A Zabaglione of Zeds Trivia Quiz

Answer: A zither

The zither is an ancient instrument with variations found in the music of many cultures from Ancient Chinese to modern European. Zithers usually consist of metal strings stretched over a flat hollow box with a sound hole; the strings are attached to tuning pegs. There are many different instruments in the zither family, including psaltery, autoharp and dulcimers; a Google image search will show you the wide variation in shape and size.

The word is derived from the Ancient Greek "kithara", which also provides us with the modern word "guitar".

"The Third Man" is set in post-WW2 Vienna and tells the story of a writer investigating the accidental death of his friend Harry Lime who turns out to have been involved in criminal activity. The music and photography enhance the sinister and mysterious atmosphere tremendously, and the movie won an Academy Award for Best Photography as well as a BAFTA for Best British Film.

"Zillah" is an Indian administrative district; "Zingara" is an Italian word meaning "gypsy girl"; "Zyzygy" is an astrological term describing the lining up of three or more planets.

Answer: A Zube

Another jingle ran thus: "Zubes are good for your tubes."

I remember these little sweets as a child: I thought they tasted foul but they certainly seemed to help the breathing. They are still going strong and are now available in several different flavours.

An advert from 1955 gives the active ingredients: Balsam of Tolu (soothes tickly throats), menthol (clears catarrh), peppermint and aniseed (warming). A family-sized tin cost one shilling and fourpence.

Answer: Croatia

The history of Zagreb itself goes back to 1094 when it was mentioned as a bishopric, although archaeological evidence shows a history of human occupation of the surrounding area stretching back to prehistoric times.

In 1991 it became the capital of the Republic of Croatia following secession from Yugoslavia. It is a culturally rich city with many museums and galleries, as well as being home to the Croatian National Theatre (built in 1895) and hosting the biennial "Animafest" (the World Festival of Animated Films).

Answer: A Mesopotamian pyramid

A ziggurat was a terraced pyramidal mud-brick tower with a temple on the top with its roots in the ancient Mesopotamian civilisation. The oldest date to about 4000 BC, and were simple structures with the temple standing on one platform of mud bricks. They became more complex over time, with later ziggurats consisting of up to seven layers; archaeological evidence suggests that they were faced with glazed bricks in different colours.

This stepped architectural style persists to the present time, for example in the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the SIS Building (aka the MI6 Building) in London, and the Halls of Residence at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK.

Answer: Zounds!

While you might actually use any of these words to express surprise, anger or frustration, the genuine mild oath is "zounds". Pronounced "zoonds", it is a contraction of the phrase "by God's wounds" and dates from about 1600; it was used as an expression of indignation or surprise.

"Zits" are, of course, those nasty little pustules or red spots that always blossom on your face a couple of hours before a very important date.

"Zonks" is derived from "zonked", a slang word meaning befuddled, drunk, high or otherwise in a state of exhausted incapacity.

"Zoots" was taken from the phrase "zoot suit", a style of men's clothing popular in America in the 1930s and 1940s.

Answer: Emiliano Zapata

All of the answers are "real" Zapatas, but the real Mexican revolutionary was Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919), born in the central Mexican state of Morelos. For many years he campaigned against the land-owning class, supporting the rights of the ordinary villagers to own land. He is generally regarded as a hero of the Mexican Revolution that began in 1910, and he led the Liberation Army of the South in that revolution. Zapata was ambushed and shot dead in 1919.

He is credited with the saying "Es mejor morir a pie que vivir arrodillado" (It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees).

Antonio Zapata Cordoba (1908-2000) was a Spanish construction worker, anarchist and Civil War fighter.

Bodega Catena Zapata is an Argentinian vineyard and winery.

Carlos Zapata (b1963) is a Colombian-born self-taught artist now specialising in automata.

Answer: Zaragoza

The Arabs took possession of the northern Spanish city of Zaragoza in the early 8th century AD, renaming it Saraqusta; following the break-up of the Cordoban Caliphate, the city became an independent Muslim state in the 11th century. In the early 12th century, the Aragonese conquered the city which then became the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon.

Zamboanga City is in the Philippines and, coincidentally, is twinned with Zaragoza.

Zapateado describes a dance of Spanish origin characterised by percussive rhythms generated by the stamping of the dancers' shoes (like flamenco).

Zuniga is the lieutenant who is Don Jose's superior officer in Bizet's opera "Carmen".

(Thanks to FT member triviapaul for extra historical information on Zaragoza.)

Answer: Zorba the Greek

Starring Anthony Quinn as Alexis Zorba, and Alan Bates as an English writer (Basil), the 1964 film "Zorba the Greek" plots the relationship between two men from very different cultural backgrounds.

The film score was written by the popular Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, whose other cinematographic work includes the scores for "Z", "Serpico" and "Ill Met by Moonlight". The slow twanging bouzouki opening of "Zorba", building up to an almost light-speed climax, make it one of the most memorable pieces of film music of the 20th century.

"Ziggy Stardust" was recorded by David Bowie; "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is from the 1946 film "Song of the South"; and "Zooropa" is from the album of the same name by U2.

Answer: Leah

Zebulun's mother was Jacob's first wife, Leah, the older daughter of Laban.

Jacob had children by four women: Leah, his first wife, was the mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun and a daughter, Dinah; Zilpah, Leah's servant, was the mother of Gad and Asher; Bilhah, the servant of his second wife Rachel, was the mother of Dan and Naphtali; Rachel, his second wife, was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.

Answer: Zvan Bajoun

According to the "Historia" of Numa, the 15th century Italian nobleman-turned-warlord Giovani Paolo Baglioni had the nickname of "Zvan Bajoun" in the Emilian dialect. Arriving to set up camp in Reggio Emilia he sent out troops to forage for supplies; they came back with eggs, honey, white wine and aromatic herbs which were cooked to a soupy consistency and given to the troops who liked it very much.

The modern pronunciation is supposedly a gradual linguistic corruption of the nickname "Zvan Bajoun"; the name of the dessert is still pronounced "zabajone" in Italy.

Other versions of the story place the invention in the 16th century Florentine court of the Medicis, or with pastry cooks from Turin who named it after a local priest (San Pasquale Bayon) known for his culinary skill.

The modern recipe combines egg yolks, sugar, sweet white wine (e.g. Marsala) and orange or lemon zest which are whisked together over a low heat until foamy and just starting to thicken. It is then poured into glasses and served - and very tasty it is, too!