Sugar and Spice Trivia Quiz

Answer: honey

Also known as Pfefferkuchen (pepper cake), Lebkuchen (etymology uncertain) is a sweet of ancient origin, having been first created by 13th-century monks in the historical German region of Franconia (now part of the federal state of Bavaria); the most famous producer and exporter of these cakes is the city of Nuremberg. Lebkuchen is generally soft and cake-like, and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Its basic ingredients are flour, honey and eggs (sugar also features in many recipes), to which spices, ground nuts (almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts) and candied lemon and orange peel are added; the spices may include cinnamon, cloves, ginger, aniseed and cardamom. Lebkuchen dough is often placed on thin wafer rounds (Oblaten) to prevent sticking, and glazed with dark chocolate after baking. A harder form of Lebkuchen is traditionally made into heart shapes decorated with icing that are sold at fairs and Christmas markets. There are also other regional variations, and similar treats are found in neighbouring countries such as Belgium and Switzerland.

Treacle (molasses in the US), maple syrup and grape must are all used as sweeteners for baking and other culinary purposes.

Answer: oatmeal

Parkin in a dark gingerbread cake from the northern English counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, where it is traditionally eaten on Guy Fawkes' Day, or Bonfire Night (5 November). First mentioned in the 18th century, but probably older, parkin is made with oatmeal, since oats were the staple grain of the local population, and sweetened with black treacle (molasses in the US), a by-product of sugar-making. Though lard was originally the fat of choice, modern recipes for parkin replace it with butter, margarine or oil; self-raising flour is added to the oatmeal for a fluffier cake.

Many versions of parkin use only ginger, but others add other spices. Oatmeal-only parkin tends to be dense and chewy, while the ones made with the addition of self-raising flour, sugar and eggs are more cake-like. Like other spice cakes, parkin is said to improve with time, becoming softer and moister.

Answer: St. Lucy

Lussekatter means "Lucy's cats", because these buns' shape is reminiscent of a cat's tail. They are made with a rich, buttery yeast dough spiced with saffron (which gives them their characteristic golden-yellow colour), and decorated with raisins or currants. On St. Lucy's Day, which falls during Advent, young girls wear white dresses with a red sash, and one of them, selected as "Lucia", wears a crown of candles (real or battery-powered), symbolizing the rebirth of the light after the long night of the Northern winter.

In fact, the name "Lucia" is related to "lux", the Latin word for "light". Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, has a distinctive hay-like aroma; it is used in many of the world's cuisines, and is an essential ingredient in many rice dishes such as paella and Milanese-style risotto.

Answer: cardamom

One of the world's most expensive spices, cardamom is a native of India and Indonesia, in whose aromatic cuisines it is extensively used. Surprisingly, it is also an essential ingredient in Northern European baking. The spice's delicate yet distinctive aroma gives an added dimension to Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian sweet breads. Pulla ("bulle" in Swedish) comes in different versions: plain, topped with almonds, butter and sugar, filled with jam or sweetened curd cheese; braided pulla loaves, known as "pitko", are cut into slices before serving. Finnish people are said to be among the world's biggest coffee drinkers, and the aroma of cardamom complements that of coffee quite nicely. People of Finnish descent living in the US and Canada use the older world "nisu" for this yummy pastry.

Answer: Chelsea

Chelsea buns were first created in the 18th century at the Chelsea Bun House, a London shop renowned for its baked goods that counted the Hanoverian royals among its loyal patrons. Sadly, the establishment was demolished in 1839, but its most famous creation lives on. This unique version of the cinnamon roll can be found in most supermarkets and bakeries in the UK. Lemon peel added to the dough complements the fruity taste of the currants; the buns are covered in a sticky sugar glaze, applied immediately after baking. Chelsea, now part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, is located in southwest London; its famous Flower Show takes place every year in May.

Mayfair, Westminster and Soho are also well-known central London neighbourhoods.

