Dinner For Two Hundred Trivia Quiz

Answer: Elagabalus

Elagabalus became emperor at the budding age of 14 in a controversial manner through spreading rumors and utilizing a military coup that ousted his predecessor, the former emperor Macrinus. Elagabalus was described as being eccentric, and effeminate (the historian Cassius Dio records Elagabalus wearing wigs and makeup and desiring to be called a lady and even seeking out a physician who could perform a procedure to make him a woman), extremely hedonistic, and had developed a reputation for indulging in decadence and throwing lavish feasts.

His menus, recorded by the historian Lampridius, catalogued flamingo brains, camel heels, peacock tongues, and the heads of parrots and pheasants served to thousands of guests at a time. However, modern historians challenge the authenticity of these historical accounts due to animosity towards Elagabalus from writers of that time period. Many scholars, however, do agree upon the assessment of Elagabalus as being one of the most incompetent emperors of the Roman Empire.

Some accounts purport that Elagabalus was quite the prankster with one report claiming that on one occasion Elagabalus had a ceiling engineered to release an avalanche of rose petals, enough to smother the people sitting beneath it. Another account tells of inviting random strangers off the street to lavish banquets, then serving them food made entirely of wax, marble, or painted wood just to observe their reactions. The controversial Elagabalus only reigned a short 4 years before he was beheaded by his own Praetorian Guard, followed by his corpse being tossed into the Tiber.

Answer: Black

Domitian became emperor in 81 CE following the death of his brother Titus and was the last member of the Flavian dynasty to rule Rome. In 89 CE, he summoned Rome's most powerful politicians and soldiers to a midnight banquet for a macabre-themed meal. Upon arrival, guests were met with a scene straight out of a horror movie. Every surface of the dining hall was painted black: the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the furniture, and even the dishes themselves were dyed or colored black. Each guest's name was etched into a small gravestone-shaped slab made only visible by dim light adding to the eerie atmosphere. The naked servants attending the guests were painted black from head to toe, serving food associated with Roman funeral rites such as graveside commemorations for the dead.

Here's what the historian Dio records as to the mood of the guests who had the distinction to attend this black banquet: "And so every single one of the guests was terrified and trembling, in constant expectation of having his throat cut the next moment: all the more so because everyone except for Domitian was dead silent, as if they were already in the land of the dead. The emperor himself held forth only on topics relating to death and slaughter."

At the conclusion of the dinner, each guest was purportedly sent away alone in unmarked carriages, certain they were about to meet their fate, only to find when arriving home, gifts from the Emperor Domitian, a tombstone bearing their name, and the black-painted servant who had served them, theirs to keep. What a nice guy!

Answer: The menu featured forbidden, non-kosher foods like clams, crabs, and shrimp

The dinner, dubbed the Trefa Banquet, was hosted on July 11, 1883, at the Highland House restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio, to honor delegates attending the Council of the Union of American Union Congregations. In addition, the banquet was also honoring the first four graduates of the Hebrew Union College, whose ordination was being held at the same time as the convention. The term 'trefa' (treif/treyf) comes from Hebrew/Yiddish and translates to food that is not kosher.

According to one attendee, David Philipson, who described the reaction of two rabbis upon being served shrimp, "terrific excitement ensued when two rabbis rose from their seats and rushed from the room. Shrimp had been placed before them as the opening course of the elaborate menu." Upon hearing reports of the non-kosher menu, the 'Cincinnati Enquirer' seized on the controversy and published a menu which included the prohibited foods clams, crabs, shrimp, and frogs' legs. It also combined meat with dairy dishes. This evoked a response from Hebrew Union College's founder, Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise who refused to apologize, dismissing strict dietary observance as outdated "kitchen Judaism."

Another Jewish publication the 'American Israelite' claimed there was no outrage expressed during the dinner: "Not a murmur, not a word of displeasure, not a sign of disappointment was observable among the 300 or 400 ladies and gentlemen who partook of the entertainment." Regardless of the true accounts of what happened, the fallout following the dinner is believed to have contributed to the eventual founding in 1886 of the Jewish Theological Seminary, a conservative Judaism movement distinct from the Reform movement.

Answer: Henry IV of France

The Medici was a powerful Florentine banking dynasty that rose to dominate the politics, finance, and culture of Florence, Italy, from the 15th to 18th centuries. Marie was a Medici princess whose family's vast banking fortune made her an attractive match for Henry IV of France, who was deeply in debt to her father and needed her dowry to help cover the costs of his wars. The marriage was conducted by proxy, with Henry's representative, the Duc de Bellegarde, standing in for him at the Florence ceremony.

