Regional Cooking in the U.S. Trivia Quiz

Answer: Shrimp and Ham Jambalaya

New Orleans can thank the early Spanish settlers for this dish. It consists primarily of rice, various seasonings, shrimp, and cooked ham. It can be as spicy as you want to make it. Cajun cooking originated with the Cajun (Acadian) people who had settled in Novia Scotia and other maritime provinces.

Their cooking tends to be spicier than Creole cooking because it uses a wide variety of peppers, especially hot peppers. The Creoles, an ethnic group in Louisiana, are of African and French descent. If you like spicy rice dishes, then try jambalaya with sausage or chicken.

It's delicious!

Answer: Garlic

Does garlic ice cream sound scrumptious? Does the mention of garlic french fries make your mouth water? Founded in 1979 by Dr. Rudy Melone, Don Christopher, and Val Filice, the Gilroy Garlic Festival was originally created to raise funds for local charities. It's held on the last weekend of July. For those who prefer to eat organically, Gilroy offers organic garlic.

Answer: Corn

Corn was a common ingredient in colonial cooking. When ground into cornmeal, it could be mixed with water or buttermilk and fried on a hot griddle to make johnnycakes (flat cornbread). When boiled with milk, cornmeal became corn mush or, as it was sometimes referred to, hasty pudding. Corn was also roasted in its husk over hot coals or over hot stones in an outdoor pit.

The colonists also ate hominy, a corn soaked in water and ashes.

Answer: Dried it

Beef jerky, with its chewy texture, tastes great mild or spicy. Even today jerky can provide a quick pick-me-up. Breakfast was the big meal of the day back then and it often consisted of pancakes, eggs, sausages, and fried potatoes. Nowadays, many of us don't have the time or inclination to eat breakfast.

A cup of coffee and maybe a slice of toast or a muffin often constitutes an American breakfast.

Answer: Chitlins

Sometimes referred to as chitterlings, chitlins should be cleaned well before cooking otherwise they will leave a really bitter aftertaste. Chitlins can be braised, stewed, or fried. To spice them up, add hot chilis and vinegar. Try serving them with scrambled eggs and toast. Yum!

Answer: Depression cake

Some of the ingredients of depression cake are flour, sugar, seasonings such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and raisins. Americans also filled up with hearty soups such as vegetable and barley soup which were served to people waiting in the soup lines.

Answer: Chop suey

Chop suey is an American dish thought to have been made by the Chinese cooks serving the men building the railroad. The dish is a mixture of American (pork) and Chinese (bean sprouts). Incidentally, Frederick Harvey had a hard time finding good waiters to serve his guests so he decided to hire women and they became known as the "Harvey Girls."

Answer: Quiche

Granola, influenced by the hippies' penchant for eating naturally, zucchini bread and a dish called Green Beans Amandine were also introduced. Amandine is a culinary term for almonds which are added to the green beans along with various flavorings.

Answer: Swedish meatballs

Food in individual packages began to appear. Jello is a good example. Other foods introduced at this time were the Kellogg Brothers' wheat and corn flake cereals, packaged in boxes. Campbell's Soup Company advertised their soup could be a meal in itself. New to the scene were packaged cake mixes and puddings. Convenience was the order of the day. Not much has changed.

Answer: tofu

In addition to tofu hot dogs, 3Com Park serves a forty-clove garlic chicken sandwich. Dodger Stadium offers Japanese fast-food. Yankee Stadium(no tofu here)offers sausages while clam chowder is popular at Fenway Park.