C Is for Cookie Trivia Quiz

Answer: dulce de leche

Like many food-related Spanish words, "alfajores" (plural of "alfajor") is a word of Arabic origin, often interpreted as meaning "luxurious" or "excellent". Spanish-style alfajores, however, are quite different from their Latin American counterpart, as they are shaped like small logs, and made with ground almonds or other nuts, honey and spices. Found mostly in Andalusia, they are often sold at Christmastime.

The alfajores now enjoyed in South America, probably brought to the New World in the 17th century by missionaries, are a delicious variation on the popular sandwich cookie: two cookie rounds joined with a layer of "dulce de leche" (a confection made by heating sweetened condensed milk until it becomes brown), and dusted with abundant powdered sugar. Some commercial varieties of this cookie involve three cookie layers and a coating of dark or white chocolate. In Argentina, the biggest producer of these cookies, alfajores are as popular as Oreos are in the US.

Answer: bitter almond

"Amaretti" comes from the Italian word "amaro", meaning "bitter", which refers to the bitter almonds that give these traditional cookies from Northern Italy their distinctive flavour. Amaretti come in two different kinds: crisp and brittle (Amaretti di Saronno, from a town north of Milan), and chewy, marzipan-like (Amaretti di Sassello, from Liguria). Both kinds are round and domed; they are made with egg whites, sugar and sweet and bitter almonds. Traditionally, Amaretti di Saronno (which are believed to have been created in 1718) were made with apricot or peach kernels ("armelline"), which are naturally bitter-tasting.

Besides being enjoyed on their own, amaretti are often used for cooking, even in savoury dishes - such as the filling for pumpkin ravioli (ravioli di zucca), a speciality of the city of Mantua in southern Lombardy. Amaretto liqueur, also flavoured with bitter almonds, is probably even older than the cookies: according to a legend, it was created in the 16th century.

Answer: Eid-al-Fitr

Ma'amoul's origins may go back to Ancient Egypt; their modern Egyptian counterpart is called "kahk". The dough, flavoured with rose water and orange flower water, is traditionally made with coarse semolina, which gives the cookies their characteristic crumbly texture. Ma'amoul can be shaped by hand or in decorated, round wooden moulds; the most common fillings are dates, pistachios or walnuts, though almonds or figs are also occasionally used.

Throughout the Arab world, these substantial cookies are associated with religious festivals, especially Eid-al-Fitr, one of the two most important Islamic holidays (the other is Eid-al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice). During this holiday, which celebrates the end of the month of Ramadan and can last up to three days, sweet dishes are consumed, and served to guests who come visiting. In Middle Eastern Christian households, ma'amoul are baked for Easter, and in Jewish households for Purim, Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah (definitely not Yom Kippur, which is a day of fasting and penitence).

Answer: Iraq

Kleicha are Iraq's national cookies, enjoyed by people regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation; they are also popular in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Like ma'amoul, they are traditionally baked for festivals such as both Eids, Christmas, Easter and Purim. They come into a variety of shapes: the ones filled with date paste ("kleichat tamur") tend to be rolled up like pinwheels, while the ones with walnut and sugar filling are round or crescent-shaped. Kleicha are sometimes made using the same wooden moulds as ma'amoul: the dough, however, is rather different, being made with flour rather than semolina, and flavoured with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon or coriander.

The name "kleicha" may be related to "kolach", which is a traditional Eastern European pastry. According to some sources, these cookies may have their roots in ancient Mesopotamia and a pastry named "qullupu", baked in honour of the goddess Ishtar.

Answer: a character in the Bible

The Yiddish name "hamantashen" (also spelled "hamantaschen") given to these delectable cookies means "Haman pockets"; it refers to the villain who tried to have all Jews killed in the Book of Esther, whose events are commemorated by the Jewish holiday of Purim. Hamantashen are traditionally eaten on this holiday, which generally falls in February or March. They are thought to have originated in the late 18th century: the earliest versions were filled with poppy seeds or lekvar (prune jam), though in recent times other kinds of jam have also become common. The dough, generally a sweet shortcrust pastry, is rolled out in circles whose sides are then folded to form a triangular pocket.

In Israel, these cookies are called "oznei Haman" (Haman's ears), and are often filled with poppy seeds or date paste - though gourmet versions with chocolate and other fancy fillings have become increasingly popular.

