Rice or Corn Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rice

Variations on this rice dish abound all over southern Asia, especially (but not exclusively) in Muslim groups. Its name probably derives from a Persian word meaning fried rice, but its preparation actually involves frying the spices before adding the rice to be partially cooked. Final preparation involves layering the spiced rice with marinated meat or seafood and selected vegetables before baking.

Some biryani styles prefer to cook everything separately, and layer the cooked ingredients before serving.

The result resembles the rice dishes called pilaf or pulao - in fact, there is some debate over whether they are in fact different, or just versions of the same fundamental dish with a different cooking style.

Answer: Rice

Congee is the English name for an Asian rice porridge, often consumed for breakfast, which is prepared by boiling the rice in an excess of water until it reaches the desired degree of gloopiness (not a technical term!). This can be thin and souplike or thick like oatmeal, depending on the water-to-rice ration used.

It is usually served with side dishes such as pickled vegetables and may be topped by shredded meat and/or vegetables to make a more substantial dish. Plain congee is often considered ideal food for those who are ill, and is often the first solid food offered to infants, due to its digestibility.

Answer: Rice

Kedgeree is a British dish, thought to have been adapted during the time of the Raj from the spicy Indian rice-and-lentil dish khichdi. Of course, the adaptation led to something quite different! Kedgeree has a base of boiled rice, which has been flavoured with your choice of spices (some recipes recommend curry powder, which is a pretty vaguely defined mixture). Flaked smoked haddock is stirred through near the end, and it is topped with hard-boiled eggs.

Other fish, such as kippers or tuna, can be substituted, and sometimes sultanas are added to provide a sweet lift.

It is often served with lemon wedges or Worcestershire sauce as optional additional condiments.

Answer: Rice

Biko is a sweet rice cake from the Philippines, made by cooking glutinous rice in coconut milk and mixing it with latik, a caramelised sauce prepared with brown sugar and coconut milk. It is set in a tray, then sliced into individual servings. There are an immense number of regional variants, with different names, some of which include the addition of purple yam or pandan leaves to produce a brightly-coloured sweet treat.

Answer: Rice

Originating in the region known as Maritime Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and other smaller nations), this is a fried rice dish whose distinct flavour comes from the inclusion of sweet soy sauce, shrimp paste, tamarind and chilli with the pre-cooked rice as it is being fried.

The dish may be completed with the inclusion of chicken, seafood, vegetables and/or egg. In Indonesia, where it is considered the national dish, it is often eaten for breakfast, using leftover rise from the previous evening's meal.

Answer: Corn

While most of the rice dishes in this quiz originate in Asia, the corn dishes tend to have their roots in the Americas, where maize was first cultivated into the product with which we are now familiar. Such is the case for grits, a porridge-like dish made from dried corn or (more commonly) hominy, which is corn that has been nixtamalized by soaking in an alkaline solution and having the outer hull removed. For a long time eaten almost exclusively in the southern part of the United States, it has spread through the country. Grits can be savoury or sweet, and may be either the main dish (as at breakfast) or a side dish (as in the iconic pairing of shrimp and grits).

Answer: Corn

A tamale is made from masa (dough made from nixtamalized corn) which is wrapped around a filling before being encased in a corn husk or banana leaf to be steamed. The filling can be almost anything: seasoned meat or cheese or vegetables for a savoury dish, fruits for a sweet dish, or whatever takes your fancy. Tamales have been eaten for several thousand years, spreading from the indigenous Mesoamericans to the rest of the Americas.

They are especially associated with the Aztec and Mayan cultures.

As they have spread, they have (don't be too shocked) developed a range of regional variants, which are sometimes given different local names.

Answer: Corn

Cou-cou, also known as fungee, is a dish originating in the Caribbean, made from corn meal and okra. The corn meal is cooked with the okra (balance of ingredients to taste) in water, stirring steadily to keep it from sticking while it develops the proper texture - which is firm enough to serve in slices.

This is traditionally done with a cou-cou stick, a wooden tool resembling a miniature cricket bat, whose wide blade assists with the stirring process. Cou-cou is often paired with steamed or fried fish - flying fish and cou-cou is considered the national dish of Barbados.

Answer: Corn

You may be familiar with this North American staple by another name, such as journey cake (it travels well), hoecake (after the type of pan in which they were cooked, which may or may not have been the actual blade of a hoe), Shawnee cake (Native Americans were undoubtedly the ones who taught European colonists how to use maize this way) or spider cornbread (another name based on the cooking utensil). Basically, you make them by mixing corn meal with water or milk then cooking. If your mixture is thick enough, it may resemble a loaf that can be baked. If it is thinner, you may drop the batter into a skillet and cook like a pancake. The result in either case is an unleavened bread which can accompany the meal of your choice.

In other parts of the world, a johnnycake or johnny cake may be different. In Australia, for example, the term is sometimes used to refer to the wheat bread usually called damper. In the Caribbean, they may be deep fried, may use wheat rather than corn, and may or may not include a leavening such as baking powder.

Answer: Corn

Italian cuisine was significantly affected by the availability of new ingredients from the Americas, and before the 16th century the dish called polenta (a name referring to the fact that the grain used in its preparation is ground) was made from barley, chickpeas, millet, or other grains.

Then corn arrived, and it is now mostly made from corn meal. The meal is simmered in 4-5 times its volume of liquid (as in other dishes, the balance of meal to water can produce a range of textures) and may be served directly as is or cooled to solidify into a loaf that can be sliced and further fried, grilled, etc.

It can be savoury or sweet, depending on the liquid chosen for cooking and other ingredients that may be added.