.

The before and after combinations are Francis Bacon and bacon rasher.

Answer: Hero

The submarine sandwich, or "sub" is also known as a spuckie, a wedge or a hero. Edwin James, Department of Anthropology at Temple University and Howard Robboy, Department of Sociology at Rutgers University, published a paper in 1967 named "The Submarine Sandwich: Lexical Variations in a Cultural Context", in which they identify thirteen different terms used for the sub in the United States.

A sub is generally a cylindrical bread roll stuffed with meat, lettuce, tomato and cheese, although many varieties of fillings are used. Then you get a meatball sub, which is a favourite of the character Joey on the television show "Friends". The Po'boy is a Louisiana style sub which generally contains seafood. There is even a South African sub called the Gatsby which contains French fries and meat (calamari, steak curry, sausage) with achar pickles or peri-peri sauce added. It is said that it is large enough to be a meal for four people, but I would happily give it the old college try.

The before and after combinations are action hero and hero worship.

Answer: Bunny

Firstly, for the uninformed, a lagomorph is a rabbit or hare, i.e. a bunny. Your average bunny chow contains no rabbit. There are many different accounts of the origins of this South African treat. One account attributes it to Indian cane field labourers that used their "bunny" as a lunch pail. Another claims that it was invented by Indian golf caddies. Its creation has been dated to the 1940's however. No evidence has been discovered yet relating to the origin of the name, but it could be something as banal as the fact that early bunny chow was made with vegetarian curry. Bunny chow being synonymous with rabbit food, a colloquial term for vegetables.

As with any sandwich, there are different varieties of fillings which are used, which include French fries with curry gravy, cheese, sausage, eggs. The more popular bunny chow curry is made with mutton, but bean and chicken curry is also popular. Go on, try it at home, it's delicious. Do not serve it at your next soiree however, it is messy and you are liable to end up with curry all over your face!

The before and after combinations are Bugs Bunny and bunny ears.