Smart Cookie Trivia

40 Food and Drink Trivia Questions and Answers (Easy to Hard)

Ingredients, dishes, drinks, and kitchen terms from around the world. These start easy and get harder as you go. Tap any question to reveal the answer and a quick fact.

1. 1In which country did pizza margherita originate?Answer

   ItalyIt comes from Naples and is said to be named after Queen Margherita.

2. 2What is the main ingredient in guacamole?Answer

   AvocadoThe dish dates back to the Aztecs in Mexico.

3. 3Which fruit is dried to make raisins?Answer

   GrapesDried plums, meanwhile, are prunes.

4. 4What is the seaweed wrapped around many sushi rolls called?Answer

   NoriIt is pressed into thin sheets and dried.

5. 5Which nut is used to make marzipan?Answer

   AlmondIt is ground and mixed with sugar into a paste.

6. 6What is tofu made from?Answer

   SoybeansSoy milk is curdled and pressed into blocks.

7. 7What is the main ingredient in hummus?Answer

   ChickpeasThey are blended with tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.

8. 8Which spice is the most expensive by weight?Answer

   SaffronEach thread is hand-picked from a crocus flower.

9. 9Which type of pastry is used to make éclairs?Answer

   Choux pastrySteam puffs it up, leaving a hollow to fill.

10. 10What is the main ingredient in risotto?Answer

    RiceShort-grain varieties such as arborio give it its creaminess.

11. 11Which drink is made by fermenting grapes?Answer

    WineYeast turns the grape sugars into alcohol.

12. 12Which saffron-colored rice dish comes from Valencia, Spain?Answer

    PaellaIt is traditionally cooked in a wide, shallow pan.

13. 13Which vegetable makes your eyes water when you chop it?Answer

    The onionCutting it releases a gas that irritates the eyes.

14. 14Which country is famous for the crescent-shaped croissant?Answer

    FranceIt descends from the Austrian kipferl.

1. 15Which country produces the most coffee?Answer

   BrazilIt has led world production for well over a century.

2. 16What is Korean kimchi mainly made from?Answer

   Fermented cabbageNapa cabbage is the most common base.

3. 17Which cheese is used in a classic Greek salad?Answer

   FetaIt is traditionally made from sheep's milk, sometimes mixed with goat's.

4. 18What is the spicy green paste served with sushi?Answer

   WasabiOutside Japan, most of it is actually colored horseradish.

5. 19Which herb is the main ingredient in traditional pesto?Answer

   BasilPesto alla genovese also uses pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan.

6. 20Which country does Gouda cheese come from?Answer

   The NetherlandsIt is named after the town of Gouda.

7. 21Which fruit carries its seeds on the outside?Answer

   The strawberryA typical berry has about 200 of them.

8. 22Which spirit is the base of a mojito?Answer

   RumThe cocktail comes from Cuba.

9. 23Where does Champagne get its name?Answer

   The Champagne region of FranceOnly sparkling wine from that region can legally carry the name in the EU.

10. 24What Italian term describes pasta cooked to be firm to the bite?Answer

    Al denteIt means "to the tooth".

11. 25Which spice gives curry powder its yellow color?Answer

    TurmericIt comes from the root of a plant in the ginger family.

12. 26Which Scottish dish is made from sheep's offal, oats, and spices?Answer

    HaggisIt is traditionally eaten on Burns Night.

13. 27Which compound makes chili peppers hot?Answer

    CapsaicinHeat is measured in Scoville heat units.

14. 28What is matcha?Answer

    Powdered green teaIt is central to the Japanese tea ceremony.

1. 29Which mold gives Roquefort its blue veins?Answer

   Penicillium roquefortiThe cheese ages in natural caves in southern France.

2. 30Which grape is used to make most red Burgundy?Answer

   Pinot NoirWhite Burgundy is mostly Chardonnay.

3. 31What three vegetables make up a classic French mirepoix?Answer

   Onion, carrot, and celeryTraditionally in a ratio of two parts onion to one each of the others.

4. 32What Japanese word names the savory fifth basic taste?Answer

   UmamiChemist Kikunae Ikeda identified it in 1908.

5. 33Which spirit is made from the blue agave plant?Answer

   TequilaIt must come from specific regions of Mexico.

6. 34What are the three ingredients of a basic béchamel sauce?Answer

   Butter, flour, and milkIt is one of the French mother sauces.

7. 35What is the main ingredient in baba ghanoush?Answer

   Eggplant (aubergine)It is roasted until smoky, then mashed with tahini.

8. 36Which fruit is distilled to make kirsch?Answer

   CherriesThe name comes from the German word for cherry.

9. 37Which country drinks the most tea per person?Answer

   TurkeyIt is usually served strong in small tulip-shaped glasses.

10. 38Manchego cheese comes from which country?Answer

    SpainIt is made from the milk of Manchega sheep in La Mancha.

11. 39What is ghee?Answer

    Clarified butterIt is a staple of Indian cooking.

12. 40Which spice comes from the inner bark of a tree?Answer

    CinnamonThe bark curls into quills as it dries.