That Smells Good! Asian Herbs and Spices Online Trivia | Hobbies

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Native to Afghanistan and Iran, which spice's name is a misnomer and might sound as if it should never find its way into food?

Answer: Asafoetida

Also known as 'hing', this spice is produced from the sap of the plant, Ferula asafoetida and is widely used in recipes from the sub-continent. Usually found in powdered form in the West, this pungent spice can also be obtained in blocks of amber coloured, hard resin.

Although it smells frankly awful in its raw state, once added to hot oil or ghee, asafoetida takes on a pleasing aroma of fried onions and garlic. This spice is also an effective anti-flatulent and, as such, is often included in dishes that contain a high proportion of pulses such as dhal.

It's ironic that a spice that smells bad at one end of the cooking process prevents bad smells at the other!

2. Which member of the parsley family, the seeds being a popular addition in Indian cuisine, was used in the ancient Egyptian mummification process?

Answer: Cumin

Cumin, produced from the plant Cuminum cyminum, is one of the most widely used spices across India and the sub-continent and is a major ingredient in garam masala. This spice is available in both powdered form and as seeds which look very similar to caraway seeds. Cumin has a warm and earthy aroma with a lesser known form known as black cumin, Bunium persicum, possessing a slightly sweeter flavour.

3. Which brightly coloured member of the Zingiber family is often used as a cheap alternative to the world's most expensive spice?

Answer: Turmeric

Turmeric, Curcuma longa, is a member of the same family as the ubiquitous ginger. In its fresh form it is often found as finger sized pieces of root that possess a bright orange-yellowish colour. It is turmeric that imbues many curries with a warm, deep yellow colour and although the more common powdered form is an acceptable substitute for the raw root itself, it is truly in a different league altogether when it comes to fragrance and flavour! Turmeric is also widely used as a dye as anyone who has inadvertently dried their hands on a tea-towel after preparing it will attest!

4. In contrast to its name, which versatile plant, also used as a leafy vegetable, is not from southern Europe?

Answer: Fenugreek

Fenugreek, Trigonella foecum-graecum, is widely used in Indian cookery in both seed and leaf form. Also known as 'methi', this spice is related to the pea family. The seeds themselves have a slightly bitter flavour and should be used sparingly so as not to overpower the food.

In contrast to the seeds, fresh fenugreek leaves possess a far milder flavour and can be used in far greater quantities. As fenugreek is related to the pea, should the fresh leaves be unavailable they can be substituted with fresh pea shoots.

5. Native to the Moluccan Islands of Indonesia, when whole, which pungent spice resembles a small nail?

Answer: Cloves

Cloves, they're like Marmite... You either love 'em, or hate 'em! Some people find that cloves impart too medicinal a flavour to food that they have been added; this is due to a substance called eugenol. However, cloves are fundamental to the production of masala, the name given to the spicy sauces of which many curries are predominately composed. Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of the tree Syzygium aromaticum and, in their ground, powdered form are very pungent and have the tendency to overpower. Used whole, cloves should be fried in hot oil before use and impart a much milder flavour to any food to which they are added when treated in this manner.

6. Which spice is used as a much cheaper alternative to that from a related species of tree native to Sri Lanka?

Answer: Cassia

This spice, harvested from the tree Cinnamomum cassia, is the less refined relative to cinnamon, a spice which is often replaced with the cheaper Cassia bark. Should you ever find a slab of woody bark in a meal from your local take-away, you can be almost certain that it will be Cassia; my local outlet use it and believe me, I've had some curries with huge pieces of Cassia contained within! It is easy to differentiate between real cinnamon and cassia, the former being found as small, very delicate tubes of what looks like rolled paper and which possess far more flavour and aroma than cassia bark.

7. Not as highly prized as its green namesake, which spicy seed pods are rarely used in dessert dishes unlike their aforementioned paler cousin?

Answer: Black cardamom

Black cardamom, Amomum subulatum, is another member of the ginger family and is the less widely used variety of this spice. Although they are from the same family as the green variety, they are as alike as chalk and cheese. Black cardamom pods are much larger, usually at least twice as large as the green cardamom pods are and possess a flavour of slightly smoky camphor. Black cardamom is more likely to be encountered as an ingredient in rice and lentil dishes as well as in hearty and robust stews.

