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Pick Your Poison Trivia Quiz

I recently found a hidden memoir of Hugo Furst, an heir to an ancient Ruritanian country. He was desperate to inherit the ruling title, but several European relatives stood in his way.

A multiple-choice quiz by skumma. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
skumma

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
314,939

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
524

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. So he hatched a plan to poison them with their favourite national dishes or drinks. Did he succeed? Let's find out. His Belgian Great Aunt Mathilde was taken to her bed following a surfeit of her favourite dish of Moules Frites. Apart from the huge dose of Arsenic (which is definitely not part of the recipe) what is this dish? Hint

Mussels and chips (fries)

Mouldy Cheese Dips

Fried Mussels

Apple Pie

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. One down, another nine to dispose of before the title Grand Buffoonness is his. Cousin Velma of Vienna is known for her vast girth, due no doubt to her addiction to this particular Viennese chocolate cake. She took her last mouthful unaware it contained Curare. Called "- Torte" what is the missing word? Hint

Sacher

Strudel

Zucher

Linze

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Uncle Umberto, from the Italian branch of the family, can't get enough of his favourite dessert-Zabaglione. Unfortunately for him, he found out too late that it contained Prussic Acid instead of wine. What wine should have been used? Hint

Marsala

Port

Sherry

Madeira

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Next he turned his attention to his English Uncle-James. His favourite dish was Stargazy Pie, but he got more than fish heads and tails - Antimony and Thallium were also liberally sprinkled inside the dish. An infamous poisoner from St.Albans would use these rare poisons to kill his stepmother and later, two work colleagues, just to see the effect! Who was this callous killer? Hint

Hawley Crippen

John Christie

John Haigh

Graham Young

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Question 5 of 10

5. Next came Uncle Hamish from Fife, Scotland. He loved a nice bit of Haggis with tatties and neeps, washed down with a drop of the hard stuff. If tatties are potatoes, what ever are neeps? Hint

Cabbages

Carrots

Leeks

Swedes

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Question 6 of 10

6. He popped over to Dublin to see Aunt Bridget and took in some of the sights along Grafton St. He managed to slip a 'little something' into her restaurant meal of Scampi. What was her favourite dish? Hint

Dublin Bay Prawns

Skate and chips

Fish and chips

Sausage roll

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Back across the Channel and a quick run down to Nice. There he found Uncle Arnaud in deep commune with La F�e Verte, or Green Fairy. Judging by the looks of him, he'd done a good job of killing himself off without any help from our anti-hero! What was he drinking? (It wasn't a famous dish washing liquid!) Hint

Pernod

Armagnac

Chartreuse

Absinthe

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Over he went to Switzerland to see Cousin Simone. Here he was able to feed her slices of her favourite cheese, Tete de Moine, (with a little soup�on of digitalis for added spice). This cheese, from the Jura region of Switzerland has to be served in a special way -how? Hint

Melted in hot water

In the left hand only while keeping ankles crossed

Toasted over the fire

Cut thinly on a round slicer

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. There remained just two more relatives, his older, twin brothers who understandably were keeping a low profile! He announced his own death and invited them to see him in his coffin, then eat a last meal in his memory. The menu started with hot Vichyssoise which immediately alerted them that something was wrong - why? Hint

It's French for Strychnine

Because neither of them like it

Because Vichyssoise is always served cold

Because it's a piece of furniture, not food

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. All of this rushing around wore poor Hugo out and he went down with a bad case of 'flu. Indulging in his favourite comfort food of tinned salmon and cucumber sandwiches, he fell prey to a particularly virulent poisoning from faulty canned food. What carried him off? Hint

Salmonella

E-Coli

Botulism

Enteritis

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Mussels and chips (fries)

Moules Frites are a firm favourite all over France now as well. In Belgium and the north east of France, they are sold from vans like Hotdogs or English fish and chips. They go very well with a nice cold Leffe beer.

Answer: Sacher

Sacher Torte was invented by the then 16 year old apprentice chef, Franz Sacher. The Prince Metternich had demanded a special cake for his dinner party and warned the chef not to make him look stupid in front of his guests. However, the chef fell ill that day and Franz stepped in, to great acclaim.

Answer: Marsala

Marsala comes from the town and port in Sicily and was first popularised by the British Navy when Nelson ordered barrels of it for the officers of his Fleet based in Naples. Later a regular shipment was set up between the port and Liverpool, to supply the huge demand for this popular, fortified dessert wine.

Answer: Graham Young

Young was just 14 when he was sentenced to the prison for the criminally insane at Broadmoor after trying to poison his family. He was not sentenced for the death of his stepmother but admitted to it later. On his release at age 23, he got a job in a photographic plant and had free access to Antimony and Thallium, which he systematically used to poison his colleagues.

Some survived and gave evidence at his trial later. He was 42 years old when he died in Parkhurst Prison, on the Isle of Wight in August, 1990.

5. Next came Uncle Hamish from Fife, Scotland. He loved a nice bit of Haggis with tatties and neeps, washed down with a drop of the hard stuff. If tatties are potatoes, what ever are neeps?

Answer: Swedes

Yellow Swedes as opposed to turnips are used and boiled separately from the potatoes. In the West of England, these are called Wurzels. A group called the Wurzels had a hit with a comedy song "Combine Harvester".

Answer: Dublin Bay Prawns

Dublin Bay Prawns are a form of Langoustine which when coated in bread crumbs and deep fried make a delicious 'Scampi'.

Answer: Absinthe

Absinthe was blamed for drunkenness and insanity in France and banned in 1915. Other European countries followed suit and later the U.S.A. Oddly enough, people still went mad, killed their families and stripped off naked in the streets. Probably to relieve the boredom!

Answer: Cut thinly on a round slicer

'La Girolle' is a special tool for cutting the cheese into flakes, or petals. The cheese is very hard and the girolle, made of wood with a metal knife that turns a bit like a coffee grinder,is the only way to get through it. Plus it adds a touch of fun to the table.

Answer: Because Vichyssoise is always served cold

I like this soup because it's easy-Leeks, onions, potato sweated in butter and then add chicken stock and seasoning. When veg is soft, blitz in a blender, return to pan and add cream. If you serve this hot it's called Leek and Potato soup. Both are good with chunks of fresh bread and a crisp white wine-Bon App! as we say in my region.

Answer: Botulism

Now it is rare to get this deadly form of food poisoning from canned food, but years ago when people did it themselves, it was quite a regular occurrence. However, it pays to check cans before you buy-never use a can that is 'blown' i.e. bulging as opposed to denting due to transportation. BTW- the beauty treatment 'Botox' is a form of Botulism but in minute dosage form.

Source: Author skumma

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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