1. What is tortellini?

These are ring shaped pasta from the areas of Bologna and Modena and are usually stuffed with meat. The are served in a broth, or ragu (Bolognese sauce) or cream. I love this region of Italy – especially for the fact that both Ducati and Ferrari have their factories in this area.

2. What is the difference between a lassi and a smoothie?

Oh yay, a question relating to the food I have been cooking a lassi is a yoghurt based drink from the Punjab region. A lassi can be a savoury drink that has spices, salt and pepper mixed with the yoghurt, or blended with ground cumin, or a sweet drink made with sugar. A smoothie is a blend of fresh and frozen fruit or vegetables, either alone, or with ice, or with frozen yoghurt (or if you are my mom, icecream). Honey is added to the blend and it is mixed to a nice thick milkshake consistency. At the gym I go to they offer additives of whey powder or barley grass, but I like mine with my home made granola in it for a complete meal. 

3. What does caramelised mean?

Like your wonderful onions – caramelization occurs when the natural sugars in food cooks out and colours what is being cooked. This can be helped along by adding sugar to the dish. 

4. Give another name for lemongrass.

Citronella

5. What is a mirepoix?

A base for risotto, soups, stocks etc. made up of 2 parts onions, 1 part carrot and 1 part celery – all cut into even sized pieces. 

6. The scientific name for cacao beans is theobroma cacao. What does it mean?

Have you been watching Willie’s Chocolate program on channel 180? From bean to bar – pity I did not know about it before we went to the UK this year as I would have got some pure cacao bars the answer is food of the gods if my memory is good 

7. Mango is native to which country?

India

8. What will you get if your dish is served cordon bleu?

The literal translation is Blue Ribbon but I would prefer Michel Roux JNR!

9. What are the ingredients for Drambuie?

One of my favourites, heather honey and malt whisky with a blend of herbs and spices

10. What is molasses?

it is a by product of the process of turning sugar cane or sugar beets into sugar. it has a thick, honey like texture and is a sucrose based product (lesson learnt from a friend of mine who grew up on a sugar cane farm)

11. Name the method used to preserve food by salting, such as meat and fish.

if you use salt and water the method is pickling. if you use salt without water it is called curing. I just plain prefer biltong! (that is similar to beef jerky if you are American(

12. Name the four Indian breads.

There is Roti from the Rajasthan region; and Naan from the Delhi region (I got them confused when I started cooking from my curry book, and served the Naan with the first dish, and so used Roti with the Delhi dish); paratha. I have no clue about the fourth one. 

13. What is arrowroot and what is it used for?

It is an edible starch that when made into a flour is gluten free. It can be used in the same way as corn flour (maizena) to thicken sauces. It will not colour the dish in the same way corn flour can make the sauce cloudy, so can be used to thicken gels (for terrines etc.) It has no flavour and you need less of it than corn flour or ordinary flour to thicken a sauce. It cannot be used with dairy products. In SA this is readily available at a good health shop but can be found as a common store item in the supermarkets in Australia.

14. Why do apples float when placed in water?

So you can bob for them. I suppose something floats in water when it is less dense than the water?

15. What is the key to making perfect muffins?

And now I want a blueberry muffin for breakfast to get a perfect muffin to not mix the mixture too much. it must still be lumpy and just mixed.

Tandy
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1. Why does butter stay fresher for longer than milk?

the solids in butter keep it fresher

2. Are refried beans fried twice?

no, they are soaked first (stewed) and then fried

3. What is baking powder made of?

baking soda, Sodium Bicarbonate, cornstarch

4. What is Italian cottage cheese called?

Ricotta

5. How are truffles detected?

Smelled out by boars/pigs

6. What are latkes?

potato pancakes (traditionally eaten on Hannuka with Lox)

7. What is the difference between fennel and anise?

in culinary terms, you can use the bulb (yummy with radish as a salad) the leaves (good with fish) and the seeds (for masala) Fennel seeds have an anise flavour. Fennel seeds are larger than anise seeds. Anise seeds have a licourice flavour. 

8. What ingredient gives pumpernickel bread its dark colour?

if it were an ingredient it would be the rye berries. but the slow baking process is what gives it the dark colour.

9. Why must you avoid over mixing the dough when making biscuits?

the biscuits will spread and become flat and too chewy

10. Which herb is most often used to flavour a tomato-based sauce on a pizza?

oreganum or marjoram (of which I have an abundance of in my garden)

11. From where do apricots originate?

India

12. What is a whitewash?

(my main business is Hardware, so I assume you don’t mean the painting technique!) using milk instead of egg to make pastry go a lovely golden brown

13. How is Italian meringue made?

the sugar is heated to boiling point and the sugar syrup is used instead of caster sugar with the egg whites

14. Which pepper is also known as anise pepper?

Sishuan Pepper

15. The greenish substance found when opening a lobster is referred to as tomalley. What organ is this?

the liver and the pancreas

Tandy
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Here is another OLD post

1. What is the difference between mushrooms and truffles?

a mushroom is a fungus that grows above ground where as a truffle grows below ground

2. What is a smorgasbord?

a table of mixed foods to be shared, like a mezze platter, but from Scandanavian countries

3. What is traditionally added to risotto Milanese?

saffron

4. Where is beer not considered an alcoholic drink, but legally a staple food?

Germany

5. What is a beignet?

oh my favourite accompianment to hot chocolate at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans I describe them as the doughnut holes and they are scattered with castor sugar

6. Capsaicin, which makes hot peppers “hot”, is best neutralized by which protein?

lactose

7. What is the difference between amaretti and amaretto?

amaretti are biscuits made with almonds, and amaretto is almond liqueur

8. Which Japanese dish is cooked at the table?

Teriyaki

9. Why do bananas sweeten as they ripen?

the starch develops

10. What are blondies?

white brownies

11. What flour is made from finely ground chickpeas?

besan

12. What is arachibutyrophobia?

the fear of touching spiders

13. Which fruit is said to have grown in the hanging gardens of Babylon?

figs

14. Name the Moroccan mixture that has 20 or more ground spices and is used for seasoning soups and stews?

ras el hanout

15. Which resin is related to the pistachio and used for flavouring Turkish delight?

glucose?

Tandy
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