512284
How well do you know your fresh herbs?
Wed Apr 23 12:16:26 -0700 2008
73
33
Food Media and News
0
3622986
http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight/fresh-herb-id-quiz
fun little quiz. turns out I didn't know as much as i thought i did!
Wed Apr 23 12:16:28 -0700 2008
127625
fern
1
3623093
I got 13/20 -- and at least one of the ones I got right I guessed on. I never can tell the various forms of oregano/marjoram and basil apart just by looking. And the difference between summer savory and winter savory? And French tarragon and Russian tarragon? That's not fair!
Wed Apr 23 12:42:10 -0700 2008
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10159
Ruth Lafler
2
3623112
That's what I got as well.
Wed Apr 23 12:47:08 -0700 2008
3623093
10985
MMRuth
3
3623219
15/20. I grow Mexican tarragon. What do I know about French vs. Russian?
Wed Apr 23 13:10:07 -0700 2008
3623112
25244
rockycat
3
3640560
I got 14 out of 20. Some of the photos were difficult to see. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Tue Apr 29 12:40:09 -0700 2008
3623112
10245
oakjoan
2
3623222
13/20 here, too. I did better with descriptive text than on the ones that just said "what is it".
Wed Apr 23 13:10:38 -0700 2008
3623093
53971
momjamin
3
3623892
13/20 as well. And I had no idea of the differences in the summer/winter savory, Russian/French tarragon, and the marjoram/oregano question.
Wed Apr 23 16:16:02 -0700 2008
3623222
10532
LindaWhit
2
3641174
Ditto! 13/20. Marjoram & Oregano look alot alike, and I rarely use Tarragon, let alone know the difference between them. It was fun anyway!
Tue Apr 29 15:48:25 -0700 2008
3623093
158403
jcattles
1
3623394
14/20. Some of those were tricky! i had no idea there were Russian and French versions of thyme, tarragon, etc.
Wed Apr 23 13:49:31 -0700 2008
3622986
156941
dingey
1
3623440
15 out of 20. I know nothing about tarragon.
Wed Apr 23 13:59:40 -0700 2008
3622986
71215
mlgb
1
3623502
15/20.
I also couldnt separate the tarragons. Isnt the Russian one, the one with much less taste than the French (and, no, that's not intended as national stereotyping :-0 )
And, in the UK, we don't have English and French thyme - so I guessed - and guessed wrong.
And the marjoram/oregano questions beat me as well. Not a difference as far as I was concerned.
Wed Apr 23 14:17:14 -0700 2008
3622986
154102
Harters
1
3623515
13/20 here too. I screwed up two and should have gone with my first answer. That's what I get for thinking!
Wed Apr 23 14:19:58 -0700 2008
3622986
13683
Dee S
2
3623527
Yup. Me, too -- on one of the marjoram/oregano ones I thought they were being trickier than they were!
Wed Apr 23 14:21:54 -0700 2008
3623515
10159
Ruth Lafler
2
3624219
13/20. I thought marjoram was 'wild oregano'. Totally confused. I thought the bronze fennel was tricky as well as the different dills.
Wed Apr 23 18:14:45 -0700 2008
3623515
22596
rumgum
1
3623571
17/20. it's embarrassing that i reversed both the tarragons and the savories. although to everyone's credit i think the tarragons particularly had very immature plants and it was hard to tell the difference.
Wed Apr 23 14:35:04 -0700 2008
3622986
46030
soupkitten
2
3624230
I got 17 as well. I guess I did so well because I've grown most of these herbs at some time in my life (well...17 of them, apparently ;) ).
Wed Apr 23 18:18:57 -0700 2008
3623571
12713
TongoRad
1
3623791
that was neat. i agree with the general consensus - what's with the comparisons of the tarragons & savories with no hints? i missed both of those, but managed to get the rest correct, tanks in large part to the information provided about them.
anyone else try the candy bar quiz that was linked on the same page? only managed a 13/20 on that one.
Wed Apr 23 15:39:52 -0700 2008
3622986
103920
goodhealthgourmet
2
3624002
Candy? Didn't see it....16/20. There were some I'd never seen and I hit the wrong answer on the Butterfinger one! Should have been higher.
Sad that I'm better at candy then herbs!!! *That* explains a lot!!!!
Wed Apr 23 16:50:59 -0700 2008
3623791
13683
Dee S
2
3624779
I did miserably on that one (10/20). I like to think it's because I haven't touched anything made by Nestle's in decades.
But now I'm craving a Heath bar.
