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Madrid Pub Quiz

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Copyleft: feel free to use these questions in your quizzes. This is not a game, there's no scoring, and questions are provided as a service only. "NEW" means less than a month old. Spanish flags denote Spanish-based questions.

Food & Drink

62 questions in this category
Q: Which fast food franchise has largest number of restaurants in the world as of December 2011?
A: Subway (overtook McDonalds in December 2010)
Q: What is the distinctive characteristic of Seville oranges?
A: Bitter orange. Inedible, used to make marmalade.
Q: Which world championship has taken place every year on the fourth of July in Coney Island, New York, since 1916?
A: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Q: What is Tofu made of?
A: Soya beans (made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks)
Q: If a dish is described as Dopiaza, which ingredient would you expect to find?
A: Onions. Dopiaza is Urdu for "two onions". It's a South-Asian curry dish and onions are added at two stages during cooking.
Q: What is mixed with Guinness when poured to create the creamy head?
A: Nitrogen
Q: What in Chinese restaurants is sometimes referred to as 'fragrant meat'?
A: Dog
Q: Which is the main grain used for making Bourbon whiskey?
A: At least 51%% must be Corn (maize) by law
Q: The towns of Reims and Épernay are the centres of which wine-producing region in France?
A: Champagne
Q: Other than Waldorfs, what are the main four ingredients in a Waldorf Salad?
A: Apples, celery, grapes and walnuts (in mayonnaise)
Q: What happens to a Screwdriver if you add Galliano?
A: It becomes a Harvey Wallbanger
Q: What is measured using the Scoville Scale?
A: The Scoville scale measures the hotness or piquancy of a chilli pepper, as defined by the amount of capsaicin it contains. The number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present.
Q: What do Amstel, Newcastle Brown, John Smith's, Birra Moretti, Cruzcampo, Murphy's and Buckler have in common?
A: They are all Heineken brands
Q: From which country did Pilsner beer originate?
A: Czech Republic (Plzen)
Q: What's the name of a wine bottle that is twice the size of a standard bottle?
A: Magnum
Q: What is the main ingredient of Hummus?
A: Chickpeas
Q: Which famous distillery is located in Lynchburg, Tennessee?
A: Jack Daniel's
Q: What is the name of the culinary knife cut in which a food item is cut into long thin strips?
A: Julienne
Q: Red Stripe beer is originally from which country?
A: Jamaica
Q: Which drink was created by the Coca Cola company in Nazi Germany during World War 2 to compensate for the inability to import Coca Cola syrup?
A: Fanta
Q: What is added to gin to make a "pink gin"?
A: Angostura bitters
Q: Which word, commonly used in English and other languages, is the Tamil word for 'sauce'?
A: Curry (Kari)
Q: Who said during World War I, "Drink is doing us more damage than all the German submarines put together"?
A: Lloyd George
With thanks to Colin Hurst for correcting this question
Q: Who said, "One more drink and I'll be under the host"?
A: Dorothy Parker
Q: If a dish is a la Florentine, which ingredient is it assumed to have?
A: Spinach
Q: If, in a bar, you were given a Mickey Finn, what would you have?
A: A drugged drink
Q: What does VSOP on a brandy bottle stand for?
A: Very Superior Old Pale
With thanks to Shelley for correcting the answer to this question
Q: What is the purple ink to stamp meat normally made of ?
A: The skins of dark grapes
Q: Which restaurant chain owner said 'We're not in the hamburger business, we're in showbusiness'?
A: Ray Kroc, owner of MacDonald's
Q: What spirit is added to brandy to make a sidecar?
A: Cointreau or Triple Sec
Q: What is added to wine to make Port?
A: Brandy
Q: Which food crop is attacked by the Colorado Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)?
A: Potato
Q: What is the name of the clarified butter used in South Asian cooking?
A: Ghee
Q: Although now regulated by the EU and given a GI (Geographic Indicative Status), the illegal moonshine made in Ireland was know as what?
A: Poitín (also spelled Poteen)
Q: Black Velvet is a beer cocktail made out which two ingredients?
A: Guinness and champagne
Q: What cut of meat is used for Ossobuco alla Milanese?
A: Veal shanks
Q: Which small and pear-shaped fragrant citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia is used to flavour Early Grey tea?
A: Bergamot orange
Q: What's the name of the apple brandy traditionally made in Lower Normandy?
A: Calvados
Q: Demerara sugar is named after a river in which country?
A: Guyana
Q: What term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law (Sharia)?
A: Halal
Q: Slivovitz is made from what?
A: Damson plums
Q: Orange pekoe (or pecco) is a grade of what?
A: Tea
Q: Which food derives its name from the fact that it used to be cooked or baked twice?
A: Biscuit (from the French bis-cuit)
Q: What very popular food item was invented by Alexander Grant in Edinburgh in 1799 and promoted as aiding digestion as it contained bicarbonate of soda? (A variety covered with chocolate was described by writer Bill Bryson as a 'British masterpiece'.)
A: The digestive biscuit
Q: Which vegetable would you be eating if you ordered 'aloo' in an Indian restaurant?
A: Potato
Q: Which animal is the emblem of Bacardi rum?
A: Bat
Q: For curry lovers: what is Bombay duck?
A: A fish (Harpadon nehereus)
Q: Which common condiment has a name derived from the Malay word for 'sauce' or 'fish sauce'? Now it has one main ingredient to flavour it, but it used to be made with anchovies, mushrooms, walnuts, lobsters and even bananas.
A: Ketchup
Q: 'Shaken, not stirred'. Why do many connoisseurs believe shaking Martinis is a mistake?
A: Because it 'bruises' the gin
Q: What is 'Wild Turkey'?
A: A brand of Bourbon
Q: Who uses the slogan 'The champagne of beers'?
A: Miller
Q: When did the 'Cuba Libre' originate?
A: Just after the Spanish-American war (1900s)
Q: Why were sherry, port and vermouth originally fortified by the addition of brandy?
A: To help preserve them for transportation
Q: This is a Spanish-based question Where did the 'Fábrica de Cerveza de San Miguel' first open in 1890?
A: In Manila, The Philippines
Q: This is a Spanish-based question Give two synonyms for 'cencibel', the most common varietal in Valdepeñas.
A: Tempranillo and Tinto Fino
Q: If a distilled drink is 80 proof (US), what is its alcohol by volume?
A: 40%
Q: What are Crémant in France, Cap Classique in South Africa, Spumante in Italy, or Sekt in Germany?
A: Sparkling wines
Q: What is wrapped in bacon to make the dish "Angels on Horseback"?
A: An oyster
Q: What is Russian for 'little water'?
A: Vodka
Q: Where is Tabasco sauce made?
A: Avery Island, Louisiana, USA
Q: What is a screwdriver cocktail made with?
A: Vodka and orange juice
Q: This is a Spanish-based question What's the name of the pan in which you make a Paella?
A: Paella, not 'paellera' which would in theory be a woman who makes paella. The full name of the dish is 'arroz a la paella', i.e. rice made in a paella.

