Q 01/05

Which staple crop did Indigenous Caribbean peoples cultivate before European colonisation?

A) Cassava

B) Rice

C) Wheat

D) Breadfruit

Answer · why

A) Cassava

Cassava is poisonous raw: most varieties carry cyanide compounds, so islanders grated, pressed and heated the root to make it safe before baking it in...

Q 02/05

Which fried base of onions, garlic and peppers starts countless Cuban stews, beans and rice dishes?

A) Chimichurri

B) Mojo

C) Adobo

D) Sofrito

Answer · why

D) Sofrito

Sofrito goes into the pot first, as the foundation of dishes such as ropa vieja; Cuban cooks build it on bell peppers and often the small sweet chilli...

Q 03/05

Goat water, a stew said to descend from Irish stew, is the national dish of which Caribbean island?

A) Montserrat

B) Barbados

C) Anguilla

D) Antigua

Answer · why

A) Montserrat

Montserrat is known as the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean for its many early settlers from Ireland, and its tourist board insists that true goat water ...

Q 04/05

Sorrel, the spiced red drink of a Jamaican Christmas, is brewed from which plant?

A) Hibiscus

B) Poinsettia

C) Pomegranate

D) Beetroot

Answer · why

A) Hibiscus

Hibiscus: the drink is steeped from the red sepals of roselle, a hibiscus that reached the Caribbean with enslaved Africans, and it is often laced wit...

Q 05/05

Black cake, served on special occasions, derives from which English dessert?

A) Sherry trifle

B) Treacle tart

C) Christmas pudding

D) Bakewell tart

Answer · why

C) Christmas pudding

Christmas pudding was remade in the islands with rum and a bittersweet dark syrup called browning, which turns the cake almost black; bakers may soak ...