The Icing on the Cake Trivia Quiz

Answer: a mountain in the US

There are many places in the world named after Queen Victoria (shown in the photo in full regalia), most of them in Commonwealth countries. Of the three Victorias listed as wrong answers, one is the capital of the province of British Columbia, in western Canada. The state of Victoria is Australia's second-smallest, located in the southeastern part of the country - while Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake, located in the East African Rift.

No mountain in the US is named after Queen Victoria: there are just a couple of small towns named Victoria, one in Kansas and the other in Virginia. A Mount Victoria is found in Myanmar (a former British colony that is not part of the Commonwealth), and another - a mountain of over 4,000 m (13,123 ft) - in Papua New Guinea, which is a member of the Commonwealth.

Unlike other kinds of sponge cake, Victoria sponge - a teatime favourite of the Queen, after whom it was named - contains butter (or other fats), and is similar to a pound cake. It is generally filled with jam and whipped cream, and served dusted with icing sugar.

Answer: rose (Rosaceae)

A native of Iran and surrounding countries, the almond tree (Prunus amygdalus) belongs to the family Rosaceae - named after the woody flowering plants of the genus Rosa, which count over three hundred species. The family includes many other economically important species of fruit-producing trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. In fact, many of the most common fruits (at least in Western countries) come from plants of the rose family - including raspberries and blackberries (genus Rubus) and strawberries (genus Fragaria).

Like plums, cherries, apricots, and peaches (all members of the genus Prunus), the fruit of the almond tree is a drupe (as shown in the illustration) that encloses a hard shell surrounding the seed - meaning that almonds are not true nuts in a botanical sense. Almonds are smallish trees with white to pale-pink flowers, which grow best in mild, Mediterranean-type climates; they require a lot of water to grow properly, and start producing fruits three years after planting. California produces more than half of the world's almond supply, though in recent years the production has been negatively impacted by drought conditions.

Marzipan is a paste made of finely ground almonds, sugar, and sometimes honey, often tinted in various colours and moulded into fruit, vegetable, or other shapes. The shell covering Sicilian cassata (a sponge cake filled with a rich ricotta cream) is usually tinted green.

Answer: Habsburg

Founded in the 11th century, and named after their original seat - a fortress located in present-day Switzerland - the House of Habsburg was one of Europe's leading dynasties for many centuries. The Habsburgs occupied the throne of the Holy Roman Empire from 1448 to 1806 (with an interruption between 1740 and 1765), then ruled the Austrian Empire until its dissolution in 1918. The various branches of the family reigned over a large number of territories in Europe; in addition, a prominent member of the house - Maximilian, younger brother to Emperor Franz Joseph - became Emperor of Mexico for a short time (1864-1867). The last Emperor of Austria-Hungary, Charles I, exiled from his former domains after the end of WWI, was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2004.

A decadent concoction of dense chocolate cake, apricot jam, and chocolate icing, the legendary Sachertorte was supposedly created in 1832 by Viennese confectioner Franz Sacher (then a 16-year-old apprentice) for a gala dinner hosted by Prince Klemens von Metternich, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Emperor Francis I, the founder of the Austrian Empire (whose lesser coat of arms is shown in the photo). The cake's recipe is a closely guarded secret held by the Hotel Sacher, opened in 1876 by Eduard Sacher, Franz's son - though more than adequate imitations can be enjoyed in many of Vienna's world-famous cafés and pastry shops.

Bernadotte is the ruling royal house of Sweden, founded by an officer in Napoleon's army. The House of Bourbon held the French throne from 1589 to 1792, and from 1815 to 1848; the Spanish branch of the House still holds the Spanish throne. The Romanovs ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917.

Answer: flower nectar

Hummingbirds compose the family Trochiidae, which comprises over 360 species and 113 genera. Native to the Americas, they are mostly concentrated in the tropical areas of Central and South America, though some species are found in more temperate areas, such as the US, Canada, and Chile. The hummingbird family includes the world's smallest bird species, the bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), which weighs less than 2 g (0.07 oz), and has an average length of 5 cm (1.96 in). Even the largest specimen, the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas) is about the size of a European starling, though considerably lighter in weight. The name "hummingbird" comes from the humming sound made by the rapid beating of these birds' wings, whose shape allows them to hover in the air and fly in any direction like helicopters.

