Culinary Misnomers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Welsh Rabbit

The earliest record of this dish was in 1725, when it was known as Welsh Rabbit, despite the fact that the recipe doesn't call for any meat whatsoever. The potential for confusion may explain why the name transformed into Welsh Rarebit around 1785, but that still didn't educate people on what they were eating. Variations abound, but this savory treat generally calls for cheddar cheese to be mixed with mustard, cayenne pepper, beer (or ale) and Worcestershire sauce, and melted over toast. So why was it called "Rabbit" in the first place?

The true origins of the name Welsh Rabbit are unknown, but it may have reflected the relative affluence of the denizens of the Kingdom of Great Britain at the time. In those days, only the well to do could afford to eat beef or mutton on a regular basis. Even amongst the have-nots, the Welsh were generally worse off than their English counterparts, so while the poor in England had to make do with poultry or rabbit when they could get it, in Wales the poor-man's meat was cheese. The name was accordingly a joke at the expense of the Welsh, implying that they were so poor that they ate cheese and pretended it was rabbit. As there is no evidence that this dish originated from Wales, another possible explanation of the name is that it exemplified the tendency at the time for the English to describe items of inferior quality as provincial versions of the genuine article. Similarly, the Scotch Woodcock isn't made from a game bird, but is actually scrambled eggs and anchovy meat or paste on toast.

Answer: eggs or cream

Although the original ingredients of this classic fountain drink are shrouded in mystery, the modern recipe for an Egg Cream calls for neither eggs nor cream - all you need is milk, chocolate syrup (some swear by Fox's U-Bet Chocolate Syrup) and seltzer or soda water.

There are several different accounts of the origins of this tasty beverage, but the consensus seems to be that it was created in New York sometime around the turn of the 20th century. One story provides that the Egg Cream was invented with these ingredients in Brooklyn in 1890 by Jewish candy store owner Louis Auster, and that the name of the drink stemmed from a corruption of the Yiddish word "echt" (meaning "real" or "pure"), which would explain why a drink that didn't contain any egg came to be called an Egg Cream. Harvard Professor Daniel Bell attributed the invention of the drink to his Uncle Hymie, who first made the drink in his candy store in the Lower East Side in the 1920s. According to Professor Bell, the drink was called an Egg Cream because it was originally made with egg and chocolate ice cream, but the Great Depression intervened, and copycats discovered that they could duplicate the taste of the drink without these more expensive ingredients.

Answer: French Fries

A classic version of clam chowder did originate in New England; goulash did come from Hungary; and Peking Duck really did come from Beijing. However, it is arguable that French Fries did not originate in France, and were most likely first made in Belgium. Jo Gerard, a Belgian historian, discovered that the residents of the poorer French-speaking regions of Namur, Huy and Dinant in Belgium were known for frying up tiny little fish found in the Meuse River to supplement their diet.

When the watercourses froze during the winter, and their access to the fish dwindled, they cut up potatoes into slivers of the same size and shape of the small fish, and fried those instead.

A possible explanation for the name "French Fries" is that they were named for the process of cutting vegetables into long, thin strips (julienning), a method of food preparation that originated in France.

Answer: Neither of these

For over a century, Grape-Nuts were made from wheat and barley that had been baked into a loaf of bread and broken into crunchy little pieces - neither grapes nor nuts were ever used to make it. Why then, was this cereal called Grape-Nuts? One theory is that the name was inspired by the nutty taste of the cereal, and Post's belief that "grape-sugar" or glucose was formed during the baking process.

Another account attributes the name to the cereal's resemblance to grape seeds. Whatever the origins of the name, generations of consumers have grown up eating this nutritious cereal, which was marketed as a natural breakfast food that was beneficial for your health and well being. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reportedly brought the cereal with them on their trip to the top of Mt. Everest in 1953. Let's hope that they didn't eat their Grape-Nuts cold - most people seem to agree that they're best eaten warm!

Answer: Detroit, Michigan

One would expect a drink called a Boston Cooler to be named for the city in which it originated, but it is apparently unheard of in the Bostons of Massachusetts, Canada or the United Kingdom. Not to be confused with the cocktail of the same name, a Boston Cooler is made from ginger ale and a generous portion of vanilla ice cream, usually blended to the consistency of a milkshake.

The drink was invented in Detroit, Michigan, the same city where Fred Sanders created the very first ice cream soda in his soda parlor in 1876.

It was apparently named for Detroit's Boston-Edison district, an upper class part of town that was near where pharmacist James Vernor sold his own invention, Vernor's Ginger Ale, which is said to be an essential ingredient in making an authentic Boston Cooler.

Despite being one of America's oldest soft drinks, the Boston Cooler is not very well known outside of Detroit. In the Midwestern United States, a Boston Cooler is an ice cream float made from vanilla ice cream and root beer.

Answer: North America

A London Broil is a North American beef dish which was popularized by eating establishments in New York City in the 1920s, although it may have originated in Philadelphia. It is eaten today throughout the United States and Canada, although the method of preparation varies slightly in each country.

