Foods Beginning with P, Part 2 Quiz

Answer: palm wine

There are many varieties of palm wine brewed from many varieties of palm tree, wherever palm trees grow (except where alcohol is religiously prohibited and maybe just a little there, too). Palmyra, date palm and coconut palm will all produce the sap for palm wine.

The sap is collected ("tapped") without harming the tree. The sap ferments spontaneously because it contains naturally-occurring yeasts. Depending upon the length of the ferment, the results are a sweet low-alcohol wine, a tart higher-alcohol wine, or vinegar.

The wine may be distilled to produce arrack, palm feni, village gin, charayam or palm whiskey.

Answer: parson's nose

Depending upon who one most wishes to ridicule, a chicken's (or other fowl's) tail is called the parson's nose, the sultan's nose, the pope's nose, or the preacher's nose. The proper anatomical term for this appendage is the pygostyle. It is a fleshy extension of the backbone held together by a few fused vertebrae.

The term pygostyle is derived from two Ancient Greek words which, when combined, mean "rump pillar."Food expert Heston Blumenthal recommends removing and discarding a chicken's pygostyle before the bird is cooked.

The franchise-wide practice of Kentucky Fried Chicken is to trim and toss the tail. On the other hand, they are skewered and grilled in Taipei. In Hawaiian cookery, they are called "chicken butt" and are often seasoned with a mixture of sweetened soy sauce.

Answer: pear

Pears are the pomaceous fruit of several varieties of pear tree. Pear trees grow happily in Europe, North America, North Africa and Asia. A pear may be eaten ripe, canned, juiced or dried, Pear juice may be fermented, much like apple cider, to produce perry. Perry may be distilled to produce "eau de vie de poire." Pear puree, sweetened and dried, make a snack called a roll-up or fruit leather. [Chef's tip: whole peeled and cored pears simmered in port wine are fantastic, especially when served with vanilla ice cream.]

Answer: long pepper

Long pepper (Piper longum) is also known as thippali pippali, or Indian long pepper. It looks and smells quite a bit like common black pepper (Piper nigrum) and both contain the alkaloid piperine which gives them their pungent taste. The fruit of the long pepper looks rather like a catkin with hundreds of tiny seeds attached to a flower spike.

The fruit is dried and is best when sold whole. The cook then crushes the spice which is a bit hotter than black pepper. This is why medieval Europeans referred to it as "strong powder." Long pepper is used extensively in the cooking of India, Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

When found in grocery stores which cater to those cuisines, it is normally labeled "pippali."

Answer: phosphate

Phosphate soda is a soft drink with a tangy, sour flavour. It became popular in the US in the 1870s and waned in the 1930s. So called "phosphates" were flavoured with fruit concentrates, malt and wine. The drinks were commonly made by the soda fountains located in pharmacies. Phosphoric acid continues to be used by soft drink makers such as Coca-Cola.

The tingle and tang of phosphates differs from the same qualities produced by citrus juices. Perhaps out of enthusiasm for nostalgic flavours, mixologists have rediscovered phosphates in the 21st century to produce cherry phosphate, chocolate phosphate and a growing variety of other flavours.

Answer: pineapple

The pineapple (Ananas comosus) originated in South America but has been carried around the globe by those seeking to exploit its economic potential. The edible fruit is the fusion of multiple blossoms of the bush on which it grows. It can be grown from seed but much more often it is propagated by lopping off the top of a fruit with its foliage intact and planting it.

The flesh is eaten fresh in both sweet (pineapple upside down cake) and savoury (baked ham) dishes. Some poor benighted souls think it belongs on pizza.

The juice is popular and is necessary to the cocktail "piņa colada." The juice may also be fermented to produce pineapple wine and pineapple vinegar.

Answer: plum sauce

Plum sauce is very popular in Chinese-American cookery. The original sauce was brought from China by Cantonese cooks. Sweet plums (supplemented by purees of peach, apricot, pear, and pineapple) are cooked down with sugar, Chinese vinegar, minced ginger and chili peppers. The sauce is then pureed, strained and bottled. Plum sauce is useful both as a dip for any deep-fried dishes and as a sauce for roasted duck and for noodle dishes.

Answer: pompano

Pompanos are fished around the world and are a major food source for much of the world's population. They are colloquially referred to as "jacks." One variety is called "permit." Pompano is roasted, fried, deep-fried and baked. It is popular in Chinese, Thai, Latin American, Goan, and Atlantic US cuisines. Pompano Beach, Florida, is named after them.

Answer: prairie turnip

The prairie turnip (Psoralea esculenta) has a great many common names: timpsula, tipsin, teepsenee, breadroot, breadroot scurf pea, large Indian breadroot, and pomme blanche. It grows wild in central North America and has been a staple food of Native Americans for centuries.

The plant is an herbaceous perennial, the root of which may be cooked like a root vegetable or dried and ground into powder from which puddings and bread may be made. While thoughts about its palatability differ, the prairie turnip has been a survival ration for Native Americans and European settlers alike.

The "flour" is available on-line such that adventurous cooks may add it to their recipes, especially to fry-bread.

Answer: peach

The peach (Prunus persica) may be the state fruit of Georgia, US, but it was first cultivated in China many centuries before the USA existed. In 2018, China produced more peaches than any other nation on Earth. The peach tree is a deciduous tree which produces fuzzy peaches and non-fuzzy nectarines.

They belong to a large family which includes almonds, apricots, cherries, plums and rose bushes. Peaches are delicious fresh, canned, juiced, pickled, and dried. Peach pie is a universal favourite but some other interesting uses are grilled peaches with pork, chutney, sangria, cold soup, peach butter, and ice cream.