Characterized by the bright, jewel-like colours of their plumage, hummingbirds also have extremely high metabolism, and are able to enter a state of torpor when they need to avoid consuming too many energy resources. Another distinctive feature of these birds is their long, thin, flexible beak - essential in allowing the birds to drink nectar out of flowers. Though they are specialized nectarivores, hummingbirds also consume small insects (such as mosquitoes) to supplement with proteins the energy provided by the sugar-rich nectar. They do not, however, eat eggs, and are preyed upon by larger insects and arthropods, as well as reptiles, amphibians, and other birds.

Hummingbird cake is named after Jamaica's national bird, the scissors-tail hummingbird (Trochilus polytmus), also known as doctor bird. It is a banana-pineapple spice cake that also contains pecans or walnuts; often served with cream cheese frosting, it is very popular in the southern US.

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

Known for his Gothic tales and poetry, Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on 19 January 1809; he was the second child born to actors David and Eliza Poe. By 1811, Edgar had lost both his parents - his father had abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother had died of consumption the following year. The three children of the unfortunate couple were separated, and Edgar was taken into the home of John Allan, a wealthy merchant from Richmond (Virginia), who gave him the name "Edgar Allan Poe". Edgar returned briefly to Boston in 1827, where he joined the Army. His troubled life eventually led him to New York City, where he lived with his wife (and first cousin), Virginia Clemm, who died there of consumption in 1847. Two years later, Poe died in mysterious circumstances in Baltimore (Maryland), after having been found delirious in a tavern. He was only 40 years old.

The photo shows one of the illustrations created in 1884 by famous French artist Gustave Doré for "The Raven" (1845), the best-known of Poe's poetic works. The series of 28 engravings was Doré's last work, as he died before they were published.

Boston cream pie owes its somewhat misleading name to the fact that, in the past, the words "cake" and "pie" were used interchangeably. The cake - which is Massachusetts' official dessert - is believed to have been created in 1856 at the Parker House Hotel in Boston.

Of the three authors listed as wrong answers, Walt Whitman and Herman Melville were both born in 1819 in or near New York City, while F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St Paul (Minnesota) in 1896.

Answer: James

"Santiago" means "St James" in Spanish - "Iago" or "Thiago" being derived by the Hebrew name "Jacob". The saint in question is St James the Great, the brother of St John the Evangelist; the two brothers are also known as "Boanerges", meaning "sons of thunder" in Aramaic. As mentioned in Acts 12:2, the saint was the first of the Apostles to be martyred - beheaded by order of King Herod Agrippa.

According to a medieval legend, his body was brought to Spain and buried at Compostela - which became known as Santiago de Compostela - now the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia. A magnificent cathedral was built in the Middle Ages (1085-1211) to host the saint's relics. The city became one of the foremost pilgrimage destinations in Christendom, reached by a network of routes known as "Camino de Santiago" (Way of St James). The scallop shell shown in the photo is the symbol of this iconic pilgrimage route, which is still popular to this day.

There are a number of cities in the Spanish-speaking world that bear the name of Santiago. The largest of them is the capital of Chile; other notable cities named Santiago are found in Argentina, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and the Philippines. Santiago is also a common male given name in Spanish-speaking countries; the main character of Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Old Man and the Sea" is a Cuban fisherman named Santiago.

Tarta de Santiago is a traditional cake from Galicia made with finely ground almonds, sugar, eggs, and butter or lard. Its top is dusted with powdered sugar, decorated with the silhouette of a Cross of Saint James.

Answer: jeans

The word "jeans" for a sturdy cotton fabric originally employed in the making of work clothes is widely believed to derive from "Gênes", the French name of Genoa. The name "denim" used in modern English for the same fabric comes instead from the city of Nîmes in southern France ("de Nîmes", meaning "(fabric) from Nîmes"). In the 16th century, both cities were actively involved in the trade of this fabric, which was used by the Genoese Navy to make strong, durable clothes for its sailors.

The custom of dyeing this fabric blue with indigo seems to have been older than it was previously believed - as witnessed by the recently-discovered works of a 17th-century Northern Italian artist (nicknamed "Master of the Blue Jeans"), which depict lower-class people wearing clothes made of what looks very much like denim. Modern blue jeans, however, were invented in the mid-19th century by tailor Jacob Davis and businessman Levi Strauss, and patented in 1873.

