Italian Dining Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Bruschetta is a mixture of chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic and basil mixed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It is served on toasted bread, usually a slice of a baguette. Focaccia is made from bread flour mixed with olive oil with rosemary sprigs pushed into the dough before baking. Minestrone has various recipes, but often includes a tomato base with various other vegetables added. The addition of pasta gives it a bit extra over an ordinary vegetable soup. Even more filling would be the rice balls called arancini. They are made from risotto rice with mozzarella cheese hidden in the middle. The mixture is then covered with breadcrumbs and deep fried.

Cioppino is a fish stew which was created in San Francisco by immigrants from Italy. They adapted traditional recipes to take advantage of the varieties of sea food found in the USA and the dish is regularly found on the menu in Italian restaurants. It has a base of tomato and wine with a mixture of fish, originally making use of whatever had been caught that day. The recipe can include shrimps, mussels, clams and any type of fish such as cod or halibut. Gnudi are a type of dumpling, made from semolina flour while gnocchi uses potato, making them heavier in texture. Fillings can include cheese, usually ricotta, and spinach mixed together to form balls which are boiled. The gnudi name means 'nude' as the dumplings are not coated with anything before cooking.

Agnolotti originate from Piedmont, in the north west of Italy, and are made from a dough which is filled with either meat or vegetables and then folded. It resembles ravioli but that is made from two pieces of dough joined together. The resulting pieces are boiled to cook them. Frittata is an egg dish which can have various vegetables added. Although it has similarities to an omelette, it is baked rather than fried and is sometimes described as looking like a quiche without the pastry crust.

Tiramisu is a dessert created from sponge fingers which are soaked in coffee before being layered with mascarpone cheese mixed with cream and a little marsala wine. The dish is finished with cocoa powder and grated chocolate and served chilled. Cannoli are made from a dough rolled out very thinly and wrapped around a mould to keep their shape while they are deep fried. They are then filled with the mascarpone and ricotta, which usually has a little icing sugar added to bind it. The shells are sometimes decorated with chocolate and chopped nuts.

Maritozzi are particularly associated with Rome and consist of a sweet roll, sometimes a brioche, with a whipped cream filling. Other items, such as fruit, nuts or chocolate can be added to the cream to further indulge your sweet tooth. A lighter option is panna cotta, made from milk, cream and sugar with gelatine added to make it set in an individual mould. It is usually flavoured with vanilla and served with strawberries or a strawberry sauce.

An Italian wine will add to the meal, and Chianti is a popular red wine from Tuscany. The fiasco is a straw basket in which the bottle is placed for serving. Asti, sometimes called Asti spumante, is a sparkling wine from the Piedmont region. Its name comes from a town in the region. It is a sweet wine which would go well with the dessert course. Prosecco is another white wine, which is usually sparkling but can come in a still version. It is often associated with a 'girls' night out', but can also be drunk as an apéritif prior to a meal.