Episode 3 A Question of Taste

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Hello, I'm Kirsty Wark, and welcome to A Question Of Taste,

the food show that puts the "quiz" into "cuisine".

We have two teams of foodie friends hoping to prove

they know their onions.

They'll be grilled over five rounds of tasty yet testing trivia.

We'll quiz them on subjects

from ingredients and techniques to equipment, recipes and history.

Only one team can win, so before we turn up the heat,

let's meet our culinary quizzers.

First up, we have the Ginger Buns, and their team captain, Sarah.

APPLAUSE

Sarah, introduce your team members, please.

Tell us a bit about yourselves, and why on earth the Ginger Buns.

OK, I'm Sarah, I work in science communication,

but by night I'm a mean cake baker.

This is Jane, my mother. She partly lives in California.

And this is Monique, she's a food business strategy consultant.

And Ginger Buns because we all hail from Dulwich in South-East London,

and Enid Blyton was born there, hence ginger beer,

but then we chose Ginger Buns because it was a bit more unusual,

-and Buns cos of cake.

-And you live part of the year in California, so do you love that kind of cuisine?

I love it. We couldn't have gone anywhere better to live.

The Californian food and wine, it's perfect. It's hard coming home!

Ladies and gentlemen, lovely to have the Ginger Buns here!

APPLAUSE

And taking them on this week, we have the Non-Starters,

and their team captain, Mayaz.

APPLAUSE

I have to say, Non-Starters sounds rather pessimistic,

but tell me about your team-mates and how you come together on food.

Phil, originally from Portsmouth, and Gordon, originally from Glasgow. We all live in London now,

so there's a fair bit of going round for dinner

and doing the male competing, bravado sort of thing.

Ah, competitive cooking!

-It's just a bloke thing!

-Yeah, must be!

And Non-Starters cos we didn't think we'd get this far.

I thought it was maybe that you just went straight for the main course.

-No - starters and mains, never dessert.

-A-ha!

Well, those are the teams, but there's one more person

I need to introduce. In our Kitchen Corner,

our resident food expert, the man behind

one of the UK's most popular culinary publications -

Mr William Sitwell.

APPLAUSE

I have to say that you are the icing on the cake

rather than the suet in the pudding.

That's very kind of you to say so, Kirsty, thanks very much.

Yeah, I'm here in Kitchen Corner,

my job is to elaborate on some of the finer points of the questions

and hopefully to bring the teams

and the viewers at home a few extra little culinary nuggets.

Let's get quizzing with Round One - See Food.

APPLAUSE

This is a fingers-on-buzzers round.

I'm going to ask 15 questions, each relating to a picture.

If you buzz in with a correct answer, you'll score a point.

However, an incorrect answer means the question will be thrown over

to the opposing side.

Every finger on the buzzer? Here's your first question.

-Name that fruit.

-BELL

-Non-Starters?

-Durian.

I'm afraid that is incorrect, so Ginger Buns, it's all to you.

Jackfruit?

Jackfruit is the correct answer. Very well done.

APPLAUSE

William, the jackfruit, not very well known.

No, jackfruit isn't, but it is a remarkable fruit.

It has a similar texture to chicken.

So, it makes a really ideal fruit for vegetarians.

Thanks, William. What is the name of this implement?

BUZZER

-Ginger Buns?

-It's a waffle iron.

It certainly is a waffle iron.

Ginger Buns have two. Non-Starters are still non-starters.

What is a technical term for the culinary knife cut shown here?

BELL

-Non-Starters?

-Julienne.

-No, I'm afraid that is incorrect.

Ginger Buns?

-Chiffonade?

-Chiffonade, I'm afraid, is incorrect.

The answer is jardiniere, or baton.

Generally eaten at the end of a meal,

what is the collective term for the confection shown here?

-BUZZER

-Ginger Buns?

-Petits fours?

-That is the right answer.

William, what is the origin of petits fours?

That's right, strictly speaking, they are oven-baked little cakes.

"Four" is an old French word for oven.

And in the old days in France, when ovens were coal-fuelled,

the ovens were far too hot at the beginning to cook little cakes.

As the ovens cooled, they could cook these little petits fours.

You're a baker - do you cook petits fours?

No, not really. I tend to go for the large, crowd-pleasing cakes!

I'm sure they are crowd-pleasing! Next picture up now.

Which bean-based meal is

-the national dish of this country?

-BELL

-Non-Starters?

-Ful medames.

-Very well done, it is ful medames. That's a tricky one!

