Fruit & Veg Salad Quiz | Fruit and Vegetables

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. How long does the asparagus plant take to mature properly?

Answer: About 3 years

Asparagus is one of the most nutritious vegetables available. It contains a large amount of folic acid which can not be stored in the body so it has to be consumed daily.

2. Asparagus is especially good for pregnant women. Why?

Answer: It protects the developing child from spina bifida

It is also a great diuretic (it cleanses the liver). Asparagus plants can be fussy plants to grow. You need to have plenty of patience. Asparagus plants need to be drained properly as they can develop root rot very quickly.

3. What family is the rhubarb a part of?

Answer: Sorrel

Rhubarb is generally thought of as a dessert fruit, but is actually part of the herb family sorrel. It is extremely sour and very acidic so when it is cooked it needs to have a lot of sugar added.

4. Which country first used rhubarb and what did they use it for?

Answer: China - medicinal purposes only

Rhubarb usage dates back to 2000 BCE. It is mostly made up of water and not very nutritious. It has a bit of vitamin C, calcium and fibre in it, but not enough for our recommended daily intake.

5. You can eat any part of the rhubarb plant.

Answer: False

The leaves of the rhubarb are mildly poisonous. It is not recommended that you try eating, cooking or smoking them. It is a good idea to mulch your rhubarb plants each autumn and spring as it helps the plant to retain moisture.

6. When does the rhubarb plant flower?

Answer: Spring & Summer

The best time of year to harvest rhubarb is late winter to early spring. Rhubarb stalks are best eaten immediately after being harvested, however, they will keep in the fridge for a week or two.

7. What family do kohlrabi, turnips and cabbages come from?

Answer: Brassicas

Brassicas also include cauliflower and broccoli. You can generally eat any part of a brassica plant, from the roots to the flowers. Kohlrabi is a stem that is either white or purple and is safe to eat raw.

8. Cavolo Nero is a name for what type of vegetable?

Answer: Cabbage

Cavolo Nero is Italian and the name of black cabbages. Cabbages and brussels reach a certain size and stop growing, so you can pick them whenever they look big enough for you.

9. Carrots weren't always orange. What colour were they originally?

Answer: Purple

Carrots now come in many different colours. Keep your eyes open for red, black, yellow, pink and white carrots. The leaves of carrot plants are also edible, and so are those of the beet plant.

10. Who is responsible for popularising orange carrots?

Answer: The Dutch

Carrots originated in the Middle East and have been eaten for thousands of years. Dutch growers, feeling very patriotic, began cultivating orange carrots in the sixteenth century in honour of the Dutch House of Orange.

11. Onions and garlic come from which genus?

Answer: Allium

Onions are the mostly widely eaten vegetables in the world. The whole allium family is very good for you as they help fight off colds and can help lower cholesterol. They also have anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.

12. When cutting onions, chemicals are released that make your eyes water. What is the central element in these substances?

Answer: Sulphur

There are many old wives' tales on how to prevent onions making you cry. Some of these include cutting onions under running water, chilling the onions beforehand or even freezing your knife beforehand.

13. Peas and broadbeans belong to which family?

Answer: Legumes

There are about 1,000 different types of legumes worldwide. Legumes are very rich in protein and generally cheap to grow and maintain, making them very popular garden vegetables.

14. In the Middle Ages, dried peas became a staple food among which class of people in Europe?

Answer: Peasants

Dried peas became popular for several reasons, including their nutritious value. Other reasons were that they were easily available, easily stored and relatively cheap.

15. Where were potatoes first cultivated?

Answer: South America

Potatoes were first cultivated around 6,000 years ago. The Incas in Peru believed the potato made childbirth easier and also used it to treat injuries. There are over 1,000 words for potato in Inca.

16. A single medium-sized potato contains nearly half the recommended daily intake of which vitamin?

Answer: C

Potatoes were first introduced to England in the sixteenth century. They are often referred to by their growing and cropping seasons, such as 'new', 'early' or 'maincrop' potatoes.

17. Pomodoro is Italian for which fruit?

Answer: Tomato

Tomatoes were originally yellow and as small as cherries. They were called 'golden apples'. Tomatoes were once considered deadly poisonous and people only began eating them during a famine.

18. Chillies boost your metabolism by 25%.

Answer: True

Chillies get the endorphins in your body going. This is what causes the rush of blood and sweating when you eat a chilli. If you have to handle really hot chillies, it's a good idea to wear a pair of kitchen gloves.

19. What should you avoid drinking if you are trying to 'cool down' after eating chillies?

Answer: Alcohol

The part of the chilli that contains the 'heat' is not the flesh or the seeds, it is the white membrane that connects the seeds to the flesh. When you deseed a chilli, make sure you remove all of the white membrane as well as the seeds.

20. Where have squashes and pumpkins been cultivated for the last 10,000 years?

Answer: North America

In botanical terms, squashes and pumpkins are classified as fruits, not vegetables, as are tomatoes. They became a favourite food of the Native Americans and have been grown in the area between Guatemala and Mexico for the last 10,000 years.

Source: Author natz1027

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Fruit & Veg Salad Trivia Quiz

Thanks to our friend Jamie Oliver, I've discovered some interesting facts about both fruits and veggies, how much do you know?

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