This is my answers to Friday’s Food Quiz number 69, but please read Tandy’s post here or here as well as Sideview’s post for great answers!!
1. What tree gives us prunes?
A: The plum tree.
2. What drupaceous fruit were Hawaiian women once forbidden by law to eat?
A: The coconut.
3. What is Tapenade?
A: Tapenade is a thick paste made from capers, anchovies, ripe olives, olive oil, lemon juice, seasonings and sometimes small pieces of tuna. It’s used as a condiment and served with crudités, fish, meat, etc.
4. What are the main ingredients of Alfredo sauce?
A: It is a white sauce made from cream and butter and often parmesan cheese. It’s great over pasta!
5. What is the difference between Oregano and Marjoram?
A: Marjoram’s Latin name is O.majorana and oregano is called O.vulgare. Both marjoram and oregano come from Europe andEurasia. They are members of the mint family which provides us with many well known culinary herbs. Marjoram and oregano do have different tastes. Marjoram is milder and is described as having a sweeter aroma and a slight after taste of mint. Oregano is a stronger slightly peppery tasting herb with an after note of lemon.
6. What is the Amla herb and how is it used?
A: Amla, or Indian gooseberry, is the fruit of a small to medium-sized deciduous tree native toIndia. The berries, which are light greenish yellow, with a fibrous inner texture and a sour, bitter, astringent taste-ripen and are harvested by hand in the fall. In Hinduism, the amla tree is considered sacred to the goddess Lakshmi. A much-beloved staple of traditional Ayurvedic medicine, amla is considered a cooling pitta herb and is believed to benefit the emotional heart as well as the physical heart and body, bestowing long life, happiness and luck in love.
7. What do you use to make Wasabi?
A: Wasabi is native to Japan and is a semi aquatic perennial with long stemmed, heart shaped leaves. The plant’s leaves can reach 40cm. There are a number of varieties, but they all form thick, knobby rhizomes. The root of the plant is used to make Wasabi.
8. What is the difference between a compote and a coulis?
A: A compote is a mixture of fruit cooked in a sugar syrup and a coulis is fruit that is puréed.
9. What is “Alfajores” and where did it originate from?
A: Alfajores are two biscuits that are stuck together with dulce du leche and rolled in coconut. It originated in South America.
10. What is “pão” (pãozinho)?
A: Pão is a delicious Mozambican version of Portuguese bread rolls, made by local artisan village bakers in wood fired ovens.