Wed Apr 23 23:00:27 -0700 2008
3623791
138816
jlafler
2
3629382
17/20 on the candy, 14/20 on the herbs. I'm weirdly proud of being able to tell the difference between a Fifth Avenue and a Butterfinger, but no way that was a Kit Kat.
Fri Apr 25 10:43:44 -0700 2008
3623791
17548
BarmyFotheringayPhipps
3
3629401
i'm glad i'm not the only one who thought so...i don't know what that was, but it sure as hell didn't look like any kit kat i've ever seen.
Fri Apr 25 10:47:22 -0700 2008
3629382
103920
goodhealthgourmet
4
3629583
That was NOT a Kit Kat. I swear it was a Chunky - look at the size of it. Height, squareness. Even thoough they showed Chunky later with the fruit & nuts.
And I did miserably as well - 10/10.
Fri Apr 25 11:26:54 -0700 2008
3629401
10532
LindaWhit
5
3637780
i think i might have guessed chunky for that one! it was huge.
Mon Apr 28 15:12:25 -0700 2008
3629583
103920
goodhealthgourmet
2
3679413
I also hated that on the candy bar one they compared what are essentially the same candy bars (skor/heath, krackel/crunch). From a bisection, its almost impossible to tell the difference.
Mon May 12 10:59:40 -0700 2008
3623791
109826
aletnes
3
3679432
See, I nailed all of those. Skor is much thinner than Heath, and I could see just enough of the surface of the rice-crisp bars to tell how they're embossed.
I recognize that I'm a bit of a freak that way, though.
Mon May 12 11:02:23 -0700 2008
3679413
17548
BarmyFotheringayPhipps
1
3623918
I got 13/20 as well. The ones where you had to distinguish between varieties of the same herb were the ones that I messed up on (i.e. French v. English Thyme, fernleaf v. other variety of dill).
Wed Apr 23 16:23:48 -0700 2008
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11028
DanaB
1
3623989
Only got 11/20 on the herb quiz, but getting 18/24 in the pasta quiz will let me sleep well '-)
Wed Apr 23 16:45:38 -0700 2008
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116513
linguafood
2
3624772
Yes, I did well on the pasta quiz, too. Knowing Latin roots helps.
Wed Apr 23 22:51:29 -0700 2008
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138816
jlafler
3
3624936
Or the modern version -- Italian '-)
Thu Apr 24 04:42:27 -0700 2008
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116513
linguafood
1
3624049
14 out of 20. Holy Basil, Batman!!! WTF is holy basil anyhow? Off to try the candy quiz; sure I'll do better on that one....
Wed Apr 23 17:05:34 -0700 2008
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154787
adamshoe
2
3645682
I think Holy Basil was a pope in the 13th century. I didn't recognize him either. '-)
Wed Apr 30 22:37:50 -0700 2008
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112096
Caroline1
3
3648022
Isn't "Holy Basil" what Robin says when he sees Batman cooking Italian food?
*grin*
Thu May 01 14:51:48 -0700 2008
3645682
13683
Dee S
4
3649523
yeah....
right before he goes "kra POW"!
http://visualrecipes.com/recipe-details/recipe_id/202/Pad-Kra-Pow-Gai/
Fri May 02 06:57:17 -0700 2008
3648022
105717
alkapal
1
3624764
I got 15/20. I started out on a roll -- got the first 12 right, then bombed on the last 8.
Wed Apr 23 22:40:13 -0700 2008
3622986
138816
jlafler
1
3624834
14/20 for me. The whole oregano/marjoram, french/russian tarragon, summer/winter savory confusion messed with me. ): And I got the fernleaf dill question wrong because I overthought it. Doh. Thanks to that basil question, I'm craving a caprese salad now though...can't wait for cherry tomato season to start!
Thu Apr 24 00:49:43 -0700 2008
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93480
chocolateninja
1
3626347
I got 18/20. Had no clue at all on the savory or lovage - I've never seen them, much less used them in recipes!
Thu Apr 24 12:12:23 -0700 2008
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133831
romansperson
1
3626352
15/20 -- actually, I knew less than that but made some educated guesses on some of the questions.
Thu Apr 24 12:14:47 -0700 2008
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10763
Miss Needle
2
3627288
14/20--I engaged in educated guessing, too.
Thu Apr 24 15:57:26 -0700 2008
3626352
180853
comestina
1
3626552
13/20 seems to be a popular score and thats what I got - I missed things I should have got bronze fennel and the wild oregano, and got the tricky ones - russian vs english tarragon.
Thu Apr 24 13:02:09 -0700 2008
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168212
PaulaT
1
3628733
20/20, but then I'm in the nursery business. Been looking at, smelling, selling those babies a long time.
Take heart, many of those photos are very poor; hot-house grown, spindly seedings as opposed to mature growth of a garden plant.
