Patisseries sell pastries.  Boulangeries sell bread.  Many French shops have specialty names for their particular speciality.

If you were in France and wanted to sample some French desserts, where would you go?

"Florentine" originated when Marie de Medici (of the ruling family of Florence) married King Henry II of France and introduced Italian cuisine to the royal court.

If you went to an Italian restaurant and ordered Chicken Florentine, what ingredient makes the dish "Florentine"?

"Marinara" is from the Italian word "mar" (sea) because marnara is usually served with seafood.

Americans usually think of "marinara" as any tomato-based sauce.  But Italians would expect what as part of the sauce?

The process of making croissants involves creating dough with layers of butter between, folding it over and rolling it until it has dozens of layers before forming and baking.

Croissants are a staple of French cuisine.  What kind of dough is used in making croissants?

It actually hurt to suggest tofu on poutine... I apologize sincerely to all Canadians everywhere.

One of Canada's contributions to international cuisine is the ultimate comfort food: poutine.  What is added to fries and gravy that makes it poutine?

Most folks mistakenly think sushi refers to raw fish, but it's "sushi rice" that defines sushi, not the added ingredients.

Sushi is one of the great successes of Japanese international cuisine.  What does "sushi" refer to?

Anyone who attempts French cooking without these ingredients is likely to run into serious problems.

One absolute essential for French cuisine is "mirepoix", a set of aromatic vegetables that are the base for most French dishes.  What vegetables are they?

Here's a culinary language question: what does "vinegar" literally mean?

Marguerita pizza is often just 4 ingredients: dough, tomato-based sauce, mozzarella, and fresh basil.  That's it.

Marguerita pizza is a popular "artisanal" variety of pizza.  Which of the following is used in making marguerita pizza?

This soup is now considered part of the cultural identity of Vietnam.  What is it called?

Goulash is a popular dish with heavy national associations.  Where is goulash from?

Bouillabaisse is a seafood stew famous in the Mediterranean and now worldwide.  Where did it originate?

Chinese cuisine is actually made up of several regional styles of cooking.  Which is traditionally considered the hottest?

What do they call shrimp served over pasta with white wine, olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese?

A famous Cajun stew usually featuring crayfish, Andouille sausage, okra or filé, and a dark roux served over rice is commonly known as what?

Russian cuisine involves many foods, but one iconic dish is said to have as many recipes as cooks who make it.  What is the name of this soup?

This will cause much debate, but Naples is most often recognized as the birthplace of modern pizza.

Pizza is one of the most popular dishes worldwide.  Which city is most often said to be place modern pizza was born?

Bread is the single most consumed food in the world, each region having its own style.  Which of the following is NOT a type of bread?

Thin slices of grilled marinated beef (often called "Korean barbecue" in the West) are a classic dish in Asian cuisine.  What is the proper Korean term for the dish?

Westerners often think of curry as a spice but it's actually a wide family of spice blends used (usually in sauces) throughout south and south-eastern Asia.  What spice is most common to curries?

While animal products hide in many foods, proteins include the majority of sources vegans wish to avoid.

Food groups are separated into general categories.  Which food group causes vegans the most concern?

What term is used to describe a person who eats fish but avoids mammals and fowl?

Culinary purists may go so far as to say charcuterie ONLY deals with pork products, but most include forcemeats such as pâtés and cured non-pork meats such as bresaola in the category.

What class of food making includes creating ham, sausage, cured meats and similar products?

Since olives grow more easily in the south of Italy, most cuisine originating north of Rome uses butter as a fat instead.

Italian cuisine has which common distinction dividing Northern Italian dishes from Southern Italian?

Wurst refers to sausage, i.e. ground meat, while the other terms all refer to thin cutlets vs other methods of preparation.

Which of the following European culinary terms does not basically mean "thin slices of meat"?

Satay and yakitori are both skewered and grilled meats, though satay usually has peanuts in the sauce vs the sweet/salty glaze of yakitori.

The sauce would be different, but the style of preparation is very similar.

Yakitori is a Japanese dish of chicken skewered and grilled.  What might you find a similar dish if you ordered it in Indonesia?

Ceviche is a popular seafood dish with origins in Peru.  What makes ceviche different from other seafood dishes?

All of these are flatbreads, but injera is much thinner as it is made from a batter on a hot griddle, not from a dough as most flatbreads.

A kind of Ethiopian bread traditionally made with teff (a kind of grass seed) similar to tortillas or crepes.  What is this popular African food called?

Wild rice is not true rice but is a seed from the zizania family of grasses and not related to Asian rice at all.

Rice is a widely consumed staple for much of the world and comes in many varieties.  "Wild rice" is different from other styles.  Why?

Though several white fish may be used, cod is the go-to fish for traditional fish and chips.  Ironically, this national dish of England is likely a dish originating with Jewish immigrants

British food has long been unjustly maligned, fish and chips being an international favorite for decades.  What kind of fish is considered traditional for the dish?

Food is one universal subject that everyone deals with, and international cuisine is a driving force that keeps food fun for most.  Test your knowledge on what makes food different from one place to another.