The wedding banquet took place in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence on 5 October 1600, attended by 4,000 guests beneath a 17-foot credenza shaped like the Lily of France and encrusted with semi-precious stones, displaying over 2,000 Medici treasures in gold, lapis lazuli, and rock crystal. Mirrors were strategically positioned to reflect the dazzling light that bounced off the jewels to illuminate the whole hall. The banquet was lavish and inspired by Roman feasts to the gods featuring "napkins folded into animals and fantastical creatures, sumptuous dishes arriving in sequence, peacocks reassembled with their plumage, pies in the shape of mythological figures". The entertainment was just as spectacular and included one of the earliest performances of opera as a genre, Jacopo Peri's "Euridice".

The sculptor, Giambologna, assisted by Pietro Tacca, supervised the casting of equestrian sugar sculptures for the banquet, many modeled after Giambologna's own bronze works.

The image depicts Bolingbroke Castle where King Henry IV of England was born and not Henry IV of France. If you knew that fact that would lead you to choosing the correct answer.

Answer: China

The Manchu-Han Imperial Feast is famous as a legendary Qing Dynasty banquet said to symbolically unite the ruling Manchu elite with the Han Chinese majority through a single fusion menu drawing on both culinary traditions. The Manchu-Han Imperial Feast allegedly spanned over 3 days and comprised of over 300 dishes featuring delicacies such as camel's hump, bear's paws, monkey's brains, ape's lips, leopard fetuses, rhinoceros' tails, and deer tendons. Legend has it the feast was held during Emperor Kangxi's 66th birthday in 1720 to ease tensions between the two groups.

The reason why the event is disputed amongst historians is primarily due to lack of contemporary records such as annals or edicts that would have been recorded in the Qing Dynasty courts documenting such a feast. Many historians alternatively trace the source of the story back to romanticized literature during the same time period. What is genuinely documented during Kangxi's reign was diplomatic peace meals held to pacify the military threat posed by Mongolian clans. These banquets were referred to as Mongolian Vassal Banquets by historians and their purpose was to secure alliances amongst the contested northern border of the Qing Empire.

Regardless of the origin of the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, the feast has permeated into popular culture with the portrayal of a re-enactment of an imperial meal in the 1995 film 'The Chinese Feast'. In 1977, a Japanese television broadcast network commissioned a Hong Kong restaurant to recreate the meal utilizing over 160 restaurant staff.

The photo hint if needed, depicts the popular Chinese cuisine appetizer known as egg rolls.

Answer: Thomas Jefferson

An iftar event refers to a gathering in which Muslim participants break their daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan, traditionally at sunset. The word 'iftar' comes from the Arabic root, meaning to break fast. The meal typically begins with dates and water, following the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, before moving into a fuller communal meal shared with family, friends, or political and religious leaders in the case of diplomatic iftars.

In the early 1800s, the budding United States found itself in an overseas conflict with Barbary Coast states known as the First Barbary War. The Barbary Coast region comprised of a regency of states which we know today as the modern Northern African nations of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya etc. The conflict stemmed from the seizure of American merchant ships and demanding tribute payments in exchange for safe passage through the Mediterranean.

In 1805, a Tunisian diplomat by the name of Sidi Soliman Mellimelli was in America representing the Beylik of Tunis in negotiations relating to the Barbary piracy conflict. Thomas Jefferson perhaps was one of the more culturally competent politicians of his time, Jefferson was said to have studied Islam and reportedly even owned a Q'uran. In December 1805, Jefferson reportedly sent a dinner invitation to Mellimelli to dine with him at 3:30 pm. However, one of Mellimelli's advisors replied that the envoy wouldn't be able to join until after sunset due to the observance of Ramadan. Jefferson had the invitation re-issued to adjust the timing to read precisely at sun-set to accommodate Mellimelli. John Quincy Adams, who also attended the iftar dinner, reported that this gesture of hospitality contributed to the resolution of the Barbary Wars.

The modern annual tradition wasn't revived until nearly 200 years later in 1996, when Hillary Clinton hosted a Ramadan Eid celebration. The photo hopefully guided you to the correct answer as it depicts Jefferson's famous Monticello residence.

Answer: Chestnuts were scattered across the floor for fifty scantily-dressed women to collect on their hands and knees

According to Johann Burchard in his 'Liber Notarum', the papal Master of Ceremonies, chestnuts were scattered across the floor of the hall, and fifty scantily-dressed courtesans crept about collecting them on hands and knees while Cesare Borgia, his father Pope Alexander VI, and his sister Lucrezia reportedly watched. Prizes, including silk tunics and shoes, were said to be awarded based on which courtesans performed the best, giving the evening its infamous, scandalous name.