The dish is apparently unknown in London, England. As to how it earned its name, some have speculated that an enterprising restaurant or club in New York added "London" to the name of the dish to lend it an air of sophistication, and possibly charge more for it. Whatever the origin, the name stuck, and by the 1940s the dish had become a favorite amongst barbecue enthusiasts all over America.

The popularity of the dish after World War II caused the prices of flank steak (which was traditionally used to prepare the dish) to soar when demand exceeded supply.

This in turn led butchers to label the cheaper but more plentiful round steak as "London Broil", resulting in a debate to this day over the proper cut of beef used to make a traditional London Broil, and creating confusion over whether the term more accurately referred to a cut of meat or a method of preparation.

The consensus seems to be that the latter is correct.

Answer: There's usually no tea in it.

A Long Island Iced Tea is a highball made by combining vodka, gin, rum, triple sec and/or tequila with mixers, usually sour mix and a splash of cola or lemon juice. Although some bartenders do include actual iced tea when mixing this drink, the original formulations for this cocktail do not call for tea of any kind, and tea is not listed amongst the ingredients specified by the International Bartenders Association for this drink.

There are competing claims as to how it was first invented. Most sources credit the invention of the drink to Robert Butt, who worked as a bartender in the late 1970s at the Oak Beach Inn located in Long Island, New York.

As the story goes, he mixed together the ingredients one day and was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the drink he created, and the Long Island Iced Tea was born.

The drink was named for the location where it was first made, and for its appearance to regular iced tea. A lesser known story places the invention of the drink in the 1920s during prohibition in a community called Long Island in Kingsport, Tennessee.

In those days, it was advantageous for an alcoholic drink to take on an innocent name and appearance, which would have made the Long Island Iced Tea ideal as a cover for tipplers throughout the United States.

Answer: Bombay Fish

Described as something of an acquired taste, the Bombay Duck is actually a fish found in the waters of South East Asia and Western India. When acquired fresh, the fish can be dipped in batter and deep-fried, but it is perhaps better known when it is preserved in brine and sun-dried before being fried and eaten as an accompaniment to curry. The origins of its unusual name have been obscured by the passage of time, but one of the more common stories is that during the British Raj, the pungent smell of the fish drying in the sun reminded the British colonials of the smell of the Bombay Mail train. The fish accordingly acquired the moniker Bombay Dak, "dak" being the Hindi word for "mail". Over time, the name transformed into Bombay Duck.

The practice of naming a fish for a fowl was not confined to the Indian subcontinent. In New England, dried salt cod was known as Cape Cod Turkey; red herring was known in different places as a Billingsgate Pheasant or a Norfolk Capon; and Alaska Turkey was really salmon in disguise. The phenomenon was not confined to fish in bird's clothing either - in the Hudson River Valley, the Atlantic sturgeon was known as Albany Beef, and in New Zealand, Colonial Goose was the name for leg of lamb or mutton which had been stuffed and roasted. Now, hasn't this question put you in the mood for a nice fish / bird / steak / all of the above?

Answer: sweetbread

Sweetbreads are the thymus gland and pancreas from young calves, pigs or lambs. They are often eaten breaded and fried, or used in stuffing or to make pâté. The name probably stemmed from the typically sweet or rich taste of organ meats and the Old English word for "flesh". Sweetbreads are quite different from sweetmeats, which is the archaic term for candy or sweets. Sweetmeats are typically small pieces of fruit or nuts that were preserved in sugar or honey, but can also refer to taffy, toffee, marzipan and other similar confectionery.

Mincemeat and minced meat are sometimes used interchangeably, but the former term usually refers to chopped dried fruit that has been mixed with spices and spirits, while the latter term refers to meat that has been minced or ground up. Mincemeat originally contained meat or beef suet, although most modern versions are suitable for consumption by vegetarians. It is used to make mince pies and tarts, which are commonly eaten during the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays. It's probably best not to confuse mincemeat with either sweetmeat or sweetbread, or you might end up with a very strange pie.

Answer: Once

You would think that with a name like that, Refried Beans are made from beans that have been fried more than once, but every method of preparing this Tex-Mex staple calls for it to be fried only once. Some people explain the name by pointing out that the beans are cooked twice - they are first boiled in water until soft and are subsequently fried in lard - but that's not a very satisfactory explanation, since most people would understand the term "refry" to mean "to fry again".

A much better explanation for the inaccurate name is that it is a mistranslation of the Spanish term for the dish.

In Mexican Spanish, the prefix "re" is often added to words to emphasize its meaning. Thus, "requemar" refers to something that is "very hot" and "retebien" indicates that something is "very good".

The Spanish name for Refried Beans is Frijoles Refritos, where "refritos" means "very fried" or "well fried". Indeed, the beans are usually fried to the point where they almost dry out and start to pull away from the edges of the skillet.

It is likely that in translating the name of the dish for English speaking palates, someone assumed that "re" meant the same thing in Spanish as it did in English, and Refried Beans were born. Looks like the translator was very mistaken - or should that be remistaken?