Quick Foodie Quiz 21 – answers

Here are the answers:

1. What is ras el hanout?
   1. A blend of spices
   2. A traditional dish of lamb
   3. The Arab equivalent of a delicatessen
   4. An Arabic term for a sous chef

      Apparently it translates into English as ‘head of the shop’ – in other words, the best spices the shopkeeper’s got to offer. You can find out more on Wikipedia.

2. What is aguardente?
   1. A pasta dish like ravioli but less cooked
   2. A type of fork with an extra long tine
   3. A grape-derived alcohol used to fortify Port
   4. A piece of machinery used in wine making

      The meaning of the name approximates more or less to ‘fire water’. See also Decanter’s glossary.

3. What is a sassafras?
   1. A type of tree – the powdered leaves are used for flavouring
   2. A type of fish – mainly farmed for the production of inexpensive caviare
   3. A breed of kangaroo – farmed and fed on beer and peanuts
   4. A type of cooking pot – the South African equivalent of a tagine

      It’s a native of the eastern United States. Apparently it’s called filé in the Creole-speaking area, hence filé gumbo, as name-checked in The Carpenters’ song ‘Jambalaya’

4. Where did top chef Marcus Wareing start his restaurant career?
   1. Le Gavroche
   2. The Savoy
   3. Aubergine
   4. L’Oranger

      He’s worked in all of these places; The Savoy first, followed by Le Gavroche, and then Aubergine and L’Oranger in that order.

5. After taking his first catering job in an Essex restaurant whose grandmother is rumoured (according to the BBC chef biographies) to have refused to write to him because she couldn’t bring herself to put Essex on the envelope?
   1. Heston Blumenthal
   2. Nick Nairn
   3. Anthony Worrall Thompson
   4. Raymond Blanc

How did you get on?