The largest producer of black cardamom is Nepal, followed by India and Bhutan respectively.

8. Which plant, mainly used as an herb, has seeds which are a very popular spice in Asian cookery and which have also found their way into the recipes of some alcoholic beverages?

Answer: Coriander

This herb which is produced from the plant Coriander sativum is also known as Chinese parsley and Cilantro in many parts of the world. Coriander is another of those flavourings that people either love or hate; used fresh, some people think that coriander has a slightly soapy flavour. Personally, I like some chopped coriander sprinkled over a curry and mixed with rice.

This spice is one of those rarities that can be stirred into the food at the end of cooking and still impart the same intensity of flavour as if it had been added at the very beginning. Coriander seeds are widely used in Europe in the production of sausages, pickles and some varieties of bread... and beer!

9. Around ninety per cent of the world production of which spice, the world's most expensive, takes place in Iran?

Answer: Saffron

I once used too much saffron in a Biryani that I was making for a retirement dinner; thinking that my rice looked somewhat bland and insipid, I put in around half as much again as my recipe demanded and completely ruined the whole meal. Saffron, the dried stigmas of a certain type of crocus flower, the Crocus sativus, is one of the most expensive spices available today.

It takes a total of around fifty thousand individual plants to produce a single pound in weight of saffron with the resulting crop costing upwards of one thousand US Dollars for culinary grade spice. Saffron is used in both sweet and savoury dishes and is usually soaked in a little warm milk prior to use. Prepared like this and used sparingly this spice provides beautiful colour and a delicate fragrance which combines wonderfully in dishes that also make use of rosewater.

10. Which sweet and nutty spice, one of two produced by the same tree, is best used grated directly into or onto the food?

Answer: Nutmeg

Nutmeg and mace are the only two spices that are produced from the same tree, a member of the genus Myristica; in fact mace is a reddish lacy covering that envelops nutmeg which is the actual seed of this tree. Nutmeg has a slightly sweeter flavour than its cousin but also imparts a far more robust flavour than that obtained from mace. Both spices are commonly used in Indian cuisine, especially in Mughlai cooking and in the dishes from the Kerala region where nutmeg is also used as an ingredient in pickles and chutneys.

In the West it is often used to enhance the flavour of potato dishes, milk based sauces and in a multitude of sweet baked goods, hot cross buns being a prime example. Sadly, nutmeg was also used in the past to induce miscarriages.

Source: Author SisterSeagull

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
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That Smells Good! Asian Herbs and Spices Quiz

This quiz looks at some common and a few of the uncommon herbs and spices used in my favourite cuisine. Just match the herb or spice with its description and let's cook up a signature dish!

Questions		Choices
1. Native to Afghanistan and Iran, which spice's name is a misnomer and might sound as if it should never find its way into food?		Turmeric
2. Which member of the parsley family, the seeds being a popular addition in Indian cuisine, was used in the ancient Egyptian mummification process?		Nutmeg
3. Which brightly coloured member of the Zingiber family is often used as a cheap alternative to the world's most expensive spice?		Fenugreek
4. In contrast to its name, which versatile plant, also used as a leafy vegetable, is not from southern Europe?		Cassia
5. Native to the Moluccan Islands of Indonesia, when whole, which pungent spice resembles a small nail?		Black cardamom
6. Which spice is used as a much cheaper alternative to that from a related species of tree native to Sri Lanka?		Cloves
7. Not as highly prized as its green namesake, which spicy seed pods are rarely used in dessert dishes unlike their aforementioned paler cousin?		Asafoetida
8. Which plant, mainly used as an herb, has seeds which are a very popular spice in Asian cookery and which have also found their way into the recipes of some alcoholic beverages?		Cumin
9. Around ninety per cent of the world production of which spice, the world's most expensive, takes place in Iran?		Coriander
10. Which sweet and nutty spice, one of two produced by the same tree, is best used grated directly into or onto the food?		Saffron