Pick a Pepper Trivia Quiz

Many people love the taste of pepper in their foods. There are many types of pepper grown around the world and this quiz asks about some of them. The names are standard US names.

A multiple-choice quiz by bridgewiz. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
bridgewiz

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
329,903

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
1440

Last 3 plays: Guest 86 (2/10), Guest 1 (7/10), Guest 24 (9/10).

1. There is more than one type of plant that produce products called peppers. One of the most common types of pepper is the black pepper we find on most tables. What is the name of this pepper? Hint

piper longum

piper nigrum

pimenta obscura

capsicum

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2. Peppers are rated for their hotness on a scale that gives an idea of the relative heat of any capsicum pepper. What is it called? Hint

Beaufort Scale

Saffir-Simpson Scale

Mohs Scale

Scoville Scale

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3. Where in the world do the capsicum type of peppers, like jalapeno originate? Hint

The Americas

Africa

East Asia

Oceana

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4. All capsicum peppers contain capsaicin except one (that only contains trace amounts). Which is the exception? Hint

bell pepper

cherry

pimento

poblano

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5. Many peppers or chiles are called by a different name when dried. What is the name of a dried poblano chile? Hint

ancho chile

chile seco del norte

cayenne pepper

paprika

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6. Black pepper is not a member of the same family as the capsicum peppers. Another common pepper is also not from this family. Which one is it? Hint

Thai pepper

Habanero

Peperoncini

Sichuan pepper

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7. The hottest pepper known, as rated by the most commonly used Scale, is the Naga Jolokia pepper but has a more common name. What is this atomic bomb of a pepper more commonly called? Hint

habanero pepper

ghost pepper

serrano pepper

jalapeno pepper

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8. There is one Asian cuisine that is known for its highly spiced foods. There is a pepper that is named after this type of cuisine. What is it? Hint

Indian

Japanese

Chinese

Thai

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9. Cayenne pepper is not originally from Mexico as are many of the others. It is named after a city in another country. Which one is it? Hint

Panama

Suriname

Guatemala

French Guiana

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10. Other than its many varied uses in cooking, capsaicin is also used for a wide variety of other purposes. Which of the following is a common use of capsaicin? Hint

to produce sneezing

snuff

eye makeup

analgesic

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. There is more than one type of plant that produce products called peppers. One of the most common types of pepper is the black pepper we find on most tables. What is the name of this pepper?

Answer: piper nigrum

Piper nigrum is the dried fruit of the Piperaceae vine, originally from the Malabar coast of India. It was highly valued since ancient times. It has even been used as a type of money. The incorrect answers are different types of pepper, piper longum is long pepper, pimenta obscura is wild pimento, and capsicum is a whole family of peppers.

2. Peppers are rated for their hotness on a scale that gives an idea of the relative heat of any capsicum pepper. What is it called?

Answer: Scoville Scale

The Beaufort Scale rates the strength of the wind, The Mohs Scale the hardness of a mineral, and the Saffir Simpson Scale the strength of hurricane winds.
The Scoville Scale measures the amount of capsaicin in the pepper. A jalapeno pepper rates up to about 8,000 on the Scale, while pure capsaicin rates between 15 and 16 million on the Scoville Scale. All ratings are approximate as there is a range of ratings for all types of peppers, due to growing conditions and other factors, even among peppers grown on the same plant.

3. Where in the world do the capsicum type of peppers, like jalapeno originate?

Answer: The Americas

The capsicum pepper was cultivated in Mexico as early as 3000 B.C. Most hot peppers belong to the capsicum family.

4. All capsicum peppers contain capsaicin except one (that only contains trace amounts). Which is the exception?

Answer: bell pepper

All the incorrect answers are mild peppers and are fairly common. The bell pepper has a recessive gene that blocks the production of capsaicin.

5. Many peppers or chiles are called by a different name when dried. What is the name of a dried poblano chile?

Answer: ancho chile

Paprika, chile seco del norte, and cayenne peppers are all dried peppers but the ancho derives from the poblano. The poblano originated in Puebla, Mexico and is a mild pepper.

6. Black pepper is not a member of the same family as the capsicum peppers. Another common pepper is also not from this family. Which one is it?

Answer: Sichuan pepper

Sichuan Pepper is from the Rutaceae falimy. There is no capsaicin in either the black or Sichuan peppers. They produce their spicy taste with different chemicals. There are hotter substances than pure capsaicin.

7. The hottest pepper known, as rated by the most commonly used Scale, is the Naga Jolokia pepper but has a more common name. What is this atomic bomb of a pepper more commonly called?

Answer: ghost pepper

The ghost pepper rates up to 1 million on the Scoville Scale, habaneros up to about 500,000, serranos up to 22,000, and jalapenos less than 10,000. Makes you wonder how anyone could endure the ghost pepper.

8. There is one Asian cuisine that is known for its highly spiced foods. There is a pepper that is named after this type of cuisine. What is it?

Answer: Thai

While hot enough, Indian food, on average, is not nearly as spicy as Thai food. It also uses curry rather than pepper for the spice. Neither Japanese nor Chinese cuisines are very spicy. Sichuan cuisine is the spicy variety of Chinese food.

9. Cayenne pepper is not originally from Mexico as are many of the others. It is named after a city in another country. Which one is it?

Answer: French Guiana

Cayenne is a city in French Guyana. The peppers are dried and ground or pulped then baked into cakes before grinding. It is added as a powder for many dishes, including chili con carne.

10. Other than its many varied uses in cooking, capsaicin is also used for a wide variety of other purposes. Which of the following is a common use of capsaicin?

Answer: analgesic

Capsaicin is also used medically to promote circulation. One of the most recognized uses is pepper spray. I hope you got this one right, as the other choices would be quite unpleasant. The black pepper that promotes sneezing is not capsaicin.

Source: Author bridgewiz

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

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