(Russian Tarragon is not a true tarragon at all, just has a similar but much inferior licorice flavor. Remember this, tarragon fans: true French tarragon will never appear as seedlings emerging from a pot of soil. It is always and only cultivated from cuttings, so you'll see a bunch of 3/4" leaves emerging directly from the soil on stout but flexible green stems. Don't pay for 'French" tarragon when you're getting an inferior imposter. Many unscrupulous growers sell 'Tarragon' in seedling form. They ain't it.)
One way to tell Thai Basil from others: very upright stems, and most have a hint of purplish coloring on the stems, though the leaves are light green.
**10 point bonus pop-up question: Can you tell which herbs on the test belong to the same plant family, and how can you tell? hint: answer has to do with a SHAPE.
Fri Apr 25 07:57:47 -0700 2008
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11234
toodie jane
2
3628824
Bonus question: is it members of the mint family, which have square stems? I've always thought that was very cool.
I got 18/20, mis-guessing on the tarragons and I forget the other one I missed. I did a LOT of educated guessing, though.
Fri Apr 25 08:23:26 -0700 2008
3628733
18512
Allstonian
3
3629030
yes--SQUARE stems.
15 point question with a 10 point pop-up:
Which mint family member was used as battlefield antibiotic during WWI in the counrtyside of France, and what was the property that made it effective? (let's see if someone gets it w/o googling)
(which, said property makes it an effective and pleasant disinfectant in the kitchen)
Fri Apr 25 09:21:18 -0700 2008
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11234
toodie jane
4
3629169
"Which mint family member was used as battlefield antibiotic during WWI "
Is this a trick question? To which the answer is thyme (which is anti-septic and is, probabaly anti-biotic)?
BTW, do you any authoritative source that thyme (or whatever the answer was) was actually used as an antibiotic. It's just that I have an particular interest in the Great War & have never come across its use and it'd be interesting to see what process was followed. I have two friends who have particular research interests in the medical side of the War and I'm sure they'd be interested.
BTW, you may have spotted my earlier post that, in England, we don't have "English" thyme or "French" thyme. What are the Latin names for the plants that you call them in the US?
TIA
Fri Apr 25 09:57:25 -0700 2008
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154102
Harters
5
3629188
i was going to guess lavender.
Fri Apr 25 10:01:28 -0700 2008
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46030
soupkitten
6
3629364
The answer I had in mind is lavender due to the property of linalool, but I'm sure there must be others (garlic?) I don't have any footnotes handy, but anecdotal research I did for a lecture on herbs cited the lavender/WWI connection. It was supposedly used when sulpha drugs were not available.
A good scientific herb info index where someone with patience could search out a scientific paper: http://www.herbmed.org/index.asp
The family, lamiaceae, is huge, with many of the gardening world's favorite ornamentals included.
I just can't imagine what the world's most popular cuisines would do without the culinary members. !viva lamiaceae!
Fri Apr 25 10:39:49 -0700 2008
3629188
11234
toodie jane
7
3629689
wow what a great link, & very interesting about wwI. i knew that lavender was in the mint family & that it has some anti-inflammatory properties. i have used it in the past when i've burned myself but like aloe better. the fragrance also repels some pests and insects, hence its traditional use in sachets and as an addition to straw & feather mattresses. the properties and uses of herbs are endlessly fascinating to me, but the use of lavender in wwI is a new one! thanks for the fact of the day, TJ.
Fri Apr 25 11:54:14 -0700 2008
3629364
46030
soupkitten
7
3639159
t j
I'm still on the search for a published source about the battlefield use of herbs. But, I find that the question was asked back in 2002 on the miltiary history board where I spend much of my time. The anecdotal info given was that French doctors used essential oils of lemon, lavender, thyme and cloves to accelerate wound healing and for their anti-septic properties. An early form of aromatherapy, if you will.
J
Tue Apr 29 06:19:22 -0700 2008
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154102
Harters
6
3629408
my first thought was eucalyptus.
Fri Apr 25 10:48:57 -0700 2008
3629188
103920
goodhealthgourmet
5
3629412
"BTW, you may have spotted my earlier post that, in England, we don't have "English" thyme or "French" thyme. What are the Latin names for the plants that you call them in the US?"
I believe both French thyme and English thyme are the same. The Latin name is, Thymus Vulgaris. That same thyme has many other names as well.
In my garden I grow both the common thyme and lemon thyme. I think it's my favorite herb.
Fri Apr 25 10:49:55 -0700 2008
3629169
75332
Gio
6
3629536
Yes, thyme is an herb that I like better and better as I get older. It's a lot more versatile than many people realize -- it pairs really well with citrus, for example.
