Quiz on food

On July 25, 1908, Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University isolated monosodium glutamate, more commonly known as ajinomoto , a staple in Chinese cuisine. We’ll commemorate the occasion with a quiz on food and drink.

Food, glorious food

1 Which popular cake literally got its name from the quantity of the materials used in its creation?

2 Around 25 per cent of all hazelnuts grown globally are used for a singular purpose. Looking for a fairly specific answer.

3 Fill in the blanks of this famous quote by Winston Churchill. “The _____ and ______ drink has saved more Englishmen’s lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.”

4 In 2000, which global brand began airing ads featuring Jared Fogle, a student from Indiana University who had lost 245 pounds by restricting his diet to just two units of their product?

5 Which Indian dessert is believed to have been conceived by Pir Naqshbandi Sahib for workers building the Taj Mahal, who were bored of their daily fare?

6 If the Arabs call it the shawarma and the Greeks call it a gyro, what is the name given to this popular snack by the Turkish, who are believed to have invented it?

7 Which dessert made of ladyfingers (not the Indian lady’s fingers!) dipped in coffee and layers with a mix of eggs, sugar and cheese literally means ‘pick me up’ or ‘cheer me up’ in its native language?

8 Which hugely popular dish was said to have been invented when one of the Pandavas, pretending to be a cook, had to whip up some food for sage Durvasa on very short notice?

9 Bunny chow is hollowed-out half- or quarter-loaves of white bread filled with super-spicy curry. In which country was it the staple of the Indian community?

10 Which specific variety of kebab was invented when Nawab Asa-ud-Daula lost his teeth and demanded that his khansamas create something that was soft enough to chew with just his gums? A similar story is related about the Kakori kebab and the nawab who ordered its creation.

Answers

1 Pound cake. The original recipe called for one pound of sugar, one pound of butter, one pound of flour and one pound of eggs.

2 They are used in the manufacture of Nutella.

3 Gin and tonic. Tonic contains large quantities of quinine, which prevents the onset of malaria.

4 Subway; he would eat just two submarine sandwiches daily. Fogle was later imprisoned and Subway severed all ties with him.

5 The petha , which is still strongly associated with the city of Agra.

6 The doner kebab. The vertical rotisserie required to make this was invented in the Ottoman Empire.

7 Tiramisu; Italian.

8Avial . Legend is that lunch had already been served and consumed when the sage came to dine, so Bheem, then using the name Ballava, made a concoction of leftover vegetables. The sage is said to have loved the dish.

9 South Africa; the dish originated in Durban.

10Galouti kebab.

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster;

Twitter: @joybhattacharj

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