Reheated Leftovers, 1st Course Quiz

Answer: "poutine"

While sitting in a "bistrot" or "cantines" or "casse-croűtes" in Quebec, Canada, you are enjoying a dish of French-fried potatoes, fresh cheese curds, and brown gravy. Since the 1950s, this dish has evolved to include variations: sweet potato in place of French fries, mozzarella cheese in place of cheese curds, beef gravy in place of chicken. The dish is a delight of Québécois origins which is now available around the country. Restaurants devoted entirely (or primarily) to serving poutine are called poutineries.

Answer: "loco moco"

While sitting in a "hale 'aina" in Hawai'i, you are enjoying a local dish, created in 1949 at the Lincoln Grill in Hilo on the Island of Hawai'i. Despite numerous variations, the basic recipe calls for a large scoop of plain white rice, topped with a fried hamburger patty, topped with a fried egg, topped with brown gravy.

As one might suspect, fried SPAM is often substituted for the burger. Richard and Nancy Inouye created the dish to feed hungry teenagers at their restaurant. The kids named the dish after George Okimoto, whose nickname was "Crazy."

Answer: "Cullen skink"

While sitting in a pub in Scotland, you are enjoying a thick soup made of smoked haddock (fish), potatoes and onions. It is called Cullen skink after the town of Cullen on the northeast coast of Scotland. The dish is traditional and is therefore likely to show up on the menu at Robert Burns Day dinners. Milk is better than water in this soup; cream is better than milk.

Answer: "feijoada"

While sitting in a "rodízio" in Brazil, you are enjoying a stew made of black beans and some interesting bits of pork and beef. The beans are indispensable; the name "feijoada" comes from "feijăo" which is the Portuguese word for bean. The origin of this dish among slaves in Brazil is apparent from the use of less-desirable cuts of meat: pigs ears, pigs tails, pigs trotters, blood sausage, bacon ends, beef shank, and beef tongue. The dish is normally served over white rice, alongside collard greens.

Answer: "hákarl"

While sitting in a "mathöll" in Iceland, you are enjoying a dish of fermented Greenland shark. The shark is caught, dressed, buried to ferment and then hung to dry. The flesh has a very strong smell of ammonia and a very strong taste of fish. To call it an "acquired taste" is a remarkable understatement. "Hákarl" is traditionally served at "ţorrablót" which is a midwinter festival; this provides a good reason to visit Island in midsummer.

Answer: "mofongo"

While sitting in a "mesón" in Puerto Rico, you are enjoying a dish of fried mashed plantain with bits of chicharrón or bacon inside. Mofongo is a descendent of the West African "fufu." African brought their cuisine to the Caribbean, evident in dishes such as the Cuban "fufu de plátano." The modern word "mofongo" derives from the Kikongo word "mfwenge-mfwenge" which means "a great amount of anything at all." A common way to serve mofongo is in the seasoned broth in which meat or fish has been simmered.

Answer: "pelmeni"

While sitting in a "pectopah" in Russia, you are enjoying a bowl of minced-meat dumplings in hot broth. The wheat-flour dough is wrapped around a mixture of beef, pork, mutton, venison, fish or mushrooms. The dish is frequently garnished with cold sour cream or mayonnaise, often seasoned with fresh dill, minced onion, minced garlic and vinegar.

This food was probably invented in Siberia where, when kept on a frozen back porch in winter, it served as a way of preserving a quick-to-fix wholesome meal.

They relate to the Italian "ravioli," the Korean "mandu," and the Japanese "gyoza."

Answer: "balut"

While sitting in a "kainán" in the Philippines, you are enjoying a fertilized and partially developed duck embryo boiled in its shell. The Philippine delight is also popular in South China and Southeast Asia. It may be made from duck or chicken eggs. The entire contents of the eggshell are eaten; the underdeveloped bones are soft enough to chew up. It is sometimes sold as street food or as an appetizer in restaurants. Eating balut is prohibited by the dietary laws of both Judaism and Islam.

Answer: lamingtons

While sitting in a cafe in Australia, you are enjoying a square of vanilla sponge cake, coated in chocolate sauce and then rolled in dried sweetened coconut. Some fancier varieties add a layer of pastry cream or of fruit jam between upper and lower halves.

The dish was probably named for Lord Lamington, the governor of Queensland 1896-1901, or perhaps for his wife. The Lamingtons' chef, Armand Galland, was possibly the creator. Australians are so taken with this dessert that they have designated 21 July as National Lamington Day.

Answer: "raclette"

While sitting in a restaurant in Switzerland, you are enjoying a plate of boiled new potatoes onto which cheese melted before an open wood fire has been scraped. Modern establishments may use an electric device to melt the cheese. The cheese itself often takes the name of the dish -- "raclette" -- as in "Raclette du Valais." This dish evolved in the alpine parts of Switzerland but is also popular in parts of France. The cheese is sometimes scraped onto bread rather than over potatoes. It is common to serve raclette with pickles.