A Very Mixed Menu Trivia Quiz

Answer: soldiers

A very tempting way to encourage children when getting used to eating independently! Soldiers are just the right size and shape for dipping into a soft-boiled egg. They are called soldiers because they are very straight, like soldiers stand when they are on parade. Also great at any age with Marmite in the UK, or Vegemite in Australia.

Answer: Bolognese sauce

The city of Bologna in northern Italy is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. It was here that the world's first university was founded, in 1088. Bologna is a very interesting city to visit, steeped in history with many interesting sights including monuments and medieval towers.

Bolognese sauce (ragů alla Bolognese in Italian) is the sauce customarily served with pasta that many of us know and love. Neapolitan relates to the city of Naples, Prosciutto di Parma is Parma ham and sardines are named after the lovely island of Sardinia.

Answer: Jerusalem

Despite its name, the Jerusalem artichoke neither comes from Jerusalem nor is it an artichoke! It is in fact a plant of the sunflower family native to North America, and cultivated as a root vegetable. The globe artichoke is, as its appearance suggests, a member of the thistle family, and the unopened flower bud is the part which is eaten. Both the Jerusalem and globe artichokes are members of the Asteraceae family of plants, a large and diverse family which also includes daisies , chrysanthemums and dahlias.

Answer: Birmingham

Birmingham is known as the curry capital of England. The famous Balti Triangle comprises the Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath and Moseley area of Birmingham south of the city centre, and is home to over fifty Balti restaurants, many of which have won some prestigious awards. It is said that Balti curry originated in Birmingham in the 1970s.

Answer: Valencia

Paella originated in the ancient Spanish port city of Valencia. True 'Valencian' paella comprises rice, various meats, vegetables and mixed beans. Olive oil is generally used, and seasoning, which sometimes includes saffron for its distinctive colour and flavour. Another popular recipe is seafood paella, made in much the same way but exchanging the meats for fish and seafood. A tremendously versatile (and tasty) dish, the only limit to what else goes into paella is your imagination!

Answer: battered and deep fried

Tempura is a Japanese dish which is now popular in many restaurants around the world. Interestingly, it was originally introduced to Japan by 16th century Portuguese missionaries. It is strips of vegetables, fish or seafood coated in a thin, very light batter and then deep fried so it is crisp on the outside. Flour with a low gluten content and sparkling water are often used to keep the ultra-light consistency of the batter. Tempura is often eaten with a dipping sauce as a starter, or alternatively with rice or soba noodles as a main course. Prawns/shrimps and scallops lend themselves well to tempura, as do mushrooms and long strips of courgette or sweet potato.

Answer: The Netherlands

Edam cheese is named after the city of the same name in the province of North Holland. It is one of the most popular cheeses and is high in calcium yet relatively low in fat, making it useful in weight loss diets or where a high calcium intake is desirable. Generally sold in its distinctive red wax coating, it has a fairly mild flavour and goes particularly well with fruit.

A well known crossword puzzle clue is 'which cheese is 'made' in Holland?' where 'Edam' is an anagram of 'made'.

Answer: potato

All the above are varieties of the potato. King Edward potatoes are delicious for their fluffy texture which makes them ideal for roasting. Pink Fir Apple potatoes are pink-skinned potatoes in a knobbly shape similar to a root of ginger, and the delicious Jersey Royal is a potato from the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, normally eaten as a new potato.

The not-so-humble potato comes from the vastly diverse Solanum genus of plants, which also includes the tomato and the aubergine, or eggplant. China is the world's biggest potato producer, followed by India and Russia.

Answer: eat it before your main course, it is a mixed starter

Antipasti (singular antipasto) is a selection of mixed starters of any combination of cold and cured meats, cheese, vegetables, fish and seafood. It varies widely from region to region and local produce is invariably included. Locally-grown olives and artichoke hearts are popular ingredients. Antipasti can either be served at table or selected yourself from a buffet table.

Answer: Tapenade

Tapenade is a savoury paste with the principal taste coming from the finely-chopped or pureed anchovies. As well as olives, capers and olive oil, garlic, lemon and other flavours may also be incorporated according to taste. It is generally eaten with warm crusty bread, or spread on cracker biscuits. Although the name comes from the French language and it is associated with Provencal cuisine, the dish actually originates from Ancient Roman times.

The other three choices are different types of knife cuts used in cooking. Chiffonade is most associated with leafy vegetables such as cabbage leaves, where the leaves are rolled tightly before being sliced, resulting in their being finely shredded. Julienne is used to cut vegetables such as carrots or celery into thin matchstick-shaped strips, and macedoine is the name of a cutting technique for dicing vegetables.