Nuts to You! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pistachio

Pistachios belong to the cashew family. The tree, which can grow up to ten metres (33 feet) tall, was originally found in Central Asia and the Middle East. Eaten for almost 9,000 years, pistachios were mentioned in the writings of Pliny the Elder in his chronicles of ancient Rome. Even the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were reported to have pistachio trees amongst its greenery.

Spumoni comes from the Italian word 'spuma' meaning foam. Spumoni features layers of ice cream with varying colours and flavours. Pistachio is commonly seen as a green layer in spumoni. In addition to the flavours of the ice cream layers, small morsels of candied fruit and/or nuts are often included.

Answer: Chestnut

Chestnut refers to both the tree and the edible nut that comes from the tree. The trees, depending on the variety, can grow anywhere from ten to sixty metres tall. Chestnut trees are related to oaks and beeches.

Developed in northern Italy and southern France, marron glacés are a morsel that can be eaten by itself or added to desserts. The process of making marron glacés involves boiling the chestnuts for a short time then draining them. The skins of the chestnuts are rubbed off and the nuts are placed into a hot sugar syrup. This is brought to the boil and cooked for ten minutes. The entire contents of the pan are then set aside for the better part of a day before the nut/sugar syrup mixture is boiled again, but only for two minutes. This resting and boiling process is repeated three or four times or until the nuts have absorbed all the syrup. The last stage involves baking the nuts for about an hour in a very slow oven. This firms up the glaze and dries the surface.

Answer: Almond

Often seen at Christmas time and enjoyed with a dessert wine, ricciarelli are oval or lozenge-shaped biscuits made with almond meal, sugar, honey and egg whites. The name, according to legend, comes from Ricciardetto della Gherardesca as these delicious treats were first made in his castle near Siena in the 14th century.

Like macaroons, the biscuits need to dry for a time before being baked. Ricciarelli are often left for two days to dry out before they are baked. The surface becomes dry and cracked, giving the biscuit a rough surface texture before they are sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Answer: Walnut

Khoresh-e Fesenjān (often simply called fesenjān or khoresh) is usually made with chicken or duck, but it's not uncommon for it to be made with meatballs, chunks of lamb or fish, or even as a meat-free vegetarian dish. Ground walnuts feature in the dish as do pomegranate seeds and syrup. It's a favourite dish for many Iranians, Iraqis and other people of the region during the cooler months and is served with rice.

Walnut trees are found naturally in most of the Northern Hemisphere including Japan, continental Asia, south-eastern Europe and North America. South America also has a few native species. The trees are deciduous and the tallest species can grow up to forty metres tall (131 feet). The edible nut isn't the only useful product a walnut tree produces. The shells of the walnuts have numerous uses in industry when crushed or ground into a flour.

Answer: Hazelnut

Frangelico is an Italian liqueur flavoured with hazelnuts and herbs. It can be served on its own (perhaps over ice or with soda water) or used in cocktails such as a hazelnut martini or Frangelico colada. The production of Frangelico involves the crumbling of the nuts and mixing them with other flavour enhancers such as vanilla or berries.

This is left to infuse flavour into the base spirit. Once enough time has elapsed and the flavour has been absorbed into the spirit, the liqueur is then filtered, sweetened and bottled.

Answer: Pine nut

Pine nuts do, indeed, come from a pine tree. Just under ten percent of pine trees produce a nut worth harvesting for human consumption. In Europe, the nut from the stone pine (Pinus pinea) has been harvested for human consumption for over 5,000 years. Pine nuts can be found in both sweet and savoury dishes but the possibly the best-known use of pine nuts is as a chief component of pesto.

Pesto as we know it is said to have come from the city of Genoa. Traditionally made with crushed garlic, pine nuts, salt, basil and Parmesan and pecorino cheeses, variations include the substitution of miso paste for cheese (for vegans), the omission of pine nuts (in the French pistou), or the inclusion of almonds or mint.

The word pesto comes from the Genovese word 'pestâ' meaning to pound or crush. Therefore, any paste made by crushing can be called a pesto. The basil and pine nuts version we usual refer to as pesto is often called pesto alla Genovese in Italy to avoid confusion.

Answer: Acorn

Acorns have been used as a food by humans for thousands of years but its current usage is most popular in Korean cuisine. The acorn noodles in the Korean soup are made with either starch extracted from the acorn or acorn flour, combined with a flour from a grain such as wheat. Acorns have also been used as a coffee substitute during times of rationing or hardship. This was done in the Confederate States during the Civil War and by Germans during WWII.

Acorns come from oak trees, a member of the beech family. There are about 600 species of oak tree around the world with North America having the largest variety of oak species. Acorns take anywhere between six and eighteen months to mature depending on the species.

Answer: Almond

Made with a mixture of butter, sugar, eggs and ground almonds, a frangipane can be found in cakes and pastries such as Bakewell tarts, pithiviers and conversation tarts. The term frangipane can also refer to a particular almond pastry tart originally from Belgium. Almonds can be eaten as a nut, ground into flour (wonderful for gluten-free baked goods or used as a thickener), roasted, made into almond milk, used in marzipan or turned into a spread for bread or toast.

Almonds come from a tree native to the Middle East, India and north Africa. The almond is the seed of this deciduous tree which can grow up to ten metres (33 ft) tall. After flowering, the seeds take 7-8 months to mature to a stage where they can be harvested and eaten. The sweet almond tree we harvest those delicious morsels from has a wild relative which produces bitter almonds. These have high levels of cyanide shouldn't be eaten.

Answer: Hazelnut

A sweet hazelnut and cocoa spread, Nutella was created in Italy by the Ferrero company in 1964. The idea for Nutella came from a product made by Pietro Ferrero in 1946. Faced with post-WWII rationing limiting the availability of cocoa, he developed a paste made with hazelnuts which were readily available. It was originally sold as a block, but the 1950s saw a creamy version launched onto the market. The 1960s saw Pietro's son, Michele, take his father's formula to another level by creating what we now know and love as Nutella. It was launched into the European market in 1964 and the Ferrero company now has production centres around the world.

The ingredients for Nutella are sugar, palm oil and hazelnuts to which cocoa solids and skimmed milk are added. The USA has a slightly different version as soy products are used for Nutella's production. Nutella has been so successful that the Italian Post Office issue a stamp to commemorate the product's 50th anniversary in 2014. If you're in the mood to celebrate, February 5th is World Nutella Day!

Answer: Almond

While amaretto does have a predominant flavour of almonds, it's not always made with almonds. The word 'amaretto' comes from the Italian for 'little bitter' and the bitterness of amaretto can come from apricot or peach pits if not almonds. Almond trees are closely related to peach and apricot trees. The difference is that with peaches and apricots we don't eat the seed, we eat the flesh around the seed. The reverse is true for almonds.

There are a few legends about amaretto's origins in the northern Italian town of Saranno. It might have been invented in the 1850s or as early as the 16th century depending on which legend you believe. Amaretto can be drunk on its own, used in cocktails or as a flavour boost in sweet and savoury recipes.