-APPLAUSE

-William, where does this come from?

-Well, of course, exactly, Egyptian.

They're made primarily of fava beans, but they should also have

the added ingredients of garlic, parsley and lemons.

-Delicious.

-Delicious.

Now, what is the missing ingredient for a veloute sauce?

-BUZZER

-Ginger Buns?

-Cream.

-I'm afraid that is incorrect.

So, Non-Starters, you've a chance here to catch up a little.

Is it a light stock?

It is indeed a stock. Well done.

APPLAUSE

OK, in which month are these three foods all in season?

Right out of time. The month is February.

OK, name this chef.

BELL

-Non-Starters?

-Michael Caines.

-Very well done.

APPLAUSE

What does this tree have to do with the wine-making process?

BELL

-Non-Starters?

-Is it a cork tree?

-It is indeed.

William, where do you stand on the cork versus screw-top?

Well, the problem with cork is that they're cleaned in chlorine,

and that's where you get cork taint from.

Whereas if you use what's called a stelvin seal, you shouldn't get that.

So, screw caps will mean that your wine is far less likely

to be corked, obviously.

Now, what is the British name for this cut of beef?

-BELL

-Non-Starters?

-Rump?

-It is indeed.

APPLAUSE

For which foodstuff is this the chemical formula?

It's common table sugar, or cane sugar.

-Who wrote this book?

-BELL

-Non-Starters?

-Rick Stein.

-Rick Stein is the right answer.

APPLAUSE

What type of fish is this?

-BUZZER

-Ginger Buns?

-Mullet.

-I'm afraid that is incorrect.

Non-Starters, do you know your fish?

-Is it dorado?

-Dorado, I'm afraid, is incorrect. It is red snapper.

What foodstuff have we zoomed in on here?

BELL

-Non-Starters?

-Artichoke.

That is incorrect. Look carefully, Ginger Buns. Chance to pull back a little.

-ALL:

-Asparagus.

-Oh, said all together, in unison!

Asparagus is the correct answer.

APPLAUSE

William, it used to be a very short season.

It gets longer and longer every year, doesn't it, which is worrying.

Although I've recently had second-spring asparagus,

and I wasn't going to order them,

cos I knew somebody was growing them,

but I was very tempted, and they were delicious.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

-OK.

For the final question in this round,

what is the name of this cured cut of pork?

BELL

-Non-Starters?

-Is it a knuckle?

-Is it indeed the knuckle.

Very well done. And at the end of this round, William,

the score, please.

The Ginger Buns are on 4,

but just edging ahead

at this stage of the game, the Non-Starters,

-they're on 7 points.

-Very good.

APPLAUSE

The next round is TV Dinners.

APPLAUSE

In this round, we'll be showing you six classic culinary clips

from the TV archives past and present.

This first clip is from Mary Berry from 1996.

In this extract, we've bleeped out a key word.

All we want you to do is buzz in and identify that word.

So, here's Mary Berry.

And now, mega pasta shells.

-These are Italian, and in Italian, they're called

-BLEEP...

BELL ..which literally means "shells".

What do you think it is?

I might pronounce it... Con-chig-lie.

Let's see if you're right.

These are Italian, and in Italian they're called conchiglie,

which literally means "shells".

So, very well done, you got that right.

Next up is another missing word from you,

from the wonderful Madhur Jaffrey in 1982.

I have some cooked rice, which I have made earlier.

This is what meetha pulao, or sweet rice, looks like when it's cooked.

You can serve it exactly this way, or if it's a very festive occasion,

in India we like to put silver on top of it.

-The silver, when you buy it, is called

-BLEEP,

and it comes between sheets of tissue paper, and it's very, very thin.

Nobody got any idea what Madhur Jaffrey was talking about?

Let's see what she was saying.

The silver when you buy it is called vark,

and it comes between sheets of tissue paper.

-Vark.

-Vark,

it's used in a lot of Middle Eastern and also South-East Asian countries.

It can be dangerous if it's not pure.

So, in fact, in India there is legislation that insists that vark is

99.9% pure, otherwise it becomes toxic.

And in fact, there were cases of people using aluminium.

Yeah!

This time, it's the first-ever molecular gastronomist,

Professor Nicholas Kurti, from 1982.

Watch the clip, because a question is going to follow.

You know, it's a sad, sad reflection on our civilisation...

..that, although we can and, indeed, we do measure the temperature

in the atmosphere of the planet Venus...

..we don't know how hot it is inside our souffles.

