Famous Meals from History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sheep's loin, goat, chine of a fat hog and bread

Chine of a wild hog may sound exotic to modern ears, but it just means a cut of meat including at least part of the animal's backbone. Homer records this meal in Book IX of the Iliad. The meat was roasted on spits over a fire, salted, and then shared amongst the group of men. Achilles and Odysseus sat together to eat this meal. At this time soldiers' diets were based on what was available in the areas of their battles rather than what they carried with them, and consequently they often ate a lot of meat because it could be procured fairly easily by hunting.

A translation of the Iliad is available at Project Gutenberg.

Answer: Spam

The 'Rites of the Zhou Dynasty' decreed that there should be twelve deep bowls with legs and twelve plates on the emperor's table, and that the meal should be accompanied by music crafted to urge the emperor to eat. This was a custom continued from the previous Shang Dynasty, and the meals were prepared by a kitchen staff of over 2,000 people. In the later Zhou Dynasty a more intricate and hierarchical set of dining rules was established and the emperor's table was set with twenty-six bowls. Meats were considered delicacies and included beef, mutton, pork, deer, fish, cured meat, intestine, stomach, horse, dog, chicken, pheasant, rabbit and quail.

Information about these rituals of eating and the food consumed can be found at:
http://china.org.cn/english/culture/58121.htm and http://www.china.org.cn/english/imperial/25995.htm

Answer: Human flesh

Although Roman feasts featured decadent displays of a variety of meats, these meals are not known to have included human flesh. An incredible array of animals did end up as dishes on Roman dining tables, including: mammals of all sizes (deer, wild boar, suckling pig, sheep, lamb, goat, kid, hare and dormice); birds big and small (pheasant, goose, capon, thrush, starling woodcock); and seafood of all kinds (lobster, crab, urchin, scallops, clams, mussels, sea snails, eel, red mullet, tuna, sea bream, sea bass, and scorpion fish).

Much of the information about Roman meals comes to us from archeologists. The article which provided the information in this question was: Deborah Ruscillio, 'When Gluttony Ruled!' in "Archeology", Vol. 54, No. 6, 2001. An abstract is available at
http://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.html

Answer: Enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool

A great deal of attention was paid to the presentation of these feasts. For example, the roast peacock was served with its beak gilded in gold leaf and featured its impressive feathers which were removed before roasting and replaced before serving. One wonders how much the diners noticed this since incredible amounts of alcohol were also consumed. Historians estimate that 600,000 gallons of ale and 75,000 gallons of wine were consumed at the court each year. In case you're trying to visualize how much ale that really is, the volume of an Olympic-sized swimming pool depends on its depth, but the minimum acceptable depth of 2m gives a volume of 550,000 imperial gallons, or 660,000 US gallons. There were significant numbers of people partaking of this drink, but it was still a remarkable amount per person by contemporary standards.

The information for this question was based on the material on these websites:
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/12-items-at-a-feast-of-henry-viii.htm
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/12-items-at-a-feast-of-henry-viii1.htm
Check them out to read even more about the incredible edibles that made it to the king's table.

Answer: 17

This dish is called 'Roti Sans Pareil' (which translates as 'roast without equal'). The birds called for, in order, are: bustard, turkey, goose, pheasant, chicken, duck, guinea fowl, teal, woodcock, partridge, plover, lapwing, quail, thrush, lark, Ortolan Bunting, and Garden Warbler. A single olive stuffed with anchovy paste should be placed inside the smallest bird. Other astounding dishes suggested for lovers include pie of bull's testicles, scrambled eggs and kidney, hysterical water (with dried millipedes), lamb's ears with sorrel, marrow of leopard, carnation marmalade, stuffed pig's head, skink, sparrows' brains, suckling pig with eels, and vulvae steriles (sow's womb).

See Norman Douglas (ed), "Venus in the Kitchen: Or Love's Cookery Book". It was first published in 1952 but has subsequently been re-released by both Bloomsbury and St Martin's Press.

