Foods Beginning with L Trivia Quiz

Answer: lager

Lager beer is both brewed and stored at lower temperatures than are most other kinds of beer. The varieties of lager include Helles, Pilsner, Märzen, Festbier, Bock, Maibock, Doppelbock, Eisbock, Vienna lager, Dunkel, and Schwarzbier. The colour varies from pale to very dark, depending upon the grain(s) used. Roasted grain produces darker beer. Pale lager is the most common and popular. Most lagers use Saccharomyces pastorianus as their yeast because it works well at lower temperatures. Dos Equis Ámbar is a popular lager.

Answer: lamprey

English King Henry I was immoderately fond of lampreys. His death was attributed by his physician to "a surfeit of lampreys" eaten against doctor's advice. The lampreys of which Henry was so keen were a jawless fish with a toothy blood-sucking mouth. As disgusting (and vampiric) as they sound, they are tasty indeed.

The Ancient Romans ate them. The Portuguese use them in a classic dish called arroz de lampreia. Yatsume kabayaki is a Japanese dish in which lampreys are grilled. In Finland, lampreys which are grilled, smoked and pickled in vinegar are called "nahkiainen" in Finnish.

Answer: lentilles du Puy

Lentils (Lens culinaris or Lens esculenta) are a legume grown around the world, especially in Canada, Washington State and India. Lentils may be black, red, yellow, brown or green. Among green lentils, one particular sort (Lens esculenta puyensis or Lens culinaris puyensis) is grown in France. Among the green lentils grown in France are lentilles du Puy (Le Puy green lentils), so called because they are grown only in the prefecture of Le Puy in the Auvergne region.

They are noted for their nutty peppery flavour and for how well they retain their shape after cooking.

They are commonly used in salads and in soups where they are not intended to fall apart.

Answer: lemon balm

Lemon balm originated around the Mediterranean but is now grown around the world. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a lemon-scented member of the mint family. In addition to culinary uses, it is used as a folk medicine, to attract bees to gardens, as an ornamental plant, and in aromatherapy. It is a common flavour in teas and tisanes, in ice cream, fruit dishes and candies. A novel twist on traditional pesto or pistou is lemon balm pesto, which is especially good served with fish.

Answer: lemongrass

There are many grasses which have a lemony scent. Citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon winterianus) produce the citronella used on insect repellants, candles and soaps. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus and Cymbopogon flexuosus) is used culinarily for its lemon-like flavour.

In Indian and Southeast Asian cooking, it figures in curries, sauces, soups, and braises. In Western cooking, lemongrass appears in desserts, custards, and sorbets. It also makes an interesting tisane.

Answer: liquorice

In the US it is "licorice" and in the UK it is "liquorice" and nowhere is it "lickerish". Glycyrrhiza glabra is a flowering plant originally from Western Asia, North Africa and southern Europe. The root contains a sweet flavour akin to anise and fennel, to neither of which it is related.

The extract has been used in folk medicine for centuries. It flavours candy and tobacco modernly. Because the over-consumption of a chemical in liquorice causes health problems, anise-seed oil is added to most modern liquorice-flavoured candies. Liquorice drops are among the most popular candies in Holland. Salted liquorice is popular in Scandinavia. Black licorice whips or laces are commonly made with licorice root powder. Liquorish-flavoured alcoholic drinks are made of licorice root, anise seed, hyssop, or star anise. Examples are Greek ouzo, Italian Sambucca, French Pernod, anisette, pastis, and absinthe, Arabic araki and New Orleans' herbsaint.

Answer: Limburger

Limburger cheese takes its name from the Duchy of Limburg in Belgium. It is a strong-smelling cheese produced in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and the US. The cheese is aged for over three months, by the end of which time a bacterium called Brevibacterium linens produces an odor not particularly different from dirty human feet.

Despite the stench, the cheese may be spread on rye bread with slices of raw onion to produce a sandwich which goes down well with a glass of beer.

Answer: lingcod

The lingcod (also spelt ling cod) (Ophiodon elongatus) is neither a ling (Molva molva) nor a cod (Gadus morhua and Gadus macrocephalus), but it looks a bit like each of them and that's how it got its name. Lingcod swims in the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California. It is best prepared in the same manner as halibut.

Answer: locust beans

There are as many different names for locust beans (Ceratonia siliqua) as there are languages spoken in West Africa. Unlike more familiar "beans", these pods grow on trees. Inside the pods are sweet pulp and seeds. The pulp is a carbohydrate-rich food source and is also used to make a beverage.

The seeds are fermented, fried, ground and used for spice. There are as many names for this seasoning as there are for the beans.

Answer: loquat

The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is not in any way related to the kumquat, despite the similarity in their names. Loquat grows on trees. The fruit is sweet-sour with a flavour a bit like plum and a bit like mango. They are originally from China and Japan; European explorers and colonizers took them all over the world.

They grow exceptionally well in Los Angeles where old loquat trees are found in many neighbourhoods. Its Spanish name is nispero. The fruit is high in pectin and therefor makes excellent jelly and jam.