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Ingredients quiz

Recognize everyday ingredients, from potatoes and leafy greens to tofu, rice, and mushrooms. Each round reshuffles the questions and choices, and every answer comes with a short explanation.

Difficulty
Length

Questions and choices are shuffled every round. The note appears as soon as you answer.

What you'll learn

  • Identify common vegetables by the plant part people usually eat
  • Distinguish tubers, roots, leaves, seeds, fruits, and fungi
  • Understand why potatoes, taro, and sweet potatoes are useful starchy ingredients
  • Compare common forms of tofu and their textures
  • Recognize how ingredient structure affects preparation and cooking
  • Tell botanical classifications apart from everyday cooking categories

Answer preview

Answer An underground tuber

A potato is a tuber formed by a swollen underground stem. It is not a leaf, fruit, or seed. Potatoes can be steamed, boiled, roasted, or mashed.

Answer Volatile sulfur-containing compounds

Cutting onion cells releases volatile sulfur compounds that irritate the moist surface of the eyes. Sugar, starch, and yeast are not the main cause.

Answer Soybeans made into soy milk

Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk. Rice slurry, dairy milk, and fish paste are used for other foods, not ordinary tofu.

Answer Glutinous rice

Glutinous rice contains a high proportion of amylopectin, which gives it a sticky texture when cooked. Brown rice, oats, and soybeans do not produce the same texture.

Answer Yes

In botany, a fruit develops from a flower and contains seeds, which fits a tomato. In everyday cooking, tomatoes are often grouped with savory vegetables. The terms use different criteria.

Answer Fungi

Shiitake mushrooms are fungi, not leaves, fruits, or seaweed. Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and their soaking liquid can both add savory flavor.

Answer Spinach

Spinach is a leafy vegetable. Potato, taro, and sweet potato grow underground and are commonly used as starchy ingredients.

Answer It has less water and holds its shape better

Firm tofu is pressed to remove more water, so it holds together better for pan-frying or braising. Silken tofu contains more moisture and breaks apart more easily. Both are usually made from soybeans.

Answer Both can be used; the white part is milder and the green part is more aromatic

Both parts of a scallion are edible. The white portion is thicker and often tastes sweeter, while the green portion has a more pronounced fresh aroma.

Answer The stem has a hollow center

Water spinach has a hollow stem, which is the feature reflected in its common name. It is not a woody trunk, a scaled stem, or bamboo.