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Chinese Food in Mandarin Trivia Quiz

When I went to China, I realized that I couldn't read a menu! Here are some words I learned that you might want in order to find out just what you're eating (or drinking) in China. All Chinese words are in pinyin.

A multiple-choice quiz by fab4lover. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
fab4lover

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
304,492

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
680

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In English, we have words for meat that are different from our words from the animal. Not in Chinese! If you want pork, you ask for pig meat.... So, what's the word for meat? Hint

cai

mian

rou

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. 2009 is the year of the ox, or niu. What more commonly eaten animal can 'niu' also mean? Hint

cow

pig

sheep

goat

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. My friend is Muslim and does not eat pork. What kind of meat in Chinese should she steer clear of? Hint

zhu

yang

niu

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. One of my favorite ways to eat Chinese meat is to eat chuan (or chuar in the north). What is chuan-style meat? Hint

cooked in a hot pot

in noodles

in rice

on skewers

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. 'Dou' means bean in Chinese, but which one of the following is NOT translated with 'bean' into English? Hint

hong dou

tu dou

l� dou

huang dou

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. What kind of nut is a 'hua sheng'? Hint

cashew

peanut

almond

pistachio

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Most restaurants in China will ask if you want rice with your meal. What is NOT a way to say 'rice'? Hint

mian

fan

bai fan

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. If you order a 'chao' dish, how is it prepared? Hint

roasted

deep-fried

stir-fried

steamed

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Question 9 of 10

9. Tea is very important and popular in China, and it is different than Western tea. We call it 'black tea' -- what do the Chinese call it? Hint

red tea

brown tea

blue tea

They also call it black tea

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. If a Chinese friend tells you that a certain restaurant serves food that is 'hen xiang', do you want to eat there or not?

Yes

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In English, we have words for meat that are different from our words from the animal. Not in Chinese! If you want pork, you ask for pig meat.... So, what's the word for meat?

Answer: rou

'Rou' is meat! 'Cai' is vegetable, dish, or cuisine (for example, 'bai cai' is cabbage, 'rou cai' is a meat dish, and 'zhong guo cai' is Chinese food). 'Mian' is noodles, and sometimes they are refered to as 'la mian' -- I once saw it literally translated to 'pull face' on a menu (as 'la' means pull and 'mian' can also mean face)!

2. 2009 is the year of the ox, or niu. What more commonly eaten animal can 'niu' also mean?

Answer: cow

Beef, very commonly eaten in China as in the west, is niu rou. Sheep is 'yang', and goat is 'shan yang' or 'mountain sheep', while pig is 'zhu'.

3. My friend is Muslim and does not eat pork. What kind of meat in Chinese should she steer clear of?

Answer: zhu

Some of the most delicious places to eat in China are Muslim noodle restaurants, which also serve rice dishes. Their specialty is often mutton, or 'yang rou'.

4. One of my favorite ways to eat Chinese meat is to eat chuan (or chuar in the north). What is chuan-style meat?

Answer: on skewers

Chuan means meat on a stick -- and the character looks exactly like two pieces of meat on a stick!

5. 'Dou' means bean in Chinese, but which one of the following is NOT translated with 'bean' into English?

Answer: tu dou

I hope the colors were a hint! 'Tu' means earth, so a 'tu dou' is a potato. 'Hong dou' is a red mung bean, 'l� dou' is a green mung bean, and 'huang dou' or 'yellow bean' is a soy bean.

6. What kind of nut is a 'hua sheng'?

Answer: peanut

Peanuts are actually quite popular in China, although Reese's products are only available in import stores as of 2009!

7. Most restaurants in China will ask if you want rice with your meal. What is NOT a way to say 'rice'?

Answer: mian

I probably left the most popular one out -- 'mi fan'! 'Mian' means noodles, and 'bai' means white.

8. If you order a 'chao' dish, how is it prepared?

Answer: stir-fried

'Chao fan' is 'fried rice'. Deep-fried is 'zha', steamed is 'zheng', and roasted is 'shao'.

9. Tea is very important and popular in China, and it is different than Western tea. We call it 'black tea' -- what do the Chinese call it?

Answer: red tea

Yes, 'black tea' is actually 'hong cha'! Green tea, however, is still green ('l�') in Chinese. Nobody that I know of in China drinks anything they call blue, brown, or black tea.

10. If a Chinese friend tells you that a certain restaurant serves food that is 'hen xiang', do you want to eat there or not?

Answer: Yes

'Hen' means very, and 'xiang' is a little hard to translate! It means fragrant, and can also be used to describe flowers and other things you don't eat. But it can also mean something like 'delicious' when describing food. This is how I think of it: if the food smells very good, and it tastes like it smells, then it is hen xiang!

Source: Author fab4lover

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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