Answer: aniseed

Anise, or aniseed, is the seed of a flowering plant native to the eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia, frequently used in the cuisines of the countries bordering he Mediterranean Sea. It is especially popular in Italy, where it has been used as a flavouring for baked goods since Roman times, and is still found in many traditional cakes, cookies and sweet breads. Pizzelle are waffle-like cookies originally from Abruzzo in Central Italy, where they were once traditionally baked for weddings. Buccellato, from the Tuscan city of Lucca, is a sweet bread baked in a ring shape and filled with aniseed and raisins. Aniseed is also used to flavour other regional cookies, such as brigidini and cavallucci (also from Tuscany), as well as various kinds of candy, and liqueurs such as sambuca (similar to ouzo, but sweeter) and anisette.

Dill, which is related to anise, is used both as a herb (the leaves) and a spice (the seeds); lavender and peppermint are considered herbs.

Answer: Easter

While the majority of the spices mentioned in this quiz will be familiar to most people, mahleb (mahlapi or mahalepi in Greek) is definitely more exotic, and little known outside Greece, Turkey and a few other neighbouring countries. Mahleb is made from the kernels found inside the stones of the fruits produced by the St. Lucie cherry (Prunus mahaleb), a tree native to the Mediterranean region. This spice's unique flavour has been described as fruity, floral and somewhat bittersweet; like nutmeg, a little is said to go a long way. The flavour of mahleb is essential to tsoureki, a sweet bread similar to a brioche, baked for Easter and decorated with red-dyed hard-boiled eggs. Another exotic flavouring often added to tsoureki is mastic, an aromatic resin also known as tears of Chios.

Easter (Pascha) is by far the most important celebration in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical year, with a variety of traditions attached to it.

Answer: Netherlands

Called speculoos in Belgium and Spekulatius in Germany, speculaas are thin, crunchy cookies traditionally stamped on the front side with images or figures, which can be related to the feast of St. Nicholas (6 December), or represent animals or objects. Speculaas are often made with brown sugar, which gives them their characteristic golden-brown colour and caramelized taste; the spices used include cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and white pepper.

The use of spices in the Netherlands dates back from the country's days as a colonial power; in fact, many baking spices are native to the former Dutch East Indies, present-day Indonesia.

In recent times, some Belgian companies have been marketing a spread made with crushed speculaas cookies and vegetable oils, known as Cookie Butter or Biscoff.

Answer: Frédéric Chopin

In Poland there are several regional varieties of gingerbread ("piernik", meaning "peppery"). Torun gingerbread is the best-known of them, and probably the oldest; the first mention of this baked treat dates from the late 14th century, though it is likely to be even older. The medieval city of Torun, located in northern-central Poland, on the Vistula River, is the birthplace of famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Similar to the German Lebkuchen, Torun gingerbread is made with rye or wheat flour (or a mixture of the two), honey and spices - which include ginger, pepper and cinnamon. The recipe, however, is a jealously guarded secret. Originally made in beautifully carved wooden molds, the cookies are often glazed with chocolate or sugar, or filled with jam. One of the icons of Polish cuisine, Torun gingerbread was often given as a gift by the city to Polish notables. At the age of 15, pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin sampled the gingerbread during a short stay in Torun, and liked it so much that he wrote a letter to his friends to praise and recommend it.

Though Chopin was born in Poland, he is known by the French version of his first name. Modest Mussorgsky, also a renowned composer, was Russian, not Polish.

Answer: paprika

In the United States, pumpkins (which are native to the American continent) symbolize the autumn and the harvest season. Besides their use as decorations for Halloween and the whole season, these bright orange fruits are made into a variety of baked goods and desserts, characterized by the addition of spices. Traditional pumpkin pie spice mixes, which can be bought in every grocery store, usually contain cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice, as well as vanilla, cardamom, and dried orange or lemon peel. Sweet potato pie, a Southern favourite, is also flavoured with a similar aromatic mix. Paprika, however, is not used in baking or dessert-making, bur rather as a seasoning and colouring agent for soups, stews and other savoury dishes.