Agatha Christie's Culinary Connections 2 Quiz

Answer: chocolate

Miss Letitia Blacklock asked her cook, Mitzi, to make her famous chocolate cake, nicknamed "Delicious Death" by Patrick Simmons, for Dora Bunner's birthday celebration. Mitzi took exception to this nickname. Miss Blacklock told her that Patrick only meant that it was worth dying to eat such a cake. Mitzi replied, "Well, I do not like that word - death. They are not dying because they eat my cake - no, they feel much, much better."

If you google "delicious death recipe", you can find many recipes for chocolate cakes bearing this name.

Answer: Bertram's

In the novel "At Bertram's Hotel", Miss Marple is treated to a fortnight's holiday at the hotel in London, courtesy of her nephew Raymond West and his partner Joan. She had stayed at Bertram's Hotel as a young girl and was delighted to find that it had not changed a bit and that the food exceeded her expectations.

Two hotels in London claim to be the inspiration for the fictional Bertram's - Fleming's Mayfair on Half Moon Street and Brown's Hotel on Albemarle Street - both of which are oldfashioned hotels such as Agatha Christie described. Although Agatha Christie never divulged which hotel was the inspiration for Bertram's, she had been a guest at Brown's, so Brown's appears to have the stronger claim. The 1987 television episode featuring Joan Hickson as Miss Marple was filmed on location at Brown's Hotel.

Answer: The ABC Murders

In "The ABC Murders", a series of murders occurs with an alphabetical pattern. The first three victims are Alice Ascher of Andover, (Elizabeth) Betty Barnard of Bexhill-on-Sea and Sir Carmichael Clarke of Churston. Betty worked as a waitress at the Ginger Cat Cafe, an establishment that served coffee, various types of teas, and lunch dishes such as "scrambled eggs and shrimps and macaroni au gratin".

This novel was published in 1936, in the middle of the Great Depression. In 1930s Britain, macaroni cheese was a popular and cheap comfort food that was commonly served in tearooms for lunch.

Answer: Prudence (Tuppence) Cowley

In Agatha Christie's second novel, "The Secret Adversary", Prudence (known as Tuppence) Cowley and her future husband, Tommy Beresford, create their own business, advertising themselves as "two young adventurers for hire". As they embark on their first case, they treat themselves to an expensive meal of "Hors doeuvre, Lobster à l'Américane, Chicken Newberg, and Pêche Melba" at the Piccadilly.

Peach Melba is a dessert named after an Australian opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba. It was invented by the French chef Auguste Escoffier around 1892-93 and consists of poached peaches, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry sauce.

Answer: Salome Otterbourne

Salome Otterbourne, author of sexually explicit novels, describes herself as "practically a teetotaller", but she was a secret chronic alcoholic.

Salome Otterbourne: "You may have noticed I never drink anything but water - or perhaps lemonade. I cannot bear the taste of spirits".
Hercule Poirot: "Then may I order you a lemon squash, Madame?"

Salome's daughter, Rosalie, does her best to cover up her mother's drinking. When Poirot raises the subject, Rosalie denies all knowledge of it. However, Poirot responds with, "Let us call the spade the spade and say it in one little short sentence. Your mother drinks, Mademoiselle."

Although recipes and terminology vary among countries, lemon squash is usually lemonade (lemon juice, sugar and water) added to carbonated water to make a lightly fizzy drink. Adding alcohol is optional.

Answer: fish paste

In "Sad Cypress", Elinor Carlisle is accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard. The motive is said to be jealousy because Elinor's fiance fell in love with Mary. Mary was poisoned by means of fish paste sandwiches containing morphine.

The evidence is circumstantial but highly suggestive that Elinor is the culprit. Elinor was the one who made the sandwiches. She had purchased the fish paste from the grocer's and while there, made an unfortunate comment to the grocer: "One used to be rather afraid of eating fish pastes. There have been cases of ptomaine poisoning from them, haven't there?" And one of the nurses reported a missing tube of morphine from her bag, to which Elinor had access.

Of course, Poirot manages to get to the truth and prove Elinor's innocence.

Answer: champagne

Rosemary Barton was poisoned at her own birthday party by potassium cyanide slipped into her champagne. Her death was initially accepted as suicide but her husband George became suspicious that it was murder and arranged a re-enactment dinner on the anniversary of her death, in the same place, with the same guests. As a result, George became the second victim, though not the intended one.

In Agatha Christie's time, sparkling wine was often generally referred to as champagne. Nowadays, the name Champagne is legally protected and specifically refers to sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France.

Answer: omelette

Mrs McGinty is murdered and James Bentley is due to hang for it. Superintendent Spence doesn't think he is guilty and, wanting to prevent a miscarriage of justice, appeals to Poirot for help. This brings Poirot to the village of Broadhinny where he takes a room at the Summerhayes' guesthouse.

To say Maureen Summerhayes is not a good cook is a bit of an understatement. "Luncheon was understewed oxtail, watery potatoes, and what Maureen hoped optimistically might turn out to be pancakes".

Poirot complains to his friend, Ariadne Oliver, "I suffer...the cooking of Madame Summerhayes, it is beyond description. It is not cooking at all...And the coffee, words cannot describe to you the fluid which they serve to you as coffee. It is an affront to the stomach."

He later tells Superintendent Spence, "I have given Mrs Summerhayes a cookery book and have also taught her personally how to make an omelette. Bon Dieu, what I suffered in that house!"

Answer: mushroom soup and curried chicken

When the family fell ill after dinner, Lucy Eylesbarrow calls Dr Quimper. She tells the doctor that dinner consisted of mushroom soup, curried chicken and rice, and fruit jelly. Dr Quimper takes samples of the curry and the soup. There was nothing left of the fruit jelly and all the dishes had been washed up. It is later alleged that the curry contained arsenic.

Answer: apples

Joyce Reynolds is found drowned in a galvanised bucket of water in the library, not long after boasting that she witnessed a murder. The bucket had been used in a "bobbing for apples" game. Ariadne Oliver, a guest at the Halloween party, is well-known for her love of apples (as was Agatha Christie herself). However, after Joyce's death, she becomes repulsed by apples and switches to dates.

Botanically speaking, "fruit" is a term which refers to that part of a plant which contains the seeds. Apples, oranges and mandarins are sweet fruits. Pumpkin, although botanically a fruit, is not sweet and tends to be eaten more as a vegetable - similar to tomatoes and avocadoes. "Vegetable" is a culinary rather than a botanical term and generally refers to any part of a plant (other than sweet fruits) that is edible. This includes roots, leaves, bulbs, and stems.

Both apples and pumpkins are associated with Halloween.