It's More Than Just a Salad! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tomato

The red, plump and juicy tomato originates in Central American and the South American continent. This very versatile plant of the nightshade family can be used in a variety of different food products. These include sauces, soups, salsas, pickles, assorted pasta dishes, as a health drink (an acquired taste), in yummy salads, and even in jams. My mother used to make a delicious jam with her home grown ones. Tomato leaves are poisonous though, so don't get carried away with your cooking. Just use the fruit which, incidentally, can come in other colours apart from red.

The Spanish, after their conquest of much of the South American continent took this plant back to Europe with them, where it was initially viewed with suspicion. Unfortunately, because of their high level of acidity, people with stomach ulcers and a tendency to arthritis shouldn't eat too much of this delicious food.

Answer: Lettuce

Lettuce is the hallmark of a traditional Australian salad. Eaten raw of course, with a sprinkling of dressing and salt and pepper, it's the perfect colourful accompaniment. Astonishingly, some people use lettuce in soups, and grill it as well. Sounds a bit grim really, as lettuce wilts and shrivels up from the heat, but if it does the trick for your taste buds, then why not. Lettuce originated in Ancient Egypt where it was once seen as a weed before being cultivated for food. How many more "weeds" are out there then which can be used for human consumption? Half the world's lettuce today is grown in China though, half a continent away from its origins. Rich in vitamins K and A, there are quite a few varieties of lettuce, but my favourite is iceberg, especially when crisp and fresh from the garden. It, however, is not a good source of folate and iron, which other varieties possess. They don't taste as nice though.

Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that lettuce increased male sexual potency (a good trick to get the lads to eat their greens) and that it promoted love and easy childbirth for women. Tell that to the marines. Because it withers quickly, lettuce was served at the funerals of the Ancient Greeks, where it had become associated with the early death of Adonis. Another interesting fact about lettuce is that it actually contains mild amounts of narcotics. This saw it named "sleepwort" in Anglo-Saxon days where it was used to promote relaxation and a deep and healthful sleep. Finally, early American colonists believed consumption of lettuce protected one against the disease of smallpox.

Answer: Carrot

It is believed that carrots originated in Iran (known as Persia back then) and Afghanistan, where it was cultivated for domestic purposes from wild plants, but for its seeds initially, rather than the delicious orange root. This lovely, crunchy salad ingredient, which can actually come in a range of colours, is chocker block full of vitamins K and B6. Really tasty eaten raw, cooked carrot, on the other hand, particularly when served on its own, rather has the appeal of a soggy piece of orange cardboard. If used in soups and stews and other dishes though, or even as a straight juice drink, it's more than tolerable.

It takes a sturdy soul to drink a full glass of carrot juice, however. Some people make jams from carrots, which sounds intriguing. Oh, and carrot cake is a delectable treat as well. Just think, you can eat a large slice of that knowing that you're really consuming lots of healthy vitamins.

Answer: Cucumber

Originating in South Asia, cucumbers grow on a vine either up a trellis, along a fence, or spreading out along the ground. Very easy to cultivate, China is the biggest producer of this food product in the modern world, as it is with many primary products. Like watermelon, cucumber is mostly comprised of water, but sprinkled with a bit of salt and vinegar, it's the most savoury water you'll ever consume. It's also very low in calories, but don't be foolish and try to put yourself on a cucumber diet. Humans need many more vitamins than the vitamin K that cucumber brings to the table. This vegetable can make some people really burp, but incredibly so, there is now a variety of cucumber that is burp free. They're the long one usually wrapped in plastic you may have seen in supermarkets. There are many other different varieties of cucumber available today, most of which can be pickled as well as eaten raw.

Cucumbers have been grown by man for thousands of years. You'll even find them mentioned in the Bible. The second Roman emperor, Tiberius, loved them so much that he grew, and ate them in all seasons. The Romans indeed, apart from consuming them, used cucumbers to treat bites from scorpions, to improve eyesight, and, comically so, to scare away mice. Women wishing to fall pregnant wore them around their waist. The Spaniards introduced them to the native peoples of South America wherever they conquered that continent, and they spread to North America from there. Europeans of the late medieval period, decided, rather strangely, that cucumbers and all raw vegetables were bad for the health, and saw to it that people avoided them, particularly children. Fortunately that myth didn't last too long.

Answer: Coleslaw

I love coleslaw. This salad accompaniment is made from green cabbage - and red as well if you like - with long strips of grated carrot, finely diced celery and even a dash of onion and corn kernels if you really want to lash out. It's just delicious and is either eaten with all the above combined and without any further enhancement, or with a dash of mayonnaise mixed through it. You have to be careful not to drown the delightful flavour of coleslaw with that product though - and never buy it already made from supermarkets. You may as well just drink a glass of mayonnaise instead. A big scoop or two of natural coleslaw placed on the side of a plate containing all your other lovely salad ingredients and you couldn't ask for a tastier meal here in Australia, especially in our long, hot summers.

