Spices

Question 1

Spices are:

Answer 1

Aromatic plant parts - spiciness from secretory tissues

Question 2

T/F

Spices are/have been regarded as sacred

Answer 2

True - they may be considered a method to commune with spirits

Question 3

T/F

Spices cannot be used to preserve food

Answer 3

False - they can have antibiotic & preservative purposes

Question 4

The richness of Sheba came from:

Answer 4

commerce with spices: myrrh, black pepper, cloves, ginger & cinnamon

Question 5

Myrrh is:

Answer 5

Red-brown resin spice worth more than its weight in gold

Question 6

Uses of Myrrh
A) Perfume/incense 
B) Antiseptic
C) Stimulant 
D) All of the above

Answer 6

D

Question 7

T/F

Egypt did not value Myrrh

Answer 7

False - the first oceanographic cruise in human history was an Egyptian fleet to collect whole Myrrh plants to cultivate

Question 8

T/F

Ancient egyptians only used a few spices for food

Answer 8

False - they used many for food but also for perfume & embalming

Question 9

T/F

Black pepper has always been common

Answer 9

False - it was used only by the rich & could be a form of currency

Question 10

Black & white pepper fruit is:

Answer 10

Drupe

Question 11

The pepper plant is native to:

Answer 11

S/SE Asia

Question 12

T/F

The black peppercorn and white peppercorn come from separate species of plant

Answer 12

False - White is the same as black with the external fruit part removed

Question 13

Which one is NOT a property of pepper?
A) Antioxidant
B) Aphrodesiac 
C) Contains piperine 
D) Increases metabolism 
E) Increases serotonin & endorphins in the brain

Answer 13

B

Question 14

Ginger is native to:

Answer 14

S Asia

Question 15

Ginger can help with:
A) Nausea
B) Dizziness 
C) Inflammation 
D) All of the above

Answer 15

D

Question 16

T/F

Ginger has antioxidant properties

Answer 16

True

Question 17

Cinnamon is native to

Answer 17

India & Sri Lanca (S Asia)

Question 18

T/F

Cinnamon is the fruit part of the plant

Answer 18

False - it is the bark

Question 19

Benefits of eating the cinnamon plant include: 
A) Antibiotic 
B) Antipsychotic 
C) Aphrodesiac
D) Antiviral

Answer 19

D

Question 20

What component of cinnamon has colon cancer preventative properties?

Answer 20

Cinnamic aldehyde

Question 21

How does cinnamon prevent cancer?

Answer 21

Antioxidant & Anti-melanoma

Question 22

Cloves are native from:

Answer 22

Indonesia

Question 23

Cloves come from this part of the plant:
A) Root
B) Stem
C) Leaves
D) Flowers
E) Seeds

Answer 23

D

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT a property of cloves?
A) Reduces blood sugar levels
B) Antiviral 
C) Stimulant
D) mild anesthetic

Answer 24

C

Question 25

T/F | In China cloves were considered a spice for the commoners

Answer 25

False - Court officials used them to have better breath before addressing the emperor

Question 26

``` Which animal was used for trade? A) Horses B) Donkeys C) Dogs D) Camels ```

Answer 26

D

Question 27

What 2 methods of transport were used for spice trading?

Answer 27

Land & Sea

Question 28

The Incense road passed through:

Answer 28

Somalia/Ethiopia --> India --> Gaza/Alexandria

Question 29

The Ottoman Empire obstructed the Silk Road & Spice Route, resulting in:

Answer 29

Colonization & new age discovery

Question 30

T/F | Spices caused the "discovery" of America

Answer 30

True - Columbus & Magellan tried to get to Asia to get more spices but landed in S America

Question 31

Which spices were found in S America?

Answer 31

Vanilla & hot peppers

Question 32

Vanilla is native to

Answer 32

Mexico

Question 33

Which part of the plant makes the vanilla spice?

Answer 33

Seed Pod

Question 34

``` What can vanilla be used for? A) Flavouring B) Perfume C) Medicine D) All of the above ```

Answer 34

D

Question 35

Xocolatl was:

Answer 35

A cocoa drink with vanilla and chillies

Question 36

Where is the most vanilla produced now?

Answer 36

Madagascar

Question 37

What is the most expensive spice?

Answer 37

Saffron - it takes 200,000 flowers for 1kg of spice which must be collected by hand

Question 38

T/F | Saffron is a very old spice

Answer 38

True - it is the oldest documented used spice (fresco from the Bronze Age) (Iran)

Question 39

``` The spice saffron is from this part of the plant: A) Stamens B) Roots C) Petals D) Seeds ```

Answer 39

A

Question 40

What colour is Saffron dye?

Answer 40

Yellow

Question 41

Which ancient culture started using perfume first?

Answer 41

Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia

Question 42

Which ancient culture developed floral perfumes?

Answer 42

Ancient Rome - using crushed spices in oil

Question 43

T/F | Distillation is the method of extraction fragrance most used today

Answer 43

True - developed by Avicenna

Question 44

Why do flowers smell?

Answer 44

To attract pollinators

Question 45

How do flowers smell?

Answer 45

Through volatile compounds produced by secretory tissues

Question 46

How does Headspace Analysis work?

Answer 46

Odour molecules in the air around the flower is sucked through a filter, chromatography/mass spectroscopy analyze molecules & are synthetically replicated