20,000 Legumes Under the Seasonings Quiz

Answer: Butter beans

There are two basic varieties of lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus), the larger of which is almost always referred to as such. The smaller ones, commonly the variety grown at lower altitudes, are also called butter beans. Lima beans can be eaten as a single vegetable, but are more commonly combined with other vegetables, such as with corn in making succotash. Lima beans. like most legumes, should not be eaten raw, but have many health benefits when properly cooked.

These include both soluble and insoluble fibre, and minerals such as molybdenum, copper and manganese.

Answer: Meat

Chili con carne is a stew containing chili peppers, meat (usually, but not necessarily, beef that is either shredded or minced) and tomatoes. It often contains beans of some kind, but they are an optional inclusion. Onions, garlic and cumin are usually added to the mixture. Chili sin carne is, as the name says, chili without meat.

It is usually made with a few different varieties of beans, such as kidney beans and black beans. Some cooks replace the meat with TVP or tofu, and may add more vegetables, such as potatoes, corn or mushrooms.

Answer: Chickpeas

Did you know that the famous Latin orator Marcus Tullius Cicero got his family name form the fact that they gained their wealth from farming chickpeas (Latin 'cicer')? Chickpeas have been cultivated around the Mediterranean for over 7000 years, and they feature prominently in many of their cuisines.

In Spain, they are used for a number of different types of salad, as well as in the stew called Cocido madrileño (stew from Madrid), made with chickpeas, root vegetables and various kinds of meat (including chicken, sausage, and at least one piece of pork or beef with the bone in).

It is traditionally served in three stages: first the stock is drained off, and served as soup, after having noodles boiled in it; second serving is the vegetables, including the chickpeas; finally the meats crown the production.

Answer: Toulouse, France

Toulouse is one of the cities in the south of France which claim to be the site of the origin of this dish. Their version uses white beans, duck or goose confit (a method of preservation based on slowly cooking the salted meat in fat at a low temperature), sausages, pork and mutton.

In Carcassone, there is more mutton, and partridge confit replaces the duck; in Castelnaudary there is no mutton, but extra duck confit. In any case, the ingredients are always cooked in a heavy earthenware pot (a 'cassole'), from which the dish gets its name.

The slow cooking process helps to reduce the tendency of the beans to produce intestinal gas in those who consume them.

Answer: chili

Hummus is a transliteration from the Arabic word for chickpeas, and the dish has a number of different spellings in English. The sesame is often added in the form of tahini, a paste made from ground sesame seeds. As well as being flavored with sesame, lemon and garlic, hummus usually has olive oil added for both flavor and consistency, and some also add salt. When served as a dip, hummus is usually eaten by scooping it up with bread. It is also often included as an accompaniment to the main dish in a meal, its flavor complementing that of chicken and fish beautifully. In Israel, hummus is a frequent meal accompaniment because its ingredients mean it can be served with either dairy or meat.

Your hummus can be displayed elegantly by adding garnishes. Traditional garnishes include parsley or coriander leaves, chopped tomato, sliced cucumber, hard-boiled eggs, olives and/or olive oil, sumac, and pine nuts. But there is no need to restrict yourself!

Answer: Inside a piece of pita bread

Falafel are so often eaten as either the filling of a pita bread or wrapped in a larger flatbread that the term is sometimes used to refer to the whole sandwich, not just the chickpea balls that are their central ingredient. Falafel is commonly served with tahini (sesame seed paste) or hummus (chickpea spread flavored with tahini and lemon) and tabbouleh (salad made from parsley, mint, tomato, onion and bulgur (cracked wheat), with a dressing of lemon juice and olive oil).

When you are making your falafel, do not cook the chickpeas, or they will fall apart.

Instead, just soak them thoroughly overnight to soften them before grinding them up with your other ingredients - parsley, scallions, garlic, cumin seed and coriander (leaves and/or ground seeds) are common, but there are many variations! The mixture is formed into balls (or patties, if you prefer) before being either fried (the traditional preparation) or baked for a lower-fat product.

Answer: Pappadum

The other choices are all breads made with wheat flour. Pappadums have different names in various regions, including papad or papor in Bangladesh, northern India and Pakistan; appadam for speakers of Telugu; appalam in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka; and happala in Karnataka.

While pappadums are most commonly made from urad flour, they can also be made from rice flour, lentil flour, chickpea flour, or potato flour. The flour is mixed with salt and peanut oil to make the basic dough, to which the cook's chosen seasoning can be added - black pepper, cumin, garlic, sesame seed and chili are popular.

The dough is rolled into thin rounds, then dried. (This is their state when you buy them from a supermarket.) To cook the dried pappadum, you can deep fry it or grill it over/under a naked flame.

In either case, you will see it swell and buckle as it cooks to a crispy delight. While pappadums can be served as an accompaniment to curries, they are also often served, especially in Western restaurants, as a starter course, with dips such as mango chutney or lime pickle.

Answer: Dahl

Alternative spellings for the dish include dal, daal and dhal; the word refers both to the stew/soup and to the pulses from which it is made. However you spell it, it is delicious, and simple to prepare. If you use red lentils, you don't need to presoak, but most other legumes will cook better if soaked overnight before using them in dried form. Standard preparation involves boiling the pulses in water to which salt and other chosen seasoning agents (such as turmeric, chili, ginger, garlic) have been added.

Some recipes add tomatoes or tamarind (especially in southern India). Thickness of the final stew/soup is a matter of personal taste, ranging from almost broth-like to a consistency resembling porridge. The basic dahl is often served with a fried garnish called chaunk, whose flavorful ingredients vary regionally.

It is prepared by frying the chosen spices (such as cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, dried chili) very briefly in hot oil before adding the aromiatic mixture of onion, garlic and ginger.

When the onion is golden brown, the final ground spices are added. These may include turmeric, coriander seed, chili powder, or the mixture called garam masala. The chaunk is served on top of the bowl of dahl, and makes it into quite a feast!

Answer: Adelaide, Australia

The pie floater is South Australian cuisine, although it has spread to other parts of the country. They are most often purchased as street food, from the pie carts that have roamed the streets of Adelaide since the 19th century. A meat pie is floated on, or submerged in, a bowl of pea soup.

The pie usually has tomato sauce on it, and other flavorings can be added if desired - salt, pepper, vinegar, etc. Debates as to the proper consistency of the soup, and the relative proportions of soup and pie, can extend well into the evening - everyone has their own ideal.

Answer: Anko

Anko, or red bean paste, as it is commonly called, is made in a variety of textures. Sometimes the beans are left virtually whole, or they may be mashed to a completely smooth texture, or left somewhere in between. It is an essential part of the traditional filling of Chinese mooncakes, prepared and eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The image in the question showed a version of a mooncake in which jelly replaces the usual pastry layer. The Japanese dessert anmitsu consists of red bean paste, cubes of agar jelly, and pieces of fruit served in a bowl, with syrup drizzled over the lot.