Pass The Mustard, Please! Trivia Quiz

Answer: A Midsummer Night's Dream

'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a Shakespeare comedy which takes place in Athens and features three different groups of characters: the fairies, a group of actors (one of whom is Nick Bottom, a weaver whose head is transformed into that of a donkey), and a group of young Athenians. Hermia, who is supposed to marry Demetrius, loves Lysander; Lysander loves Hermia; and Demetrius loves Hermia at first, but ends up falling in love with Helena, who has the hots for him. Oberon, the fairy king, orders his servant Puck anoint Demetrius' eyes with a love potion that will make him fall in love with the first person he sees, and chaos ensues after Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius. Peaseblossom, Mustardseed, Moth and Cobweb are all servants of the fairy queen Titania, another victim of the love juice, who falls in love with Bottom.

Random mustard factoid: the first people to use mustard as a condiment in Europe were the Romans, who mixed grape juice with ground mustard seeds imported from India. In fact, mustard gets its name from the Latin 'mustum ardens', which means 'burning must' ('must' is a type of grape juice made in the early stages of winemaking).

Answer: Leslie Grantham

The show was similar to the game in that each week a murder occurred, and a celebrity guest had to find out who did it, where they committed the crime and what weapon they used. Other actors who appeared in various series of the show were Tom Baker (Professor Plum), Jerry Hall (Miss Scarlet) and Stephanie Beacham (Miss Peacock). There were four series altogether. Grantham's casting caused some controversy at the time, as he had a real-life conviction for the murder of a taxi driver in 1966.

Random mustard factoid: there is a National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, which celebrates National Mustard Sunday on the first Sunday in August. Fans of mustard can sample all different kinds of mustard, and there's free hot dogs too.

Answer: Abbey Road

'Mean Mr Mustard' is part of a medley which starts with 'You Never Give Me Your Money' and finishes with 'The End'. John Lennon wrote the song after reading a newspaper article about a miser who hid his money. 'Polythene Pam' is about the character's sister (see the lyric 'his sister Pam works in a shop'). In the film 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', Mean Mr Mustard was a villain played by Frankie Howerd.

Random mustard factoid: Pope John XXII was a huge fan of mustard, so much so that he created the position of 'grand moutardier du pape' for Mounsier Jaubertie, the manufacturer of his favourite purple mustard.

Answer: The First World War

Mustard gas is so called because of its yellowy-brown colour (unless it is pure) and its mustard-like smell, although its smell has also been compared to garlic and horseradish. It causes severe burns and blistering, temporary blindness if it gets the eyes, lung damage and internal bleeding, and also increases the risk of cancer. It was first used as a weapon of war by the German Army at Ypres, hence the nickname 'Yperite', and was also used by the Allies after British and French soldiers discovered a stockpile of mustard gas bombs. Although gas masks could protect soldiers from inhaling the gas, there was no way of preventing the gas getting through their clothes and burning their skin.

Random factoid: mustard has been used as a traditional medicine as well as a condiment. It can be mixed with hot water for a foot bath, and is thought to aid muscle and joint pain. It has also been used as a laxative.

Answer: United Kingdom

Or, to give it its full name, the Multi-Unit And Space Transport Recovery Device. The British Aircraft Corporation came up with the concept in around 1964-1965. It was basically a reusable space shuttle composed of three lifting bodies, two of which would act as boosters to launch the third body into space. These two bodies would then return to Earth, as would the third after releasing its payload. However, the project did not receive enough support to become viable.

Random mustard factoid: if you're making your own mustard, use cold water as hot water will make the mustard lose its bite. If you want a milder mustard, use warm water.

Answer: White mustard

The white mustard plant has yellow flowers, and produces hard seeds that can be toasted whole, pickled or ground up to make a certain yellow condiment. Black mustard seeds are used in Indian cooking, as is the oil they produce. Indian or Chinese mustard has edible leaves (mustard greens), which are used as ingredients in many types of cuisine, from soul food to Japanese.

Random mustard factoid: the basic ingredients of mustard are crushed seeds (though granary mustard contains whole seeds), water, an acid substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and flavourings. To get a sweeter type of mustard, for instance, you can add honey or sugar, or even fruit - there's an Italian dessert called 'mostarda', made of candied fruit and sweet mustard syrup.

Answer: Norwich

Colman's Mustard has been going since 1814 and is owned by Unilever. It was founded by a miller called Jeremiah Colman, who mixed brown and white mustard in order to give his homemade mustard a tangy flavour. From 1997 to 2001 they sponsored the local team, Norwich City, who wear a yellow kit themselves, although it's more canary yellow than mustard. The Mustard Shop is based in Norwich's Royal Arcade, is made up to look like a Victorian shop, and features Colman's memorabilia and adverts through the ages.

Random mustard factoid: there is a type of mustard called spirited mustard, so called because it contains spirits such as Jack Daniels, brandy or cognac.

Answer: The Kingdom of Heaven

In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed (thought to be black mustard), which may be small when it is planted into a field, but which grows into a large plant with branches big enough for birds to perch upon. Variations of this parable also appear in Mark 4:30-32 and Luke 13:18-19.

Random: Friar Junípero Serra, a Franciscan missionary from Spain, must have taken this parable to heart. He is said to have scattered black mustard seeds on his travels around California in 1768. When the seeds grew into plants, the yellow blooms provided a trail for him to follow back to Mexico.

Answer: University of North Dakota

Chad Mustard later became a high school maths teacher, but until 2008 he was a tight end/offensive tackle. As well as Omaha Beef, he also played for the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos. He's not the only sportsman called Mustard either - there's an English cricketer called Phil Mustard, as well as an English footballer called Jack Mustard.

Random mustard factoid: American mustard (the kind you squirt on a hot dog) gets its bright yellow colour from turmeric.

Answer: Est-ce que vous pourriez me passer la moutarde, s'il vous plaît?

As for the other phrases:

'Pourquoi est la moutarde sur la table?' = Why is the mustard on the table?

'Qui a mangé tout la moutarde?' = Who ate all the mustard?

'Quand faut-il étaler la moutarde sur mon pain?' = When should I spread the mustard on my bread?

You probably won't need to use these phrases, but you never know when they might come in handy.

Random (French) mustard factoid: Dijon is a French city famous for its trademark mustard, though not all Dijon mustard comes from there - Grey Poupon is a Dijon mustard made in the US, for instance. Dijon mustard traditionally uses verjuice, the juice of unripe grapes, though white wine can be used as a substitute.