Food Culture & Table Customs
28 questions · Answers revealed below each question · Print this set
1.Which culinary tradition dips bread into a pot of melted cheese over a flame?
- A. the fondue
- B. fika
- C. the espresso bar
- D. the bento box
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the fondue
Did you know? Fondue comes from the Swiss Alps.
2.Which flatbread is traditionally baked in a tandoor oven?
- A. pita
- B. the baguette
- C. the tortilla
- D. naan
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naan
Did you know? Naan dough clings to the hot tandoor wall.
3.Which meal blends breakfast and lunch into a late-morning meal?
- A. left-handedness
- B. brunch
- C. Johannes Vermeer
- D. freckles
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brunch
Did you know? The word brunch dates to the 1890s.
4.Which restaurant ranking ranks restaurants from one to three stars?
- A. Göbekli Tepe
- B. the Michelin star system
- C. gift wrapping
- D. Mark Twain
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the Michelin star system
Did you know? The Michelin guide began as a tire company's handbook.
5.Which table custom is the custom in much of India, the Middle East, and Africa?
- A. eating with the right hand
- B. the potluck
- C. the doggy bag
- D. the lunch hour
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eating with the right hand
Did you know? In these cultures the right hand is the hand for eating.
6.Which utensil is used as a pair of tapered sticks across East Asia?
- A. origami
- B. the Lantern Festival
- C. the pupil
- D. chopsticks
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chopsticks
Did you know? Chopsticks originated in ancient China.
7.Which culinary tradition drove European voyages to Asia for pepper and cloves?
- A. the hawker center
- B. the fondue
- C. the historic spice trade
- D. the Spanish tapas tradition
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the historic spice trade
Did you know? The spice trade helped push the Age of Discovery.
8.Which table custom is basic Western table etiquette?
- A. the chef's tasting menu
- B. the saying "bon appétit"
- C. the napkin on the lap
- D. slurping noodles
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the napkin on the lap
Did you know? Napkins go on the lap shortly after sitting.
9.Which culinary tradition prepares matcha through scripted steps of hospitality?
- A. the meze table
- B. the hawker center
- C. the Japanese tea ceremony
- D. the Asian night market
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the Japanese tea ceremony
Did you know? The Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu.
10.Which table custom are blown out while making a wish?
- A. the lunch hour
- B. the shared platter
- C. the chef's tasting menu
- D. birthday cake candles
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birthday cake candles
Did you know? The candle wish is a birthday custom worldwide.
11.Which culinary tradition is the small sweet coffee offered to visitors in Brazil?
- A. the fondue
- B. kaiseki
- C. cafezinho
- D. British afternoon tea
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cafezinho
Did you know? Offering a cafezinho is a mark of Brazilian hospitality.
12.Which table custom sets one dish in the middle for everyone?
- A. the saying "bon appétit"
- B. the potluck
- C. milk in the cup first
- D. the shared platter
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the shared platter
Did you know? Family-style serving is common in China and Italy.
13.Which culinary tradition grills skewered meats over open flame?
- A. the Asian night market
- B. the slow food movement
- C. conveyor-belt sushi
- D. the Brazilian churrasco
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the Brazilian churrasco
Did you know? Churrasco comes from the gaucho traditions of southern Brazil.
14.Which table custom is the classic movie theater snack?
- A. splitting the bill
- B. popcorn at the movies
- C. the shared pot of tea
- D. milk in the cup first
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popcorn at the movies
Did you know? Movie popcorn became standard in the 1930s.
15.Which culinary tradition serves street food from a parked van?
- A. the food truck
- B. fika
- C. the historic spice trade
- D. the Sunday roast
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the food truck
Did you know? Food trucks boomed in the 2010s.
16.Which table custom is table etiquette across much of Europe?
- A. the chopstick rest
- B. the doggy bag
- C. the toast
- D. waiting for the host
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waiting for the host
Did you know? Guests traditionally wait until the host begins to eat.
17.Which table custom is the custom of friends sharing a restaurant bill?
- A. the chopstick rest
- B. slurping noodles
- C. waiting for the host
- D. splitting the bill
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splitting the bill
Did you know? In Sweden, friends often split the bill by app.
18.Which table custom raises glasses and touches them together before drinking?
- A. the napkin on the lap
- B. milk in the cup first
- C. the toast
- D. slurping noodles
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the toast
Did you know? Toasting is a custom at celebrations worldwide.
19.Which culinary tradition hums with food stalls after dark?
- A. the food truck
- B. cafezinho
- C. British afternoon tea
- D. the Asian night market
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the Asian night market
Did you know? Night markets are famous in Taipei and Bangkok.
20.Which European country is famous for dipping fries in mayonnaise?
- A. Belgium
- B. the Netherlands
- C. Germany
- D. Poland
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Belgium
Did you know? Belgian fries are cooked twice for extra crunch.
21.Which outdoor meal moves the meal outdoors onto a blanket?
- A. the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge
- B. the picnic
- C. La Tomatina
- D. the Øresund Bridge
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the picnic
Did you know? The word picnic entered English from French.
22.Which porridge is the rice porridge that anchors breakfast across much of Asia?
- A. after-dinner coffee
- B. British afternoon tea
- C. congee
- D. One Hundred Years of Solitude
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congee
Did you know? Congee goes by different names across Asia.
23.Which table custom carries restaurant leftovers home?
- A. the doggy bag
- B. waiting for the host
- C. splitting the bill
- D. the chef's tasting menu
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the doggy bag
Did you know? The term doggy bag spread in the 1940s United States.
24.Which culinary tradition fuels a quick standing coffee?
- A. the historic spice trade
- B. the dim sum trolley
- C. the meze table
- D. the espresso bar
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the espresso bar
Did you know? In Italy, espresso is often drunk standing at the bar.
25.Which tea is whipped with a bamboo whisk in Japan?
- A. oolong
- B. sencha
- C. matcha
- D. chai
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matcha
Did you know? Matcha powder comes from ground green tea leaves.
26.Which table custom signals enjoyment at noodle shops in Japan?
- A. popcorn at the movies
- B. the doggy bag
- C. slurping noodles
- D. the napkin on the lap
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slurping noodles
Did you know? In Japan, slurping cools the noodles and carries their aroma.
27.Which culinary tradition pairs tea with sandwiches and scones in the mid-afternoon?
- A. British afternoon tea
- B. the dim sum trolley
- C. the Ethiopian coffee ceremony
- D. the Brazilian churrasco
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British afternoon tea
Did you know? Afternoon tea is credited to Anna, Duchess of Bedford, in the 1840s.
28.Which shared meal simmers raw ingredients in a bubbling pot at the table?
- A. barbecue
- B. hot pot
- C. fondue
- D. teppanyaki
Show answer
hot pot
Did you know? Chinese hot pot gathers everyone around one simmering broth.
Questions are for entertainment — difficulty ratings are a guide, and you know your crowd best. Always follow the rules of your venue or event.