22+ Food Trivia: Test Your Ultimate Knowledge of Incredible Eats!

Explanation: John Harvey Kellogg originally developed Corn Flakes at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. He believed it would reduce sexual desire, promoting a healthier lifestyle through bland food.

Related Fact: The original Kellogg’s Corn Flakes box didn’t feature a rooster. It was added later as a symbol of virility.

Explanation: Despite the name, French fries are widely believed to have originated in Belgium. They are said to have been created when rivers froze over, preventing fishermen from catching fish to fry.

Related Fact: The average Belgian consumes approximately 38 pounds of fries per year.

Explanation: Saffron comes from the stigma of the Crocus sativus flower, and each flower only produces three stigmas. This is why saffron is so expensive.

Related Fact: It takes around 140,000 flowers to produce just one kilogram of saffron.

Explanation: Botanically, a berry develops from a single ovary of a single flower and has seeds inside the flesh. Bananas fit this description, while strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are aggregate fruits.

Related Fact: Bananas float in water because they are less dense compared to it.

Explanation: Hummus is a dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. It is a staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.

Related Fact: The oldest known recipes for dishes similar to hummus have been found in 13th-century Arabic cookbooks.

Explanation: Marzipan is a confection made from ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites. It’s often used for decorative purposes in cakes and pastries.

Related Fact: Lübeck, Germany, is famous for its marzipan production, with some companies using recipes dating back centuries.

Explanation: Miso soup is a staple of Japanese cuisine, made with dashi broth and miso paste. It often contains seaweed, tofu, and scallions.

Related Fact: Different types of miso paste (white, red, etc.) have different flavors and fermentation times.

Explanation: Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese that is soft, rich, and slightly sweet. It forms the base of the creamy layers in tiramisu.

Related Fact: The name ‘Tiramisu’ literally translates to ‘pick me up’ or ‘cheer me up’ in Italian, likely referring to the caffeine from the coffee-soaked ladyfingers.

Explanation: Feta is a brined curd cheese made from sheep’s milk (or a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk). It’s known for its salty and tangy flavor.

Related Fact: Genuine feta cheese must be made in Greece from local sheep or goat’s milk to carry the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.

Explanation: Botanically, a fruit develops from the flower of a plant and contains seeds. Tomatoes develop from flowers and have seeds, classifying them as fruits.

Related Fact: The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in 1893 that the tomato should be taxed as a vegetable, based on its culinary uses rather than its botanical classification.

Explanation: Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables, most commonly napa cabbage and Korean radish, with a variety of seasonings.

Related Fact: There are hundreds of different varieties of kimchi, depending on the region, season, and ingredients used.

Explanation: Paella originates from Valencia, Spain. It’s a rice dish that often includes seafood, meat, and vegetables.

Related Fact: The name ‘paella’ comes from the Valencian word for ‘frying pan’.

Explanation: Bubble tea, also known as boba tea, gets its chewy texture from tapioca pearls, made from cassava root starch. They are cooked until soft and chewy.

Related Fact: Bubble tea originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and has since become a global phenomenon.

Explanation: Gnocchi are small, soft dumplings made from potatoes, flour, and eggs. They can be served with various sauces, such as pesto or tomato sauce.

Related Fact: Gnocchi is said to date back to Roman times.

Explanation: Pu-erh tea is a type of fermented tea traditionally produced in Yunnan province, China. The fermentation process gives it a unique flavor profile.

Related Fact: Pu-erh tea is often aged for years, and some aged pu-erh teas can be quite valuable.

Explanation: Haggis is Scotland’s national dish, traditionally made with sheep’s pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and traditionally encased in the animal’s stomach and cooked.

Related Fact: Robert Burns, the Scottish national poet, wrote a famous poem titled ‘Address to a Haggis’.

Explanation: Capsaicin is an active component of chili peppers that causes a sensation of heat when it comes into contact with mucous membranes. The Scoville scale measures the capsaicin concentration of chili peppers.

Related Fact: Birds are not affected by capsaicin, which allows them to disperse chili pepper seeds.

Explanation: Mageirocophobia is the fear of cooking. The term comes from the Greek word ‘mageirokos’, which means cook.

Related Fact: Interestingly, some people with mageirocophobia find joy in eating but feel anxious when faced with preparing meals.

Explanation: Honey primarily contains fructose and glucose, but fructose is present in a slightly higher proportion. This contributes to honey’s sweetness.

Related Fact: Honey is sweeter than table sugar (sucrose) because fructose is sweeter than glucose and sucrose.

Explanation: Sourdough bread relies on a sourdough starter, a fermented culture of wild yeast and bacteria. This starter gives sourdough its characteristic tangy flavor and chewy texture.

Related Fact: A sourdough starter can be maintained and used for decades, with some families passing down their starters through generations.

Explanation: Reduction is a cooking technique where a liquid is simmered or boiled to evaporate water and concentrate the flavor. This also increases the liquid’s thickness.

Related Fact: Chefs often use reductions to create flavorful sauces and glazes.

Explanation: Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world due to the labour intensive harvesting process. Only 3 stigmas are available per flower and it has to be hand-picked.

Related Fact: Saffron is used not only in food, but also in dyes and medicine.