20 Fun Food Trivia Questions That Will Really Surprise You – How Many Do You Know?

Food really is fascinating, from how it’s produced, some of its amazing functions and flavours. Whether you’re a chef, a food enthusiast or you just love your food, here are some interesting questions and facts to test your knowledge. 

This week nutritionist Laurann O’Reilly and owner of Nutrition By Laurann brings us through some fun food trivia questions that you can test yourself or your friends and family with. Let’s go.

1. What is the only food that can never go bad?

Answer: Honey is the only food that will last forever and will never spoil. Apparently, the oldest jar of honey ever found is believed to over 5,000 years old!

2. What is the only fruit with seeds on the outside?

Answer: Many of us eat them every day, it’s Strawberries! Did you know that an average-sized strawberry has about 200 seeds on the outside.

3. Which fruit is known as the ‘king of fruits’ and has a strong smell?

Answer: Durian. Durian is a tropical fruit distinguished by its large size and spiky, hard outer shell, custard-like flesh with large seeds and It has a pungent smell - I recall it smelling like feet!

4. Which variety of chili pepper is considered the hottest in the world?

Answer: The ‘Carolina Reaper’ is the current Guinness World Record holder, with an average of 1,641,183 Scoville heat units (the spicy/hot food scale). This overtook the ‘ghost pepper’ which held this title until 2007, with an average of 600,000 SHU.

5. From what  is hummus made? 

Answer: Hummus is a smooth and creamy puree of cooked chickpeas, tahini and an acid (typically lemon juice). While hummus usually has garlic now, this isn’t part of the traditional recipe. Olive oil isn't a requirement either, but most modern recipes list it as an ingredient.

6. What is the difference between ice cream and gelato?

Answer: Gelato has less fat and air than ice cream. Gelato translates to ‘ice cream’ in Italian, but this dessert's texture is denser, smoother, and richer. Like ice cream, gelato uses milk, cream, and sugar, but it differs in proportions. Gelato uses less cream and more milk than ice cream and typically contains no egg yolks or eggs at all.

7. Which two spices are the most popular in the world?

Answer: The two top-selling spices worldwide are pepper and mustard. If you guessed salt, you would be wrong because salt is not technically a spice, it’s a mineral.

8. What popular condiment would you use as a base for a tartar sauce?

Answer: Mayonnaise. Commonly eaten with fish tartar sauce is traditionally made using mayonnaise, chopped pickles, relish, caper, and herbs such as tarragon and dill. 

9. If you take a cabbage, cut it finely, and ferment it with various lactic acid bacteria, the output is typically what German side dish?

Answer: Sauerkraut. Sauerkraut has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavour. Sauerkraut is a also a great source of fibre, vitamins and minerals and being a fermented food, it promotes the growth of beneficial probiotics which are important for digestive health.

10. What Spanish cuisine uses a wide, shallow traditional pan and is cooked  on an open fire?

Answer: Paella. Originating from Valencia in Spain,  As a dish, it may have ancient roots, but in its modern form, it is traced back to the mid-19th century.

11. What fruit (which is technically a fruit or large berry with a single seed)sometimes known as the alligator pear is likely to have originated in South Central Mexico?

Answer: Avocado. This was a tough one, and it is now grown in dozens of countries in both hemispheres and commonly eaten all over the world. You really can’t beat avocado and poached egg on sourdough bread, yum!

12. What is the staple food of almost one-third of the world's population?

Answer: Rice! We don’t give this versatile, delicious and nutritious grain enough credit. It really is a universal food loved by many. 

13. The Italian term ‘al dente’ often used to describe cooked pasta, what does this mean?

Answer: Al dente is Italian for ‘to the tooth’, which means that the pasta shouldn't be hard, but have a tiny amount of resistance when you bite into it

14. Antipasto is an Italian term referring to what? 

Answer: Antipasto is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Usually made of bite-size small portions and served on a platter from which everyone serves themselves, the purpose of antipasti is to stimulate the appetite.

15. What is Tofu made from? 

Answer: Soy Milk. Tofu is also known as bean curd in English, is  prepared by  the soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness, creating  silken, soft, firm, extra (or super) firm variations. . It is a traditional component of Asian cuisines and has been consumed in China   for over 2,000 years. Today it is widely used as a meat substitute and nutritionally, tofu is low in calories  while containing a relatively large amount of protein. It’s also a rich source of iron, calcium and magnesium.

16. Which country produces the most oranges worldwide?

Answer: Brazil. According to Statistica.com “During the marketing year 2022/2023, Brazil was the leading global orange producer, with production volume of about 16.75 million metric tons”. That’s a lot of oranges!

17. Which is the most expensive spice in the world by weight?

Answer: Pure saffron. Nicknamed red gold, saffron is highly prized for its rich taste. According To Piccantino World of Spices magazine “A kilo of saffron costs, depending on the quality, 3,000-14,000 Euros”. They also say that the reason it’s so expensive is due to “the expensive harvesting costs” as well as the saffron crocus only blooming “once a year for two weeks”.

18. Which ‘healthy’ fatty acid is found in many fish?

Answer: Omega 3. And such a valuable nutrient at that. I always say that the omega 3 fatty acids have so many benefits including healthy hair, skin, nails, circulation and concentration. You can also get omega 3 from plant-based sources such as flax and chia seeds. 

19. What type of wheat is used to make pasta?

Answer: Durum wheat. Durum in Latin means ‘hard’, and the species is the hardest of all wheats which makes it the best grain for making pasta. 

20. What type of beans are used to make baked beans?

Answer: White Haricot Beans. Definitely a great question for the pub quiz!