Pain de Gênes ("Genoese bread") is a French almond cake, while Genoese sponge is a widely used type of sponge cake made without the addition of chemical leavening, and Genoa cake a fruitcake of Italian origin. The photo depicts Genoa's most famous landmark, the "Lanterna" (lighthouse) looming over the port.

Answer: British Museum, London

Named after Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, the Elgin Marbles are a collection of Ancient Greek marble sculptures (most of them dating from the 5th century BC) that were removed from the Parthenon and other structures on the Acropolis of Athens in the early years of the 19th century. At the time, Greece was still part of the Ottoman Empire. Lord Elgin, who was Ambassador Extraordinary of the British Crown to the Sultan of Turkey, initially intended to take casts and drawings of the magnificent sculptures, but then started to remove pieces - apparently with the permission of the Ottoman government - that were eventually sold to the British Museum.

The Elgin Marbles include 15 metope panels depicting the battle between the Centaurs and the Lapiths, 21 statues from the east and west pediments (gables), and a 75-m (246-ft) piece of the Parthenon Frieze (a detail of which appears in the photo). Their creation has traditionally been attributed to the workshop of Phidias, the foremost sculptor and architect of Athens' "Golden Age". Other pieces taken from the Parthenon and the Treasury of Atreus in Mycenae are also part of the collection.

The legality of the sculptures' removal from Athens has been the object of debate for over a century, and Elgin's actions remain controversial to this day. The Greek government has repeatedly demanded the return of the priceless artifacts from the UK government, but at the time of writing discussions between these parties are still ongoing.

Answer: rabbit

The legend of the "moon rabbit" is based on the alleged resemblance of the dark markings on the near side of the moon (the one that always faces towards Earth) to a rabbit or hare. In the folklore of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, the rabbit pounds something in a mortar with a pestle (as in the photo, which shows a detail from an embroidered 18th-century Chinese imperial robe). In China, the content of the mortar is identified with the elixir of immortality, associated with the moon goddess Chang'e; the moon rabbit is believed to be the deity's loyal companion. The moon rabbit also exists in the folklore of various Native American cultures, both in North and Central America.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon or Mooncake Festival, is celebrated in China and Chinese communities worldwide on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar with a full moon at night, which often corresponds to the autumn equinox. The festival, believed to be over 3,000 old, originated from the myth of how Chang'e became the goddess of the moon. During the festival, the people carry or display lanterns that illuminate the path to prosperity and good fortune.

Mooncakes, whose round shape symbolizes completeness, are made or purchased for the occasion, and shared among family members. The crust of these small cakes is decorated with an imprint of the Chinese characters for "longevity"; they are usually filled with lotus seed paste, and may contain one or more salted duck egg yolks, a symbol of the full moon.

Answer: vermouth

The name "vermouth" is the French pronunciation of the German word "Wermut", meaning "wormwood" - one of the herbal ingredients of this fortified wine, which was originally used for medicinal purposes. Though the tradition of infusing wine with herbs and spices is much older, and may date from Ancient Greece, the modern version of vermouth was first produced in Turin, the capital of the northwestern Italian region of Piedmont, in 1786 by wine merchant Antonio Benedetto Carpano. Vermouth is made with white wine to which sugar, extra alcohol and various herbs and spices are added; dry vermouth is stronger and has less sugar. Red vermouth, which can have a slightly bitter taste, usually owes its colour to the addition of caramel or herb extracts.

Dry white vermouth - the drier the better - is one of the ingredients of the iconic Martini cocktail shown in the photo. Other famous cocktails made with vermouth are Manhattan, Negroni (made with red vermouth), and Rob Roy. In Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, vermouth is usually drunk on its own as an apéritif.

Marsala (also from Italy), port (from Portugal), and sherry (from Spain) are the most famous fortified wines, made by adding strong spirit (usually brandy) to wine. Madeira cake, a lemon-flavoured butter cake, was often served with Madeira wine - hence its name. Madeira, an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean where the eponymous wine has been produced since the late 15th century, is an autonomous region of Portugal.