Apricot Variety Trivia Quiz

Answer: Early ripening

"Praecoquus" derives from the "Praecox", meaning "premature". In Greek, "praecoquus" was rendered as "praikokion" and later this gave rise to the word "verykokon" for the fruit, which the Arabs modified to "al-barquq", introducing it into Catalan as "albercoc" and later "abercoc", a term which the French language rendered as "abricot", finally reaching the English language just after 1500 with the familiar form "apricot".

Answer: Prunus Armeniaca

Since the most abundant fields of apricots known to Europeans were located in premodern Armenia, the association seems natural. Modern Armenia has adopted the apricot as its national tree.

Answer: Duduk

The duduk is a double reed woodwind instrument and a very important part of Armenian musical culture. Its sound is very similar to that of an oboe or a bassoon. Similar musical instruments found throughout the Caucasus are the balaban and mey.

Answer: China

Since the late 20th century, it has been a consensus that the apricot was first domesticated in Central/East Asia, particularly China; from there, its cultivation spread to West Asia (including historical Armenia) and other parts of the world.

Answer: Confucius

This story has arrived to us through the writings of Zuangzi, a Chinese philosopher who lived in the 4th century BC. Zuangzi bequeathed to posterity a collection of his own teachings, entitled with his name, which became the second most important book containing the fundamentals of Taoism, with only the Tao Te Ching being more important.

Answer: United States of America

This superstition is said to originate from the times of World War II, when, supposedly, once an apricot ration was to be consumed, a tank broke down and is clearly documented since the Vietnam War. In a manner similar to how Shakespearean actors call Macbeth as "The Scottish Play", so do US Marines call the apricot as "Forbidden Fruit" or "the A-fruit".

Answer: Cyanide

Because of the danger of cyanide poisoning, there are relatively few uses for apricot kernels. The cyanide is contained in the substance of amygdalin, which has been used in alternative medicine occasionally, yet its risks far outweigh the potential benefits.

Answer: Ferdinand I

Ferdinand I reigned from 1835 until his abdication in 1848. Due to his earnest will to be a good monarch and do good things for the peoples under his rule, he became known as "The Benign" or "The Benevolent". Yet, ultimately many people under Habsburg rule wished for more autonomy for their nations and revolted in 1848, making Ferdinand renounce his throne.

Answer: Hungary

Although the beverage is made from apricots, the word "barack" in Hungarian denotes both the apricot and the peach. Fruit brandies in Hungary and central Europe in general are called "palinka."

Answer: Lyuba Yakimchuk

Yakimchuk is herself from the Donbas region, namely from Luhansk Oblast. When Russia started hybrid warfare against Ukraine, first by annexing Crimea and then implementing the creation of separatist, unrecognized "People's Republics" in Donetsk and Luhansk, at least hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee for refusing to renounce their Ukrainian identity. Yakimchuk was one of them.

Her poetry collection focuses on civilians living close to the war zone, on the repression suffered by those living under occupation, and on the hope of returning to the little homeland that was lost because of the invasion.