We're a long way from the United States but

Acknowledgements

Questions compiled by Luis de Avendaño. Additional questions provided by Alex Carter, Antony Reid, Antonio Vázquez, Declan Forde, Peter Moore, Steve Owen, John Wirnsberger, Clive Mendes, and Jennifer Riggins.

Thanks also to Alan; Alan Boxall; Alan Chapple; Andy Corder and Mick Watts; Andy Henderson at the Breeze Beer Garden in Thailand; Anthony Anchors; Barbara Ridgely; Bob Clarke; Bren Murphy of The Irish Rover; Brian Holt; Carter Young; Chris; Chris Goode and Nic Crequer; Chris O'Byrne; Chris Wilkins; Claire Ambler, Billy Painter and Richard Painter; Colin Dinnie; Colin Hurst; Damian Considine; Dan Hall; Dave Cohen, ex-teammate; Dave Harrop; Dave Love and Andy Bell; David Heslop; David Keen; David Regal; Diane Peake; Esther Ford; Fithi Garza; Geoff Swaine; George Holdstock; George Pitchley and Colin Hurst; Gerry O'Sullivan of Killarney; Godfrey Donaldson of Jeffreys Bay, South Africa; Graham Jones; Harry Winfield, question master of the Marina Alta Pensionisters Association in Benitachell, Alicante, Spain; Ian; Ian Gerrard; Jake Whiteman; Jeff Hicks; Jim Welsh; Jimmy Rafferty; Joe Bicarregui; John Polias; Jonathan Burt; Jurgen Lobert; Karim Nanji, Entertainments Officer, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London; Keith Woodcock from Chippenham; Ken G. Fisher of Toronto; Kevin Magill of the Cayman Islands; Kirsty Taylor; Lesley Melvin; Lucy Boulding; Luke Williams in Switzerland; Lynda Finn in New Zeland; Lynne and Thierry in Paris, and Steve Hall in Angola; Matt Jones; Mike Healy and Carol Balster; Mike Jones; Mike Mooney from Leeds; Mike O'Shea; Mr Lucky; Neil Robinson in New Zealand; Nick Dadds; Nick Dodd; Nick Wilde; Nicola Wood; Oscar Nolan from Dublin; Remo Anniyan; RKN; Rolland Willa; Ross Stewart of Auckland, New Zealand; Russ Hall; Sam Jones PhD, South Wales; Sebastien D. Fortas; Shelley; Sinead Fisher; Steve Rose; Steven Malan; Susanne; Suzy Fewtrell of New Zealand; Ted Bollard from Dublin; Terry Denham; Tim Sharples; Tony Newman; Yvonne Steyn from Somerset West, South Africa; and many others for correcting, amending and fine tuning the questions and answers.

Please send corrections and amendments to These questions have all been used at the Moore's Irish Pub quiz (formerly O'Donnell's) and at Triskel. New questions are added at irregular intervals. However, if 62 food questions are not enough, we recommend you check TriviaBug.

Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, The World Almanac and Book of Facts, Whitaker's Almanac, The Compact Edition of The Oxford English Dictionary, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Collins Gem Fact File, Diccionario Enciclopédico Espasa 1 and Wikipedia.. This page layout was last updated on Thursday, June 20th, 2019 @ 1:30pm CEST (Europe/Madrid).

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