A Soup and Aside Trivia Quiz

Answer: Swiftlets

Only certain types of birds' nests are used for bird's nest soup, and these come from a variety of swiftlets, whose nests are considered edible. These include white-nest swiftlets and Indian swiftlets. These birds make their nests out of their saliva which solidifies into these rich, flavorful nests. Because they are so prized, a single nest can cost a fortune!

Swiftlets make up Collocaliini genus, a part of the swift family Apodidae. They often nest in caves. One of the four genuses of swiftlets, Aerodramus, uses echolocation much in the same way as bats do.

Answer: A substance drunk by the gods which gave immortality

Ambrosia was the food of the gods, served on Mount Olympus. If any mortal ate or drank it, he or she would be given immortality. Ambrosia is also the name, however, of a nymph in some sources who served the Ambrosia to the gods.

First made in the Southern United States, ambrosia salad usually contains pineapple, coconut, mandarin oranges, grapes, and, on some occasions, raspberries and other fruit. The first written reference to Ambrosia salad appears in Maria Massey Barringer's cookbook "Dixie Cookery", written in 1867.

Answer: Blondie

Dagwood sandwiches are named after the "Blondie" comic strip character Dagwood Bumstead, who often can be seen holding an impossibly tall sandwich with various ingredients. Fans have been inventive in trying to guess the contents of the sandwich, and different interpretations have included meats, cheeses, whole fish, olives, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables.

The first Dagwood sandwich was reportedly drawn into the "Blondie" comics by creator and author Chic Young in 1936, and the first Dagwood-themed restaurant to feature the sandwich opened in 1951.

The photo depicts a pale type of brownies called "blondies", thus hinting at the title of the comic strip.

Answer: Newfoundland

A part of Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland is an island on the eastern coast of Canada. It is nicknamed "The Rock" because of its position as an island. Originally populated by the Beothuk, it was visited by Vikings under Leif Eriksson in the 1000s. It officially became a part of Canada in 1949.

Rock cakes, meanwhile, also known as rock buns, were first featured in a cookbook in 1861. They usually take flour, sugar, butter, egg, baking powder, dried fruit, and some spices. During World War II, they were especially popular since they took less rationed ingredients, such as sugar and egg, than most other cake (or cookie) recipes.

Answer: Stone soup

"Stone Soup" is the name of the folk tale, appearing in many cultures, including Eastern and Northern Europe, France, Germany, and Portugal. Although the "stone" appears as different items in different traditions, including wood, a button, and an axe, the tale always ends the same way.

The strangers add a stone to their pot along with some water, having convinced the villagers that they can make stone soup. One villager decides to add some carrots to the pot. Another villager, smelling the soup, decides to add onions. And so it goes on, until a perfectly normal soup is boiling in the pot.

Answer: Gaius Julius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar was born in Rome on July 12, 100 BC. A statesman and Roman general, he won fame in the Gallic Wars, and became a dictator over the Roman Empire in 49 BC. His last days and the civil war that followed were immortalized in William Shakespeare's famous play "Julius Caesar".

The Caesar salad, however, was purportedly invented by Italian chef Caesar Cardini in 1924. The story goes that when his restaurant was so overrun on the Fourth of July of that year that he invented the salad to use what ingredients he still had on hand! Many others have claimed to have invented the recipe, however, including Cardini's brother and several members of Cardini's restaurant staff.

Answer: George V

George V officially changed the British royal family name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor in 1917, seeing Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as too "German" of a name at a time when England was at war with Germany in World War I.

Windsor soup was first published by Henderson William Brand in 1834, as head cook for King George IV. Although it was originally an expensive, gourmet dish, the term "brown Windsor soup" was applied from the 1920s onward to a brown soup or gruel that was of a bad quality or uncommon ingredients. And the photo depicts Windsor Castle, the home of the British royal family since the reign of Henry I (1100-1135).

Answer: White's

Although all of these options are or have been gentlemen's clubs in London, White's is the oldest and perhaps the most famous. Known for the outrageous betting and gaming that went on within it, White's was founded as a Tory club in 1693. In 1778, it moved to 37-38 St. James' Street, London, where it remains today.

The first known reference to club sandwiches was in 1889, where they might have been invented at the Union Club in New York City, United States. They began being served by restaurants by 1899, and have remained a classic fixture in menus everywhere.

The photo of a white wall is a clue to the question's answer, "White's".

Answer: RMS Titanic

The RMS Titanic claimed to have been the safest ship in the world until it hit an iceberg on 14th April, 1912. Despite repeated warnings about icebergs off of the Grand Banks in Newfoundland, it was took late when the ship did strike one: the ship sunk quickly, and had disappeared under water by the next morning. The largest ship afloat at the time, its sinking was also the deadliest: more that 1,500 of the passengers died out of about 2,224. Many who died were lower-class passengers and men, who were not the first to enter the meager lifeboats.

Iceberg lettuce, however, was developed by Burpee Seeds and Plants in 1894 in North America. It shipped well, and looked like icebergs when packed with ice for shipping. It is a watery, sturdily-leafed lettuce.

Answer: Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly was born in Philadelphia on November 12, 1929. She was known for her roles in many popular films, especially those directed by Alfred Hitchcock, such as "Dial M for Murder" (1954) and "To Catch a Thief" (1955). In 1956 she retired from the screen to marry Prince Rainier III and became Princess Grace of Monaco. She died in 1982.

Philadelphia pepper pot soup, originating in the Caribbean, became adapted by Black Philadelphians in the 1800s into a soup that was regarded as characteristic of the city. It usually contains beef tripe and pepper, as well as other ingredients.