Food Quiz Number 10 For A Friday

~ Tandy

Here is Friday’s Food Quiz Number 10 and my answers. The questions are set by PinkPolkaDot, my very dear friend.

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. 

Frozen Yoghurt Smoothie

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.

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