The Wurst of Thymes Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thyme

Thyme and basil are both commonly used in Guyanan black pudding. The cooked sausage is usually served sliced and with a sauce that ranges from mild to extremely hot in different regions.

Thyme is a good source of iron and is widely used in cooking. It plays a significant role in Albanian, Arabian, French, Greek, Indian, Italian, Macedonian, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish cuisines, and is widely used in the Caribbean.

Answer: Paprika

Kulen uses minced pork as its primary meat component, but is low-fat, producing a dense and brittle texture. The spicy flavor comes from red paprika, which also contributes to its traditional color and aroma. The use of hot red paprika means that pepper is not traditionally used in kulen, but garlic is usually added.

Answer: Fennel

Many Italian sausages are pure pork, although beef is sometimes also included. In the southern parts of the country, chili and fennel seeds are the primary spices used; in the north, black pepper and parsley are more commonly added.

Answer: Coriander

Coriander leaves are an ingredient in many Asian and Mexican cuisines, although now not as common in European cooking as they once were. The seeds are an essential ingredient in many Indian dishes, where coriander is often paired with cumin seed. They are also used in pickling, as a substitute for caraway seeds in rye breads, and in brewing some styles of beer.

Answer: Nutmeg

The nutmeg is an evergreen tree native to the Banda Islands, but which is now grown in Malaysia, parts of India, and the Caribbean island of Grenada. The actual seed of the tree is nutmeg; the seed is covered by a reddish lacy layer, which is easily removed and, when dried, becomes the spice known as mace.

Pork sausages using nutmeg, along with pepper, allspice or other similar sweet spices, sometimes with the addition of mustard seed, onion and sugar for flavoring are popular in Nordic countries. The Danish refer to them as polse, the Norwegians as polsa or kury, the Swedes as kory, and in Iceland they are called bjuga or pylsa. (I apologise for being unable to reproduce the proper vowel symbols for these languages.)

Answer: Ginger

Portuguese chourico is made from pork, fat, wine, paprika and salt stuffed into natural or artificial casings and slowly dried over smoke to produce the final sausage. In Goa, the wine is replaced with vinegar, and the spices used include chili, garlic, ginger, cumin and turmeric. The chourico is then dried in the sun rather than being smoked.

Answer: Mint

Perilla is also called beefsteak plant, purple mint, Japanese basil and wild coleus. There are varieties with both green and purple leaves, and the herb has an intense flavor. In Nepal its seeds are ground with chili and tomatoes to make a dip. Perilla is considered to be a good source of minerals and vitamins, and to have anti-inflammatory properties.

In addition to perilla, sundae are often flavored with scallions, fermented soybean paste called doenjang, pickled vegetables called kimchi, and soybean sprouts. They are a popular street food in South Korea.

Answer: Pepper

The name of this sausage comes from the Turkish term 'kaban' for a hog. In some rural areas you can still find them made from a larger variety of meats, including beef, lamb and horse, but the majority are pork. In some parts of Europe they are referred to as cabanossi. Kabanosy are often served cut into bite-sized cubes, with cubes of cheese and vegetables, as an appetizer.

Answer: Bay leaves

Goetta (the name is of German origin) is usually made from ground pork and chopped oats, but sometimes beef is mixed with the pork. The mix also often contains onions and other vegetables. It is so popular in the greater Cincinnati area (where almost all of the commercially-produced goetta is consumed) that is has been nicknamed 'Cincinnati caviar'. Goetta is typically formed into small loaves, then cut into slices and fried, but links and other forms are also produced.

Answer: It is a vegetarian sausage.

Glamorgan sausage (Selsig Morgannwg ) is a traditional Welsh vegetarian sausage made from cheese, leeks and breadcrumbs (and often egg to bind it). Originally it was made from Glamorgan cheese, using the milk from Gwent cows, a breed of white cattle, which is no longer produced. Caerphilly cheese is a similar cow's-milk cheese (white, dry and crumbly), and is currently used for the sausage.

The mixture, which may also include herbs (such as parsley) and spices (pepper, salt, mustard) to taste, is formed into a sausage shape, coated in breadcrumbs and fried.