LAUGHTER

Here's a question following that.

In 1969, Nicholas used a microwave to create a Frozen Florida,

which is the reverse of

-which classic...?

-BUZZER

-Ginger Buns?

-Baked Alaska?

Very well interrupted. Baked Alaska is correct.

APPLAUSE

Now, Michel Roux Sr from 1988,

and see if you can guess the bleeped-out word.

One of the pleasures of cooking is to make up your own bouquet garni.

In the middle of the last century,

a famous chef defined a basic bouquet garni

-as one containing parsley, thyme and

-BLEEP.

-BUZZER

-Ginger Buns?

-Bay leaves?

-Parsley, thyme and bay leaves.

-Bay leaves?

Let's see if you're right.

A famous chef defined a basic bouquet garni as one containing parsley,

-thyme and bay leaves.

-Good interruption.

APPLAUSE

Very close now in the scores.

Here's Rick Stein from 1999,

and again, we're looking for the missing word.

It doesn't matter whether it's a tropical location or the cold,

slippery decks of a Padstow trawler bringing home fish that,

fortunately, I know the names of.

Just look at those. What do you think of those?

-They're

-BLEEP...

-BELL

-Non-Starters?

-Lemon sole.

Let's see if you're right.

Just look at those. What do you think of those? They're lemon sole, right?

APPLAUSE

Our final clip is the Galloping Gourmet himself, Graham Kerr,

from 1970. Watch the clip,

we're going to ask you a question afterwards.

Definitely. You're not married yet, but you're going to be married soon?

-Mmm.

-Right.

So, have you in mind buying some saucepans,

or are you going to eat out all the time

-in the BBC cafeteria?

-Oh, no, certainly!

-But I expect my wife will be buying some saucepans.

-Right.

Do you think she would possibly buy these?

Or if one of Alan's relatives are now watching,

kindly buy him a set of copper saucepans.

Now you'll have 30 sets of copper saucepans,

-and we'll do a deal for the 29 you won't require!

-What else have you been buying?

Great sideburns! Here's the question, though.

Promoted as being low in fat yet high in flavour, what was the name

-for the new style of cooking invented by Kerr in the late 1980s?

-BUZZER

-Ginger Buns?

-Lean cuisine?

I'm afraid that is incorrect. Non-Starters?

It is Minimax.

Galloping Gourmet. Do you know why he was called the Galloping Gourmet?

-Cos he had a horse?

-No!

He went round the world in 35 days, visiting some of

the best restaurants. That's the Galloping Gourmet for you.

At the end of that round, has anyone galloped to the lead?

Well, the Ginger Buns have been trotting along on 6 points,

-but cantering forward are the Non-Starters on 9.

-A-ha!

APPLAUSE

Very well done, Non-Starters. Don't be disheartened,

because there's a lot to play for yet.

Now, we're moving on to Round Three, and this is the Smorgasbord round.

-APPLAUSE

-So, in this round, each team will take it in turn

to be in charge of a question board. First up is Ginger Buns.

Let's have a look at your board. We can see ten pictures of food.

All we want you to do is identify

the five foods named after real people.

You'll get a point for every one you get right.

However, if you get one wrong, your go is immediately over,

we'll throw the board over to the other team.

All they have to do is to get one right,

eliminating all your points and getting a point for themselves.

So, be very, very careful.

But can we begin by enlightening us all a little bit more about this?

Yeah, very simple, Ginger Buns.

There's a maximum of five points on offer.

We're looking for the five eponyms, if you like.

So, items here that were either inspired by real people

or actually were specifically named after a real person.

So, there it is. Real people or not?

Can you give me your first selection?

-Yes.

-We're going to go for Woolton pie as the first one.

Let me see if that's right or wrong.

-APPLAUSE

-Well done.

Woolton is a bit of a hero of yours.

Lord Woolton was an extraordinary figure during the Second World War,

because it was up to him to maintain the very meagre ration.

There were some weeks where the German U-boats were sinking ships

coming over from America,

but he somehow managed to beg, borrow and steal food

from every corner of the world and maintain the ration, maintain morale.

So, he was very important.

Now, one down, four to go.

OK, I don't know. Pommes Anna?

-OK, we'll go for Pommes Anna.

-Let's see if you're right.

APPLAUSE

-Now, three more to go.

-Lobster Thermidor?

-I don't think...

Apples are often named after people who've grown the varieties,

and so on. Sometimes.

-I can't imagine that spotted dick is named after a person!

-No!

-OK, let's have your third guess, please.

