Welcome to Five Course Trivia! Five days a week, we’ll post five questions about something from the culinary world, from soup to nuts and all dishes in between.
Still covering the past, let’s go to the tape:
LearnedLeague precedent (LL78, MD21) – What is the most common Italian parallel to the Turkish raki, the French pastis, the Greek ouzo, and the Eastern Mediterranean arak?
This is a question I knew exactly what I wanted to answer, but didn’t know it. From simply Greek ouzo, I knew that this must be Italy’s anise flavored drink. I’m pretty sure I’ve asked about raki in a previous post, and it was also made of anise.
I didn’t know this. I put “anise”, as maybe that was the drink/close to the spelling of the drink. The correct answer, sambuca, is the Italian anise drink. I have mentioned sambuca on this blog before, during the Wedding post, but it wasn’t the answer to a question, which makes it harder for me to remember. Apparently, anisette is an Italian term for anise-flavored drinks, which includes sambuca and all the drinks mentioned in the question, but it’s not close enough for credit. I am now 6 for 7, breaking my perfect season record F/D score.
While we are talking about anise, let’s ask about other foods and drinks involving this flavor. I’m steering clear of licorice proper, as that should probably be a post in the near future. Enjoy!
1. What is the mixed-up name of the cookies seen here, a cookie popular in the UK flavored with anise, and might have been brought to the US via Pilgrims.
2. Translating as “little horses”, name the Italian Christmas pastry seen here, made with anise, almonds, candied fruits, flour, which are often dipped in wine before eaten.
3. Seen here is a collection of tools that would be used while working with what anise-based product?
4. Aniseed twists, seen here, are treats popular in what country?
5. Although anise and star anise are not related, star anise has a similar taste to anise and one of the five ingredients of five-spice powder used in Chinese cuisine. Name two of the other four ingredients used in five-spice powder.
ANSWERS BELOW:
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1. Jumble
2. Cavallucci
3. Absinthe
4. UK
5. Cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, Fennel seeds
