Great British Grub Trivia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Okay, so just what is the main difference between a crumpet and a scone?

Answer: Crumpets are cooked on a griddle while scones are baked.

Both scones and crumpets are leavened breads. Crumpets usually contain yeast and are cooked on a griddle in a metal ring which is how they keep their shape. Scones are made much like biscuits in that they contain baking powder and are baked in an oven on sheet trays.

A regional variation on a crumpet is known as a pikelet. These are cooked on a griddle but without a ring to hold the shape. This results in a thinner cake.

2. It seems likely that these three dishes were all created as a way to use up leftover vegetables following a dinner with a roast piece of meat. In England there is bubble and squeak. In Ireland they eat colcannon. And in Scotland the dish is called rumpledethumps. While there can be variations on the vegetables used, which two vegetables are traditionally always included?

Answer: Cabbage and potato

It is traditional to eat bubble and squeak on Boxing Day which is celebrated in the United Kingdom on the day after Christmas. The leftover vegetables are cooked together in a pan until they are crisped up. As they cook, the sounds they make in the pan have been compared to bubbling and squeaking, hence the name of the dish. Any leftover meat is usually served cold alongside the vegetables.

3. In Britain it is customary to cut pieces of toast into strips that are known as soldiers. Why does this curious habit exist?

Answer: So the toast can be dipped in the narrow opening of a soft boiled egg as it sits in an egg cup.

A man actually invented a device that cuts a template of the "soldiers" into the bread before it is toasted. The inventor is a man named Mike Minton. He notes that his invention ensures the soldiers are cut to the ideal width. If they are too thick they don't fit in the opening in the top of the egg. If they are too thin they risk breaking off and getting stuck down in the yolk.

4. It is well known that Britain played a major role in the colonization of India. Britain had a presence there from the sixteenth century until as late as 1947 when India gained independence. So it is no surprise that foods from India have made there way onto British tables. Which of these dishes is based on a dish which originated in India and consists of flaked fish mixed with boiled rice, hard boiled eggs, parsley and butter?

Answer: Kedgeree

In India khichari refers to a class of dishes made with rice and legumes. They range from the mild to the highly spiced, dry to quite moist. It is said that British colonists enjoyed these dishes and brought the idea back with them upon their return to Britain. Kedgeree is most commonly made with flaked smoked haddock but other fish are sometimes used.

It was popular as a breakfast dish during the Victorian era.

5. So the British love affair with Indian cuisine has been around for a while. A man named Sake Dean Mahomed is credited with opening up the first restaurant to serve Indian food in Britain. The Hindoostane Coffee House had a hookah bar and served traditional Indian food to Londoners. What year was this restaurant opened?

Answer: 1810

Unfortunately his restaurant only lasted for two years. Mahomed is also credited with being the first Indian writer to be published in English. He later achieved success again by introducing the Indian idea of champooi, or in English, "shampooing." He created his Indian Vapour Bath as a healing resort for all types of ailments and was appointed shampooing surgeon to two British kings.

6. In many cultures throughout history meat has been a luxury that commoners could scarce afford. Many unique recipes have been created to get around this problem. What traditional Welsh food seems to be made from meat, but in reality has no meat in it at all?

Answer: Glamorgan Sausage

There is no meat at all in these "sausages", just cheese, leeks, parsley, eggs to bind the mixture and breadcrumbs to roll them in. Shape them like sausages and pretend you are eating high on the hog even when you can't afford any hog at all. These were originally made with Glamorgan cheese, but that cheese isn't made anymore as the Glamorgan cows that provided the milk are almost extinct. Caerphilly cheese is a fine Welsh product that works just as well.

7. Finnan haddie is a cold-smoked haddock that could be used in the kedgeree we learned about earlier or can be used in this traditional Scottish soup that is similar to an American chowder. This soup consists of smoked haddock, potatoes, onions and milk or cream depending on regional variations. What is the name of the Scottish soup?

Answer: Cullen Skink

Cullen is the name of a coastal town in the Northeast of Scotland where haddock is probably quite plentiful. The skink part may refer to an old word for shinbone. Perhaps the soup was originally made with a shinbone, but fish were more numerous than cows on this part of the Scottish coast so the locals used the smoked fish instead and saved the cows for dairy products. Cullen skink is considered to be smokier than an American fish chowder and much heavier than a traditional French bisque which are two other traditional seafood soups.

8. In 2008 the Royal Society of Chemists ruled that this traditional food item had to be at least four inches high in order to be properly defined as a what?

Answer: Yorkshire Pudding

Yes, it's true. If it is less than four inches tall it is not a true Yorkshire pudding. Traditionally served as an accompaniment to roast beef, the puddings are made by cooking a thin batter in hot grease which causes them to puff up. Hopefully it puffs the required four inches otherwise you just have some crusty dough on the table.

It would probably still taste good soaking up the gravy.

9. This fish was so prevalent in the Thames in the eighteenth century that it became a common food of the working classes. Many establishments existed serving this favorite to the people living in London's East End. As a matter of fact, M. Manze is one such shop still operating that has been serving this favorite food since 1902. What is this dish that is traditionally served with pie and mash?

Answer: Jellied Eels

Eel is a naturally gelatinous fish which contributes to the finished consistency of the product although gelatin is sometimes added. The eels are cut into rings and cooked in water and vinegar to make a broth. That is the basic recipe, each eel house has their own unique blend of spices to make their product different.

10. It is on or near January 25th. You have been invited to a Burns Supper which is held to celebrate the birthday of famous Scottish poet Robert Burns. The whisky flows, the bagpipes play as the haggis is brought in, and served alongside the haggis are neeps and tatties. Just what exactly are neeps and tatties?

Answer: Turnip and Potatoes

The turnip in question is not the small red and white vegetable that Americans call a turnip, rather it is what the Scots call a Swedish turnip known as a rutabaga in the US. Neeps and tatties are a tradition at a Burns Supper, but they are also eaten with regular meals.

The neep, or rutabaga, was also the origin of the Halloween jack-o-lantern. Halloween originated as a Celtic celebration of the new year. Swedes were carved out and an ember placed inside to keep away evil spirits. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America and found the pumpkin much more suitable for the task.

Source: Author Iban

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

There's more to British food than fish and chips. See if you know the difference between a crumpet and a scone and maybe learn a few things on the way.

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