Just top up this meal with some cheese or boiled eggs and other protein-containing foods as well to have your Australian salad meet most of your daily vitamin needs. Follow this with a glass of milk for your dairy requirements (blow the low fat kind), and some nuts to nibble on if you're still peckish (you won't be), and you'll not only look and feel better physically after a time, but your thought processes will be clearer and more positive. And remember to drink lots of beautiful fresh water every day as well.

Answer: Beetroot

Another versatile plant is the tasty beetroot - a food, a colouring, and a medicinal compound all in one. This salad ingredient can be consumed either raw (it's lovely when grated into a salad that way), roasted and boiled (and eaten warm with butter and salt and pepper), or made into a soup or pickles.

Its fresh young leaves can also be used in a salad as well if you wanted to try that, and its older leaves boiled and eaten, with a taste that is said to be similar to spinach. You may like to leave that one to Popeye though. We like to have beetroot added to our hamburgers in Australia even though it can get a little messy at times.

It's even said to be really effective with removing the smell of garlic off the breath. So is parsley apparently (and, by the way, parsley is also really useful as an underarm deodorant). And, amazingly, some people even make beetroot wine out of this truly versatile plant. So why not put some beetroot on your plate. You can't lose. You'll either be really healthy, have a pleasant breath, eliminate any body odour - or be happily intoxicated.

Answer: Onion

Finely chopped onion, that is, and not big chunks of it. This adds a particular piquancy to the first four ingredients listed in this quiz, especially if all are lightly tossed together. Some people like to put several picked onions in their salads as an alternative, but, although certainly delicious, there's the risk, every time you try to sink your fork into one, that it'll shoot right off the plate. In fact, pickled onions can be quite a weapon if one happens to be looking in the wrong direction.

Mankind has been eating onions for several thousand years. Apart from consumption, they were once used to firm up the muscles of Roman gladiators - probably providing a really tasty treat for the ones who fought lions as well. In earlier times, they were considered such an asset that they were used to purchase goods, early doctors used them to assist with bowel movements, to relieve male impotency and female infertility, and as a cure for migraines, colds, snakebite and hair loss. That's quite a range. In more modern times, onions, apart from the savoury flavour they add to food, are also used to clean glass and copper, as a dye (the skins, that is), to repel moths, prevent insects bites, and to stop the build up of rust on iron products.

Answer: Celery

Celery has been grown by man for thousands of years. One can either eat this lovely crunchy food raw in salads, as a combination and tasty health juice with carrot and apple, as a simple and uncomplicated snack on its own, or, by dicing it up, using it to add extra flavour to soups and stews as well. Celery seeds are used to flavour some cocktails and in the manufacture of celery salt, and extracts from this versatile plant are used in the manufactures of medicines. Those who practice traditional medicine have been using this plant's seeds to relieve pain for several thousand years, and its juice has a rather impressive record of being able to lower hypertension, particularly with pregnant women BUT it wouldn't be wise to try this without seeking medical advice first, as celery seeds have been known to bring on uterine contractions.

Answer: Apple

Some people make a salad accompaniment here of finely diced green apple, chopped walnuts, goat's cheese, lemon juice and chives all mixed in with sour cream. This tastes not too bad at all, but only if it is part of the overall Australian salad and not the main section. Actually, it's quite delicious, but I'm a traditionalist. A really great salad here can provide you with just about every vitamin your body needs, help you lose weight, and have your skin and hair looking beautiful. This side dish just helps make it even tastier.

Apple trees are believed to be one of the first fruits cultivated by man. That was in the country of Turkey. In Norse mythology, they were associated with eternal youth and fertility. In Ancient Greek, where this fruit became associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, it became a practice to throw an apple at the one who had captured your heart in order to declare your love. If that person caught the apple, it meant your love was returned. Of course, if he or she wasn't paying attention when the apple was thrown, they may have suffered a mild case of concussion instead. There are more than 7,500 varieties of apple in the world today. That's rather incredible when you think about it.

Answer: Potato Salad

What's a salad dish without potato salad on the side as well? And a properly made potato salad is to die for, it's so delicious. This is usually made with diced spuds that have been cooked, but not too much - they have to still have a mild amount of crunch - mixed in with hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, a dash of vinegar, very finely chopped up raw onion, diced celery, and, if you like, extra finely chopped up cooked bacon as well. Oh, yum. All the above are just a few examples of our very, VERY delicious Australian salad ingredients. Now, guess what I'm going to make for lunch today?