A Sprinkling of Herbs Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sage

Not only is sage an aromatic herb, but also the name given to a profoundly wise man of ancient history or legend. Synonyms for the word sage in this context can include philosopher, intellect, genius or scholar. The most well known were the Seven Sages of Greece, the collective name given to a group of legendary wise people who were believed to be the founders of Greek philosophy.

Answer: Thyme

A homophone is the name given to two words which sound the same but are spelt differently. An example are the words 'time' and 'thyme'. The clue used three alternative ways of writing down the time. 9 o'clock is a contraction of "nine of the clock", a term used from the sixteenth century. 7.15 am denotes ante meridiem, meaning before midday (with pm being post meridiem, meaning after midday). Midnight is a noun given to the transitional period from one day to another at the dead of night.

Thyme is a versatile herb used in cooking and medicine that belongs to the mint family.

Answer: Rosemary

Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002) was a well known actress and singer whose career in entertainment spanned over fifty years. Born in Kentucky, USA, she sang on the radio with her sister during her teens but first came to prominence on the big screen when she starred in the 1954 classic, "White Christmas". In 1995 she made a guest appearance in the medical drama "ER" alongside her nephew George Clooney, himself just coming into prominence in the acting world as the dashing Dr Doug Ross.

Rosemary is the name of a woody herb, often used in Mediterranean cooking where the plant originates from.

Answer: Dill

The River Dill is 55km in length and is situated just north of Frankfurt in a catchment area surrounded by low mountains, forests and agricultural land. It is a tributary of the Lahn River which flows into the Rhine. The Dill transverses through the small communities of Dillenburg, Offdilln, Dillbrecht, Fellerdilln, all of which take their name from the river.

Dill is a culinary herb, often accompanied by fish, or mixed with sour cream to make a dressing.

Answer: Parsley

Simon and Garfunkel released their version of "Scarborough Fair" in 1966 but it was originally an old English ballad. The lyrics include:

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Remember me to the one who lives there,
For once she was a true love of mine."

The fair in Scarborough, Yorkshire, dates back to the middle ages and was a place where merchants converged to sell their wares. The ballad told of a jilted young man, and the four herbs in the lyrics have significant meaning throughout as all were made into remedies for unrequited love. Parsley was used to heal the hurting heart, sage used to give strength, rosemary to represent faithfulness and lastly thyme added for courage.

Answer: Sorrel

Sorrel, or chestnut, is a copper-red-brown horse colouring. A chestnut horse tends to be darker in colour whereas sorrel is a "true" red with a completely red base colour. Other equine coat colours can include bay, grey, black, buckskin, roan and palomino. The actor John Wayne rode many horses throughout his film career, but it was a docile sorrel horse called Banner which he preferred.

Sorrel is a leafy green herb that is often put in soups and stews to give additional flavour.

Answer: Savory

Summer savory (Satureja hortensis) and winter savory (Satureja montana) are seasonal herbs that can be added to many meat, poultry and vegetable dishes. Summer savory is preferred more than its slightly acidic cousin. The herb is one of the main ingredients in herbes de Provence, a collection of dried herbs which also include rosemary, thyme, marjoram and oregano.

The plant, native to southern Europe, grows between 12 to 24 inches in height, and has purple flowers which appear over the summer months.

Answer: Mint

Mint is a term used to describe anything which is new and in tip top condition. It is also the place where new coinage is made, the word taken from the old English word "mynt" meaning coin or money. First established in Wales in 886 AD, the Royal Mint is the oldest and largest mint in the world. Its 900 staff strike British coinage for the UK as well as sixty other countries.

Both peppermint and spearmint are familiar flavours all over the world, especially in toothpaste and chewing gum. It can add be added to food, steeped in hot water to make tea, or added to other ingredients to make sweet treats and desserts.

Answer: Basil

British actor and comedian John Cleese was a well known cast member of the Monty Python team which also included Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Cleese was also highly popular in the short lived comedy television series, "Fawlty Towers" as the rude and hyperactive Basil Fawlty. Along with his wife Sybil, maid Polly and Spanish waiter, Manuel, they brought chaos to all the residents and visitors at the seaside hotel in Torquay, Devon.

Basil is known as the "King of Herbs" because its name originated from the Greek word meaning "royal plant".

Answer: Myrtle

Moaning Myrtle was a recurring character in the "Harry Potter" franchise of books and films. The ghostly vision haunted the girls' toilets at Hogwarts School, moaning and complaining, but always to the aid of Harry Potter in his adventures. Her real name was Myrtle Warren and she was a former Ravenclaw student until she was killed by a basilisk in 1943.

Myrtle is a herb native to the sunny climes of the Mediterranean. The leaves, flowers and berries are all used to enhance food and drink flavours.