-Yeah, Braeburn apple?

Is Braeburn apple named after someone?

Oh, dear!

The Braeburn apple is just named after the Braeburn orchard

-where they're grown.

-So Non-Starters, there are three left on the board named after real people.

If you get one right straightaway, you will get a point

and you will destroy the points gained by Ginger Buns in this round.

-Carpaccio.

-You're going for carpaccio.

Why are you going for carpaccio?

Venetian painter with the colours, and meat, something like that?

OK, let's check.

APPLAUSE

-William, carpaccio.

-Yeah, absolutely right.

Named after the famous Italian artist Vittore Carpaccio.

Invented in 1950 by Harry's Bar, and, of course,

the point is that the colours in the dish were reminiscent

of the artist's paintings, and never trust anyone who tries to sell you

a carpaccio of anything else than rare beef.

That bit of knowledge has earned you one point.

Two more here which are named after real people, and the first, William, is clementine.

That's right, inspired by a famous missionary called Clement Rodier,

who grafted them in the grounds of his orphanage that he ran in Algeria.

And the final one

is Bath Oliver biscuit.

That's right, 1750,

named after a man called Dr William Oliver,

and he prescribed them for people with rheumatism.

Thank you for that, William. Non-Starters, you've an interesting board ahead of you.

We want you to identify the five vegetables which are in the brassica family.

William, can we have some more information about this?

OK, so the brassica genus is remarkable in that it has

more agricultural and horticultural crops than any other genus,

for example cabbage.

Only five on this particular board are actually brassica,

so those are the ones that we're looking for.

-OK, guys. What's your first offering?

-Start with broccoli.

Is broccoli correct?

APPLAUSE

Broccoli has come out of nowhere.

It's an incredibly popular vegetable now.

Massively. In the last 25 years, I think sales have gone up 1,000%,

so it's hugely popular now.

OK, Non-Starters, can I have your second selection?

-I don't think it's going to be the root veg.

-No.

-Shall we go for kale?

-Kale?

Kale.

Let's see if kale is a member of the brassica family.

APPLAUSE

It's at this stage that the Ginger Buns came a cropper, so let's see how you're going to do!

Erm, pak choi.

Pak choi.

APPLAUSE

You have two to go.

-Rhubarb?

-Why do you think rhubarb might be a member of the brassica family?

Because he said!

OK, this is where Phil either is a hero or takes a hit.

Ginger Buns, you have a chance of getting this right

and removing their points while getting yourselves another point.

I'm pretty sure that this is right.

-Whoa!

-I'm going to get so told off if I'm actually wrong! Kohlrabi.

-Was Sarah's conviction misplaced?

-I'll be so embarrassed if it's not.

APPLAUSE

Well done. You've earned yourself a point. You've lost your points.

But there's one more member of the brassica family, and that is turnip.

So, at the end of that round, William, what are the scores?

OK, the Ginger Buns are still slightly lagging.

They're on 7 points.

But just a little bit ahead, the Non-Starters, they're on 10.

APPLAUSE

The next round is called Food Clues.

APPLAUSE

Food Clues, how does it work? There are two questions in this round.

For each question,

I'll reveal a series of clues all related to a particular food.

Obviously, the more clues we reveal, the more apparent the answer will become.

You can buzz in at any time and have a guess.

But you're only allowed one guess per team, and if you get it wrong,

the other team can have the rest of the clues to themselves.

Each question is worth two points.

Will you be brave, go in early to steal the points,

or will you sit back and potentially be beaten to the punch?

Here's your first set of clues.

As always, clue number one is actually on your desks

in front of you. And remember,

you're trying to identify the food associated with the item,

not the item itself. Please reveal what's on your desks.

-Oh, it's moving!

-Ugh!

-Can we taste it?

-No!

Any ideas, folks?

Any ideas what these are?

-We think we do.

-I'm going to give you a next clue.

It's thought that they were first brought to Britain by the Romans.

It's not the item there, it's the food they're associated with.

I'm going to go on.

King James I had four acres planted

where Buckingham Palace now stands...

BUZZER

-And the Ginger Buns are going to go for it!

-Mulberries?

-Why mulberries?

-These are silkworms, they're fed on mulberry leaves.

Sarah, your knowledge is excellent. Mulberries is the correct answer.

APPLAUSE

Just let me give you the other clues.

The author Pliny The Elder called them the wise fruit,

because they only flower after winter frosts are over.

Rather than being picked, they are allowed to fall off the tree,

because they can only be gathered when they're ripened.

