Too Much and Never Enough Trivia Quiz

Answer: Caramel

Flan is a dessert that can have many different connotations around the world since it can be prepared with a variety of ingredients. The dessert typically is prepared by mixing eggs, sugar, and milk, forming a gelatinous texture that gives it a unique shape. Venezuelans, for instance, know the dessert as "Quesillo" (which literally means "little cheese"), because it has little holes that resemble those found in cheese.

In Mexico, the dessert is known as Flan Napolitano and contains evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, and vanilla, in addition to the base ingredients of eggs, sugar, and milk.

The dessert is then smothered in a delicious caramel sauce that makes it even more enjoyable!

Answer: Rice

Growing up in Mexico, I couldn't possibly understand how rice could be served as a dessert and how so many people could enjoy it! I later tasted it with a fresh perspective and liked its taste (though I still wouldn't call it my favorite). Arroz con leche (rice with milk) is prepared by boiling the rice in milk with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.

The result is a thick and creamy mixture that can be served either hot or cold, garnished with powdered cinnamon, raisins, or lemon peels. Versions of this dish also exist in countries like Turkey, Peru, and Malaysia.

Answer: Tamales

Tamales are a staple of Mexican cuisine since prehispanic times. Mesoamerican cultures like the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs loved to use corn in their foods and mastered its cultivation and harvest. Many popular Mexican dishes like tortillas (which are themselves the base for other foods like tacos and quesadillas), elotes, and esquites are also prepared with corn as their main ingredient. One more use of corn in Mexican kitchens is tamales, a dish typically made with corn masa, lard, and a variety of meats and vegetables. The trademark characteristic of tamales is that they are wrapped inside corn husks (though leaves of other plants like banana and avocado have also been used for this purpose) and steamed, giving them a unique flavor and texture. Sweet versions of tamales involve similar preparation methods but substitute the normal ingredients with sugar and fruits (modern versions also use complements like Nutella and dulce de leche).

Though many Mexicans enjoy tamales year-round, they are commonly eaten in February for Dia de la Candelaria festivities. On January 5 and 6 (Dia de Reyes or Kings' Day, a holiday inherited from the Spaniards), Mexicans eat a bread called rosca de reyes where a plastic figure is hidden. The person who gets the piece with the figure, per tradition, buys tamales for the whole family on February 2.

Answer: Concha

"Concha" literally means "shell" in Spanish (in fact, seashells or oysters could also be referred to as "conchas" in day-to-day conversation). In this context, a concha is one of the many types of pan dulce that are enjoyed all over Mexico. Types of sweet bread may include cuernitos (very similar to croissants), mantecadas (a muffin-like pastry), and the typical pan de muerto, a special bread covered in sugar that is eaten in November for Day of the Dead festivities. Conchas are baked with a sugar and lard layer placed over them, sometimes cut into shapes before baking so that it gets the characteristic shell-like pattern when it's finished.

They are enjoyed with nata or cream and are a must-try bread when in Mexico!

Answer: Coconut

Cocadas are a candy that I used to avoid when I went to the beach because I didn't think its stickiness was appropriate for eating in hot weather. Fortunately, my mind changed after I tasted one of these desserts for the first time! The pastry-like sweet uses coconut, often found growing in palm trees in or close to the beach, as its main ingredient. Shredded coconut is combined with sugar, eggs, and vanilla which are mixed together in a pot.

The mixture is then baked into circular or square shapes.

It is a common snack to see at the beaches of Mexico like Acapulco and Cancun, and is popular among tourists.

Answer: Creme brulee

Guadalajara is the capital city of the state of Jalisco, and one of the most important ones in the country. It is known for its cultural elements that are representative of the whole of Mexico like mariachi and tequila, and also for its impressive gastronomical offering (foods like birria, tortas ahogadas, and menudo are all from there).

Another food typical of the region is the jericalla, a dessert prepared by mixing egg yolks, milk, vanilla, cinnammon, and sugar. When baked in the oven, the sugar on top burns a little bit to give it that famous look that also is found in the French creme brulee.

The French dessert is very similar to the jericalla and prepared almost identically. Another similar dessert is the Spanish crema catalana.

Answer: Churros

The origin of churros is not known with certainty, and there is a constant debate over the historical birthplace of this delicious snack (countries like Spain, China, and Mexico have all claimed ownership of the original churro). The Chinese, for example, have a dish called youtiao which is essentially a churro: fried dough with a side of coffee (or more typically, soy sauce or a spicy sauce).

The Spanish version is sweeter and is closer to what we recognize today as a churro: a fried, cylindrically-shaped dough coated in sugar and sometimes cinnamon which can be dipped in hot chocolate sauce or coffee.

It is possible that the Spaniards brought this food to Mexico when they arrived to, and colonized, the Americas. Churros are now a traditional dessert in both Spain and Mexico.

Answer: Peanut

The recipe to make a Mexican mazapan is relatively simple: you only need eggs, sugar (in most cases confectioners' sugar), and peanut (though this last ingredient can be substituted with a variety of other items like almond, amaranth, and even pumpkin! The sweet is extremely fragile because of its ingredients, so it crumbles almost as soon as it is opened. It is enjoyed as a children's snack but is also widely popular among adults all over the country. The candy is similar to Spain's turron, which is prepared with almonds, eggs, and honey or sugar. The Iberian version is stickier and in most cases sweeter than the Mexican mazapan.

The American fast-food chain Five Guys is known for having peanuts available for customers to eat when walking into their restaurants, as well as for using peanut oil to fry most of their food, including the traditional french fries.

Answer: Cajeta

Obleas are eaten all over Latin America with variations in countries like Mexico and Colombia. They are considered wafers or cookies but are much thinner than the typical cookie. The dough is made with water and wheat flour, as well as eggs, sugar, oil, and sometimes anise.

When ready, they can be eaten by themselves or with a filling of chocolate, honey, or nut spread. One of the most common fillings is cajeta, a Mexican spread made with burned goat milk. It is very similar to Argentina's dulce de leche but normally darker in color, and is enjoyed by Mexicans as a spread with bread or in the preparation of various desserts.

Answer: Palanquetas

Palanquetas are a pre-hispanic traditional candy that is eaten all over Mexico, and especially in Southern communities like Chiapas and Yucatan. Today's palanquetas are baked bars of peanut and piloncillo, which is a variant of brown or panela sugar. The peeled peanuts are mixed with the molten piloncillo and then placed on a baking sheet.

Afterwards, they are cut into bar shapes and wrapped individually. Originally, palanquetas were made with toasted corn and honey but these were replaced by peanuts and piloncillo after the Spaniards arrived in Mexico. Variations can also be prepared with dried fruits and different types of nuts.