Q 01/05

Which dish, despite its name, was invented at a Taipei street stall in 1951 by a comedian from Beijing?

A) Singapore noodles

B) Mongolian barbecue

C) Chicken Manchurian

D) Crab Rangoon

Answer · why

B) Mongolian barbecue

Mongolian barbecue was nearly called Peking barbecue, after Wu Zhaonan's home city, but that name was too politically sensitive in 1950s Taiwan; he la...

Q 02/05

Hong Kong's pineapple bun contains no pineapple at all; what does its name actually describe?

A) Its yellow filling

B) Its crusty topping

C) Its spiral shape

D) Its sweet glaze

Answer · why

B) Its crusty topping

Its crusty topping is the 'pineapple': the cracked, sugary crust resembles the fruit's skin, and the bun is now a fixture of Chinatown bakeries worldw...

Q 03/05

Which Taipei soup-dumpling chain began in 1958 as a shop selling cooking oil?

A) Tim Ho Wan

B) Din Tai Fung

C) Haidilao

D) Crystal Jade

Answer · why

B) Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung takes its name from founder Yang Bing-yi's old employer, the oil seller Heng Tai Fung, and his supplier Din Mei; dumplings came in 1972, ...

Q 04/05

Which Indonesian meatball soup did Barack Obama, raised partly in Indonesia, recall as a childhood favourite?

A) Soto

B) Rawon

C) Bakso

D) Sop buntut

Answer · why

C) Bakso

Bakso sellers were part of Obama's Jakarta childhood: in a 2010 speech there he drew laughs by imitating the street vendors' cries of 'Satay!' and 'Ba...

Q 05/05

Which Philippine fast-food chain began in 1975 as an ice cream parlour in Quezon City?

A) Chowking

B) Max's Restaurant

C) Jollibee

D) Mang Inasal

Answer · why

C) Jollibee

Jollibee's founder, Tony Tan Caktiong, held a Magnolia ice cream franchise until the hot meals he added outsold the ice cream; in 1978 he dropped it a...