Answer: Titanic

The private menu of the first-class dining saloon of the R.M.S. Titanic on that night featured the following courses: (1st) Hors D'Oeuvres, Oysters; (2nd) Consomme Olga, Cream of Barley; (3rd) Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce, Cucumbers; (4th) Filet Mignons Lili, Saute of Chicken Lyonnaise, Vegetable Marrow Farci; (5th) Lamb with Mint Sauce Roast Duckling, Apple Sauce, Sirloin of Beef with Chateau Potatoes, Green Peas, Creamed Carrots, Boiled Rice Parmentier and Boiled New Potatoes; (6th) Punch Romaine; (7th) Roast Squab and Cress; (8th) Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette; (9th) Pate de Foie Gras; (10th) Waldorf Pudding, Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly, Chocolate and Vanilla Eclairs, French Ice Cream - followed by fresh fruits, cheeses, coffee and cigars.

There is only one known surviving menu from the first class banquet described here. It has been reproduced in a number of places including several websites.

The Lusitania was sunk in 1915. The Hindenburg disaster was in 1937. The infamous Concorde crash occurred in 2000.

Answer: Oscar

The first Academy Awards were presented in 1929, though they considered films from both 1927 and 1928. Some of the big winners were: 'Wings' (Outstanding Picture), Emil Jannings (Best Actor - for performances in two different films) and Janet Gaynor (Best Actress - for her roles in three separate movies).

Summary information about the first Academy Awards can be found at:
http://history1900s.about.com/od/fadsfashion/a/1928awards.htm
The menu for this event was provided by
http://www.collectiblemeals.com/library/1929AcademyAwards.php

The Tony Awards date from 1947, the Emmy Awards from 1949, and the Grammy Awards from 1958.

Answer: Bessie 'Wallis' Simpson

The king in question was King Edward VIII. He had fallen in love with the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson and decided that he would abdicate in order to avoid the constitutional crisis that would eventuate should he try to force the government to allow him to marry Wallis while still king. On 16 November, 1936, Edward went to dinner with his mother, his sister Mary, and his sister-in-law Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. His mother vociferously objected to Edward's decision, but despite the tension at the table, those present enjoyed a sumptuous feast. The full menu was: Clear turtle soup, lobster mousse with light piquant sauce, roast pheasant, potatoes souffle, mixed green salad, frozen fresh pineapple and toasted cheese savory, accompanied by Bordeaux wine and followed by coffee and liqueurs.

Menu provided by
http://www.collectiblemeals.com/library/Windsor.php

For information about other aspects of the event see:
Ed Wright, "History's Greatest Scandals: Shocking Stories of Powerful People", published by Pier 9, 2006.

Answer: Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill

Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill were, respectively, the leaders of the Soviet Union and Britain during World War II. In October of 1944 they met in Moscow and discussed policies relating to Poland, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. One of the meals they shared was the menu listed in this question. The incorrect answers were all national leaders during the WWII period (Adolf Hitler: Germany, Franklin Delano Roosevelt: USA, Charles de Gaulle: France, Emperor Hirohito: Japan, Benito Mussolini: Italy, Francisco Franco: Spain) but they did not meet with each other in Moscow.

The menu for this meeting can be found at
http://www.collectiblemeals.com/library/Churchill.php

Answer: The Black and White Ball

In 1966 Truman Capote hosted the Black and White Ball which has subsequently often been referred to as 'the party of the century'. Guests lucky enough to secure one of the much-sought-after invitations were instructed to wear black and white, and to wear masks. Some notable guests were Frank Sinatra, Joan Fontaine, Mia Farrow, Norman Mailer, Ann Birstein, Lauren Bacall.

The menu can be found at:
http://www.collectiblemeals.com/library/Capote_Graham.php

The first 'Vogue' magazine was published in 1892, 'Casablanca' premiered in 1942, and the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer took place in 1981.