Whether this purported chestnut contest happened or not, historians remain divided. Some uphold Burchard as a reliable source not prone to exaggeration while others doubt the account due to the reported behavior with the pope present as being 'out of character' for Pope Alexander VI.

Answer: Swear oaths to launch a crusade to retake Constantinople

In 1453, the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople, ending the eleven-century-old Byzantine Empire and sending shock waves through Christian Europe, with Constantinople viewed amongst many as the last bastion of Christendom in the East. As a response, this rekindled crusade fever amongst the European courts, however this only manifested in ceremonial gestures rather than military action.

Perhaps one of the most exaggerated displays of political theater, the 'Feast of the Pheasant' was hosted on February 17, 1454, in Lille, France, by Phillip the Good, Duke of Burgandy to court prestige and favor amongst the nobility rather than mounting a planned military mobilization campaign. The primary historical accounts of this banquet are in the form of two writings: 'Memoirs' by Olivier de la Marche and the 'Chroniques' by Mathieu d'Escouchy. These writings describe in great detail all the amazing shows and performances that happened during the meal.

Theatrical performances recounted by these writings include 24 musicians performing inside a giant pie/pastry, an actor dressed in white satin clothes portraying the Church of Constantinople rode upon an elephant that was led by another actor depicting a Muslim character, and a party trick involving a horse being ridden backwards. This fanfare was followed by the 'Voeux du faisan' or oath of the pheasant which allegedly involved a live pheasant adorned with jewels and a gold collar being brought before the nobles, who were called upon, one by one, to swear elaborate chivalric oaths pledging themselves to a crusade to retake the city.

Despite the glamorous ceremony and the solemnity of the vows, the crusade never actually happened. The photo should clue you into the correct answer as it depicts Constantine I the founder of Constantinople.

Answer: She dissolved one of the largest pearls in the world in vinegar and drank it

This event allegedly occurred in Alexandria around 41 BCE. During this time period, Cleopatra was reigning as the Queen of Egypt and Marc Antony was a member of the Second Triumvirate of Octavian making him one of the most powerful men in the Roman world. Cleopatra famously had a relationship with Marc Antony which was one of the greatest political and romantic partnerships of the time. Ancient sources recorded the duo enjoyed competitive feasting, drinking contests, and elaborate entertainments.

In his Latin work 'Natural History', Pliny the Elder recorded that in response to boasts made by Marc Antony effusing the extravagance of Roman banquets, that Cleopatra removed one of her two famously enormous pearl earrings said to be the largest pearls in the world at the time and dropped it into a goblet of vinegar, waited for it to dissolve, and drank it, winning the wager before Antony's appointed referee could stop her from dissolving the second earring to share the prize. Pliny claimed the pearls were valued at tens of millions of sesterces (an ancient Roman coin that was 1/4 of a denarius) which some historians estimate would be equivalent to 20-40 million dollars (2024 USD).

Critics question the authenticity of this account due to Pliny being the only ancient source for this specific event and the chemical process of vinegar dissolving a pearl which scientists have confirmed to be possible, takes considerably longer (24-36 hours) than over the course of a single dramatic dinner. According to some historians, most likely, if the event occurred, Cleopatra may have pre-softened the pearl in vinegar beforehand, crushed it, or used heated vinegar to accelerate the reaction.

Answer: Titanic

The RMS Titanic was the White Star Line's flagship ocean liner, billed as the most luxurious ship ever built, sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, after striking an iceberg at 11:40pm on the night of April 14, on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. Of the 2,223 passengers and crew on board, just 706 survived, driven partly by the fact that the ship carried too few lifeboats, and partly by the sheer speed at which it went down, sinking in under three hours.

The April 11 menu, discovered in a photo album belonging to a Canadian community historian in Dominion, Nova Scotia, near Halifax where Titanic rescue efforts were based, is the only known surviving copy from that date, and shows signs of having been submerged in the North Atlantic, with some of its lettering partially erased. The menu was sold by a UK auction house, for £83,000 ($102,000). A separate first-class dinner menu from April 14 (the actual night the ship struck the iceberg) sold for $118,000 at a Texas auction in 2015, making the menus from this single doomed voyage among the most valuable pieces of paper in maritime history.

A first-class ticket would set you back about $150 or approximately $4,200 in today's money. Having a first-class ticket in your possession aboard the Titanic, would've allowed you access to the opulent dining menu reserved for first-class that included oysters, duck, beef, and French ice cream amongst other culinary delicacies of the time which supports the adage that if you're going to go out, may as well go out in style! The picture depicts a cruise liner comprised of the iceberg variety of lettuce, providing a photo of an iceberg would have probably gave the correct answer away very easily!