How to Cook an Octopus Trivia Game | Food & Drink

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Let's get those tentacles ready! Before we can start with cooking, the octopus needs to be prepared. What is the first step to preparing an octopus?

Answer: cleaning

Because octopus is seafood, it has a high risk of causing food borne illness if not handled properly. The first step is getting the octopus cleaned from any dirt or bacteria before using it for food purposes. Wash your kitchen surface work area with hot water and soap first before working with the octopus. Be sure your hands are cleaned thoroughly with soap and water. Keeping the room temperature at a cool level will keep the octopus from spoiling while it is prepared. Octopus should be rinsed with cold water in a sink to remove any particles or sand.

After it is cleaned it should be dried with a clean towel.

2. Like many animals, not all parts of the octopus are desirable to eat. Which organs need to be removed from the octopus before it can be cooked?

Answer: eyes, entrails, stomach sack, and the beaks in the tentacles

The octopus can be scrubbed with sea salt to smoothen the tentacles and remove the slime. Eyes, entrails, stomach sack, and beaks in the tentacles should be cut and removed. (Entrails are internal organs such as the bowels.) Usually the head can be cut into strips to be cooked with the tentacles later.

After gutting the octopus, it should then be rinsed with water to remove any unwanted parts and salt remains.

3. Octopus meat can be very rubbery and is usually not edible unless it is tenderized. Which of these is a way you can tenderize the octopus meat before cooking?

Answer: simmer or roast it in a pan for one to two hours depending on the octopus' size

Octopus meat should be cooked slowly over low heat to give the muscle fibers time to soften, without drying the meat out. The tentacles can be slowly boiled in a pan of water or roasted in an oven under low heat to tenderize them. The larger the octopus, the longer it will take to tenderize. Beginners can avoid the long time process by starting their cooking skills with baby octopuses, which usually take less time to boil or roast.

4. After the meat has been tenderized, we can add a little flavor! Which of these are good ingredients to use to marinate octopus meat?

Answer: oregano, white wine vinegar,olive oil, lemon juice and salt

Beer may work for a southern style fish fry or barbecue, but it is probably not wise to use with our delicacy. Vinegars and oils are very good for marinating octopus meat because they can keep the octopus tender and flavored. Salt and oregano are good ingredients that can be used to season the marinating mix. Lemon juice is a great ingredient to preserve flavor, color, and keep seafood from spoiling.

5. The meat is seasoned, let's get the fire pit burning! To grill an octopus you can put it directly on the hot coals or grates. When grilling an octopus, how often is it recommended that the octopus meat should be turned or rotated to avoid over-cooking?

Answer: every 15 minutes

Overcooking an octopus can make the meat too tough to be edible. To keep the octopus tender, it is recommended that the octopus be turned frequently every 15 minutes. This ensures a better taste and keeps the octopus from becoming too rubbery. While grilling an octopus, other items such as pineapple and vegetables can be grilled as well to add flavor.

6. Braising is another way to cook an octopus, oven-style! After heating the oven to the recommended temperature in the recipe, what additional part should be removed from the octopus before seasonings are added to the bottom of the oven pot?

Answer: the head

The octopus head is not recommended for braising because of its size and its tendency to be gelatinous. Removing the head can save more room in the oven and also allow the rest of the octopus to cook thoroughly with the seasonings. Oven temperature and timing varies between recipes. Be sure to have preheated the oven before putting the octopus in. Add seasonings to bottom of the pot, place the octopus inside, and make sure it is covered with a lid.

Then place the pot in the oven to cook until it is ready to be served.

7. We are almost done, but before serving an octopus as our centerpiece entrée we need to take one more inspection. After cooking, what should be removed by running your fingers under the octopus legs?

Answer: gelatinous fat

Larger and older octopuses tend to have more fat cook out than the smaller octopuses. The fat can be removed by running one's fingers underneath the legs to check or if braised, by rinsing under water. This also can remove any other particles that may have accidentally gotten into tentacles during the cooking process.

After this inspection the octopus can be arranged, cut, and served for dinner! Lemon juice can be added for a finishing touch.

8. Octopus has been used in many prominent food dishes from cultures all over the world. Which of these cultures does NOT traditionally use octopus meat in its dishes?

Answer: Ethiopian

Octopus meat is used in many Hawaiian, Japanese, Greek, Spanish, Mediterranean and Italian dishes. It has even been served in some United Kingdom foods and countries as remote as Indonesia. However Ethiopia does not traditionally use octopuses in their food because it is a landlocked country that does not have direct access to the ocean.

9. Can an octopus be eaten safely alive?

Answer: yes

Octopus meat is usually not served rare. Live octopus can be eaten, but it is not recommended to do so without an experienced guide (preparing and eating a live octopus the wrong way can poison an individual or result in death). Octopus meat is usually too tough to chew or consume without being cooked or prepared in some form. Cooking also reduces the risk of food borne illness or diseases.

10. We've finished eating our meal, but there is still some octopus meat left over! Can an octopus be refrozen after it has been prepared and cooked?

Answer: No

Sadly, no. Octopus left overs can do fine for up to a week being refrigerated if they have been cooked and prepared right. However an octopus will spoil or deteriorate if it is thawed out a second time.

Source: Author exceller

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

How to Cook an Octopus Trivia Quiz

A taunting task indeed! Or is it? Grab your cooking utensils and let's take a look at an eight legged entrée!

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