A nursery rhyme refers to them growing in a bush,

but they actually grow on trees.

Mulberries is correct.

Sarah, I think you've turned your fortunes around!

APPLAUSE

After that one, now the pressure is on for the Non-Starters.

Here's your second set of clues. You can reveal your item now.

What on earth is that?

-Is it to do with bananas?

-Yeah, I was thinking that.

So, early stages...

-It's a metal thing.

-Anyone prepared to hazard a guess, or are you not going to be tempted into such folly?

-Paperweight!

-I'm going to give you a clue now.

The traditional time to eat the Spanish version of the dish is

on St Joseph's Day, the 19th of March.

Remember, it's the food and not the item.

-Could it be to do with hanging cheese, or something?

-Mmm.

Pick it up again, have another look at it.

Cos it a different metal to that, isn't it, so it must be...

I'm going to give you another clue.

Early traces of the recipe appeared in Francois Massialot's...

BELL

Non-Starters.

Crema catalana, burnt English cream.

Of course, you're right.

APPLAUSE

Early traces of the recipe appeared in Francois Massialot's 1691 cookbook.

Sometimes known as Trinity cream

due to its association with Trinity College, Cambridge.

Basic ingredients are cream, egg yolks and sugar,

usually served in small ramekins

with a topping caramelised with that hot iron. William.

That interesting looking device is called a quemadora de crema.

It's used for the Spanish version of creme brulee, known as the creme catalan.

The way that it works is you heat up the base of it, when it's hot enough,

you put it on the top of your creme brulee and it glazes it.

Another great piece of food detective work. Where does that put us at the end of this round?

At the end of this round, just trailing, the Ginger Buns on 9,

-the Non-Starters are still ahead on 12.

-A-ha!

APPLAUSE

However, it is all to play for now because we are going to have

the final round and it's called Gastroknowledge.

So we go into this all-important round with the Ginger Buns on 9

and the Non-Starters on 12, but it could all change.

Two minutes of questions on the buzzer, lots of points on offer, plenty of chance to catch up,

take the lead or indeed cement your position ahead in the game.

Can we have two minutes on the clock, please?

The Aktiebolaget Gas Accumulator is better known as what?

Aga. What kind of meat is hogget? Non-Starters.

-Sheep.

-Correct. What is the French term for using foil

or greaseproof paper parcels to cook fish? Non-Starters.

-En papillote.

-Correct.

Which H is an Indian confectionery item made using either a semolina or nut butter? Ginger Buns.

-Halva.

-Correct.

We call it icing, what do the Americans call it?

-Frosting.

-Correct. Who said, "There is no love sincerer than the love of food"? Ginger Buns.

-Escoffier.

-No, Non-Starters.

-Oscar Wilde.

-George Bernard Shaw.

What is the Japanese name for the thinly sliced raw fish or meat?

-Ginger Buns.

-Sashimi.

-Correct.

According to Mrs Beeton's The Book of Household Management,

what animal supplies the meat for Mock Turtle soup?

-Ginger Buns.

-Cows.

Cows is the correct answer.

Batavia blond, lollo rosso and mizuna... Non-Starters.

-Lettuce leaf.

-Correct.

Which Middle Eastern dish is also known as poor man's caviar? Non-Starters.

Aubergine puree.

-What is the name?

-Baba ganoush.

-You got it before it went over.

Which Dulwich-born chef was awarded an OBE in 2006?

Gary Rhodes. What is the ratio of oil to vinegar in a classic vinaigrette? Ginger Buns.

-A third.

-That is exactly right.

What G is a flavoured cream made with chocolate and fresh cream? Non-Starters.

-Ganache.

-Correct. What is the traditional garnish for a Manhattan cocktail?

-You know your cocktails, Ginger Buns.

-Orange peel.

-Fraid not.

-Non-Starters, any better on cocktails?

-Cherry.

Cherry, a cocktail cherry, is the correct answer.

Which fruit is also known as a pawpaw? Non-Starters.

-Papaya.

-Correct.

GONG

Well, time is up. William, can you please tell us the all-important final scores?

I can. The Ginger Buns are on 13. The Non-Starters, 20 points.

APPLAUSE

So, that means that unfortunately this week's lemons are the Ginger Buns.

But congratulations, today's big cheeses, the Non-Starters.

Great food knowledge in that last round.

Please join us again next time where we'll meet some more food fanatics

hoping to prove themselves on a Question of Taste. Goodbye.

E-mail [email protected]

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