Eggs For Breakfast, Lunch and Tea Quiz

Answer: Shirred eggs

Shirred eggs are baked in a flat bottomed dish. Originally this was always in a pan called a shirrer dish (from which the recipe receives its name) but any eggs that are baked are now referred to as 'shirred' regardless of the utensil in which they are cooked.

The traditional shirred egg is cooked with nothing except a bit of butter but later adaptations have variations where herbs, cheese or breadcrumbs are added on top. The egg is eaten on its own out of the dish in which it was prepared.

Boiled eggs are cooked whole in boiling water for anywhere from 1 to 17 mins depending on whether one wishes to have a soft-boiled (runny yolk) or hardboiled (cooked yolk) egg.

Poached eggs are cooked without their shell in simmering hot water until the albumen is hard but the yolk remains soft.

Coddled eggs are similar in that they are cooked in near boiling water but they can be cooked in or out of the shell and can be nearly raw, as used for Caesar salad dressing, or completely cooked. There is always a possibility of bacterial contamination, particularly salmonella, with coddled eggs as the water temperature is not high enough to sterilise them.

Answer: France

French toast is also known as gypsy toast and variations are common throughout the world. In France the dish is referred to as 'pain perdu' which means 'lost bread' - this refers to its use in getting rid of stale bread. Chefs recommend bread that is at least one day old for French toast as it absorbs more of the egg mixture without crumbling.

French toast is often served on its own as a savoury dish or it can be made into a sweet dish by adding milk, sugar and sweet spices prior to cooking and/or adding sugar, syrup or fruit before serving.

Answer: Eggs Bhurji

Eggs Benedict is a very common breakfast or lunch dish; the basic recipe involves cooking both halves of an English muffin and then adding ham (or bacon), poached eggs and covering with Hollandaise sauce.

There are a multitude of variations with their own names depending on what is added to the muffin. Eggs Hemingway uses salmon instead of the ham, Eggs Provencal uses Bernaise sauce instead of Hollandaise and Eggs Neptune uses crab meat in place of the ham.

Eggs Bhurji is a popular recipe in India and Pakistan (where it is referred to as Egg Khagina). The eggs are scrambled and then added to a mixture of chillies, sautéed onions and spices.

Answer: Croque-madame

The croque-monsieur (Mister Crunch) is served with bechamel sauce and is known to have been on Paris menus since 1910. It is unsure exactly where the name croque-madame (Mrs Crunch) originated but the most common belief is that it refers to the egg resembling a woman's hat.

There are also many dishes referred to as croque-mademoiselles (Miss Crunch) but the others options are all fabrications - fille (daughter), mere (mother) and femme (wife).

Answer: Scotch egg

Fortnum and Masons in London claim to have invented the Scotch egg in 1738 although their first appearance in a cookery book is not until 1809 and they were then served with hot gravy.

Another variation is the Worcester Egg where the egg is pickled in Worcestershire Sauce and then wrapped in sausage and white pudding or the Manchester Egg which uses a pickled egg wrapped in pork and black pudding.

The other options are also all typical picnic fare. Curried egg involves hardboiled eggs mixed with curry powder and is usually eaten on a sandwich.

Pickled eggs are hardboiled, peeled and then boiled again in a mixture of vinegar, salt and sugar.

A Tea Egg is an Asian savoury where the egg is hardboiled, the shell is cracked and it is then boiled again in tea - other spices or sauces may also be added.

Answer: Balut

Baluts are common snack foods throughout Southeast Asia and are often sold in street stalls. The entire egg contents are eaten but different countries eat them in various ways and with different condiments.

The age of the egg before it is cooked is also a local preference. In general Filipinos prefer theirs at 17 days old when the chick has not yet developed its beak, feathers or claws and the bones are underdeveloped while the Vietnamese prefer their eggs more mature so that they are recognisable as a baby duck and have firm bones - this is usually between 19 - 21 days.

Century Eggs are a Chinese delicacy which involves preserving an egg - chicken, duck or quail - in a mixture of ash, salt, lime, rice and clay for several weeks or months.

Bai pong moun is a Cambodian favourite consisting of fried eggs and white rice.

Shakshouka is believed to be a Tunisian recipe involving eggs poached in a sauce prepared of chillies, tomatoes and onions.

Answer: Devilled eggs

Some form of devilled eggs have been found in recipes from ancient Rome and they remain popular throughout Europe and the western world today. The simplest recipe involves the egg yolk being mixed with either mustard or mayonnaise and then piped back into the egg but there are many foods, spices and sauces that can be used.

The name originated in the eighteenth century where the term 'devilled' referred to spicy food. They are also often referred to as Mimosa eggs, stuffed eggs or salad eggs.

Devilled Eggs are served cold and can also be used as an appetiser or side dish at dinner.

Answer: Huevos rancheros

An omelette is a dish made of beaten eggs cooked very quickly in a frying pan; most involve some form of filling of cheese, a meat or a vegetable.

A Tortilla Espanola, also known as a Spanish omelette, is made with fried potatoes and onions.

A Hangtown Fry is an American omelette that had its origins in the California gold rush, it consists of breaded oysters and bacon.

Tamagoyaki is a Japanese omelette that includes bonito, mirin, sugar and water and is cooked in a square frying pan and then rolled up when cooked.

Huevos rancheros (ranchers eggs) is a popular Mexican egg dish which involves fried corn tortillas covered with fried eggs, refried beans, chilli sauce and rice. It is often served with avocado or guacamole.

Answer: Frittata

A frittata is an egg based dish mixed with cheese, meat, vegetables or pasta. It is similar to an omelette but differs in its cooking style; all the ingredients for a frittata are added to the raw eggs before it goes into the frying pan, it is cooked much slower and it is not folded over but served round - it is also served in slices as opposed to an entire omelette.

Cacciatore is a meal made with chicken or rabbit cooked in tomatoes, onions, wines and herbs. A bruschetta is grilled bread with garlic, olive oil and other toppings and risotto is an Italian rice dish.

Answer: Pavlova

A pavlova is made by beating egg whites until they are very stiff and then adding castor sugar and cornflour and putting it in the oven for a very slow bake. The addition of cornflour is what makes the pavlova different from a meringue. The meringue remains solid throughout while the pavlova has a crisp outer shell but a soft, moist centre.

When cold the pavlova is topped with whipped cream and soft fruit - strawberries and kiwifruit are two of the most popular.

The dessert is named after Anna Pavlova (1881 - 1931), principal dancer of the Imperial Russian Ballet and Ballets Russes.