Answer: Greece

Easter is the most important holiday in Eastern Orthodox countries, and many traditional dishes - both savoury and sweet - are associated with it. Koulourakia (diminutive form of "koulouria", a sesame-coated, ring-shaped sweet bread of ancient origin), are simple but delectable cookies made with a butter and egg dough, often flavoured with lemon or orange, which is shaped into twists, coils or braids, then brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds before baking. The traditional recipe for these cookies calls for baking ammonia as a rising agent. Koulourakia are often baked on Holy Saturday to be eaten for breakfast on Easter morning.

Other delectable Greek cookies, baked for festive occasions or just as an accompaniment for coffee, are kourabiedes (almond shortbread) and melomakarona (walnut cookies soaked in honey).

Answer: madeleines

Strictly speaking, madeleines are small sponge cakes rather than true cookies. A classic of French cuisine, they originated in the town of Commercy in the north-eastern region of Lorraine. As is the case of other iconic dishes, there are many different theories about their name and origin, one of which involves a pastry cook named Madeleine Paulmier. In any case, the first mentions of these dainty cakes, traditionally baked in shell-shaped moulds, date from the mid-18th century, though their commercial success began during the Napoleonic era. Madeleines are made with a génoise cake batter (which contains melted butter, but no raising agent except air from beaten eggs) enriched with finely ground almonds.

Literature buffs may be familiar with the famous episode in the first volume of Marcel Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" (also known as "Remembrance of Things Past"), when the narrator's involuntary memory is triggered by the taste of a madeleine dunked in a cup of tea.

Mooncakes are Chinese cakes filled with a bean or seed paste, while malasadas are Portuguese doughnuts, and miguelitos are Spanish pastries made of puff pastry with a cream filling.

Answer: chickpea

Most Indian desserts are either deep-fried or milk-based, and oven-baked cookies are uncommon, especially in the southern part of the subcontinent. However, nankhatai are widely enjoyed in Northern India and Pakistan, whose regional cuisines are influenced by those of Iran and Afghanistan. Nankhatai are said to have been created in the 16th century by an Iranian man who had taken over a bakery from a Dutch couple in the city of Surat (Gujarat). These cookies, generally made without eggs and using ghee (clarified butter) as the fat of choice, are often baked in the traditional clay oven called tandoor; they can be flavoured with cardamom, saffron, rosewater or kewra (screwpine) water. Some recipes call for semolina as well as wheat flour, but besan (chickpea) flour is a more common addition. Besan flour (also known as gram) is widely used in the cuisines of India and its neighbouring countries; it is excellent for gluten-free baking.

In northern India, including the Delhi metropolitan area, nankhatai are sold in the streets by vendors on pushcarts ("nankhatai-walla"). At home, they are often baked for Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.

Answer: pineapple

Bite-sized pineapple tarts are very popular sweet treats in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, where they are associated with holidays such as Chinese New Year, Eid and Easter. Like ma'amoul (Q.3), they are filled cookies with a domed shape; however, the filling is a spiced, homemade pineapple jam, and the cookies are often given the shape of small pineapples. These delectable pastries are believed by some to be of Portuguese origin, as the Portuguese introduced pineapple to Asia (in particular the Malay Peninsula) in the 16th century. In another variant of nastar, the pineapple jam tops a cookie round.

Nastar are an example of East-West fusion cooking, with their European-style, buttery pastry shell and the pineapple filling flavoured with spices such as cinnamon and cloves, native to the region. Pineapple is one of the seven lucky fruits associated with the Chinese New Year, and a symbol of wealth and prosperity because of its golden-yellow colour.

Answer: Macau

The almond cookies that are widely enjoyed in the city of Macau, on the south coast of China, are rather different from those found in Chinese restaurants and bakeries worldwide, which are basically European-style almond cookies. A classic Chinese New Year treat, probably created in the 1920s, these cookies are very pretty to look as as well as delicious to eat, as they are baked in elaborately-decorated moulds like the ones used for mooncakes. Made with mung bean flour, they are naturally gluten-free, with a delicate, crumbly texture; they also have a very distinctive almond flavour, since Chinese almonds are said to have a much more assertive taste than Western ones. Lard is the fat traditionally used, though modern recipes substitute vegetable shortening, coconut oil or even peanut butter. Almond cookies are a popular street food in Macau, and the best place to find them is the area around the spectacular Ruins of St Paul's.

Hong Kong and Macau are located across of each other on the Pearl River Delta; they are both Special Administrative Regions of China. Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) lies to the north of both, while Shanghai is located much farther north, on China's central coast. One of the world's most densely populated cities, Macau was under Portuguese rule until 1999, and its cuisine has been deeply influenced by Portuguese cuisine.