Fri Apr 25 11:16:19 -0700 2008
3629412
138816
jlafler
7
3629586
Thyme is a great secret weapon ingredient. There are few soups or meat dishes that aren't improved by a little thyme at the end of cooking.
Fri Apr 25 11:27:46 -0700 2008
3629536
17548
BarmyFotheringayPhipps
8
3631651
Thyme--my 'go-to' herb. I use more thyme than salt or pepper
Sat Apr 26 09:04:49 -0700 2008
3629586
11234
toodie jane
9
3631888
toodie jane, the seeds for tarragon i planted had stalks and leaves, as i see french tarragon having. i guess i am misunderstanding your info about french tarragon cultivation. you can't grow the french from seed?
btw: 17/20
Sat Apr 26 11:08:29 -0700 2008
3631651
105717
alkapal
10
3631925
all "french tarragons" come from one original plant-- they are cuttings, and not grown from seed
http://www.territorialseed.com/product/1515/13
if you grew tarragon from seed it would be russian tarragon
Sat Apr 26 11:25:36 -0700 2008
3631888
46030
soupkitten
11
3632023
aaah.
Sat Apr 26 12:23:47 -0700 2008
3631925
105717
alkapal
8
3637786
i'm convinced fresh thyme is the ingredient i use in my homemade tomato sauce that always had my west coast friends asking why it was so good and how i got it to taste so much like east coast italian :)
Mon Apr 28 15:14:01 -0700 2008
3629586
103920
goodhealthgourmet
9
3638217
It's amazing what flavor that simple tiny leaf imparts to any food you're cooking. It's a very hardy plant and is worth it's weight in gold in the garden. I cut tons for Winter drying and have a nice supply till Spring arrives.
Mon Apr 28 17:44:13 -0700 2008
3637786
75332
Gio
6
3630393
Thanks for that, Gio. I grow four:
Citriodorus - lemon
Serpyllum - creeping
Pulegioides - broad leaved
Vulgaris - common
Vulgaris has the best cooking flavour, IMO.
Fri Apr 25 15:25:48 -0700 2008
3629412
154102
Harters
4
3636782
This is interesting because thyme, not lavender, has very strong antibiotic properties. It actually came out on top of garlic, which has a ton of sulf-type compounds in it.
Mon Apr 28 11:14:34 -0700 2008
3629030
168212
PaulaT
2
3628829
toodie, I was thinking they were using those little baby plants to make it harder on purpose! Mature plants would have been a lot easier.
As for your bonus question, I do know that *many* herbs belong to the mint family. Plants in that family have simple leaves that grow opposite one another, and squarish stalks. If the plant is also aromatic, there's a good chance it's in the mint family. Not sure if that answers the question though.
Fri Apr 25 08:24:23 -0700 2008
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133831
romansperson
3
3629288
I wonder how much of the association of mint with sweets (mint jelly, mint ice cream, etc) is cultural. I've tried to make basil liqueur and ice cream or sorbet out of various mint-related herbs, and they always come out tasting like cough medicine.
Fri Apr 25 10:21:08 -0700 2008
3628829
138816
jlafler
4
3645160
There are a lot of additional flavor compounds in the mint family plants, and if I had the right training I could tell you their names, but they have skunky or turpentiney flavors and odors. That may be what you are tasting. I agree that some mints are nasty and harsh while others are sweet. I know the aromatic lavenders are that way--some cultivars are very turpentiney, some are skunky, some are sweet, some are 'clove-y' (like that term?!) etc. For aroma and clean flavor, I like Lavandula x intermedia (hybrid) 'Grosso' it is just a little nicer than 'Provence' to my tastebuds and nose. Makes great Lavender Shortbread.
Wed Apr 30 18:47:46 -0700 2008
3629288
11234
toodie jane
5
3645490
"Clove-y" is good, and "skunky" is up there with "road tar" and "barnyard." :-)
It sounds like I should check out some different types of lavender. I've been under the impression that I don't like it -- when my local Peet's accidentally brewed up some Earl Grey with lavender instead of bergamot (they sell both versions) I had to take it back because I just couldn't drink it. But maybe I just haven't met the right lavender.
Wed Apr 30 20:46:33 -0700 2008
3645160
138816
jlafler
2
3663696
Question on the sorrel - the picture looks nothing like what I have growing in my garden... large leaves, growing up from the ground, not stems. Do I really have sorrel (it will never get big here in Phoenix, I start from pot and grow until it starts to get really hot, then use it before it dies).
Tue May 06 21:43:24 -0700 2008
3628733
106056
firecooked
3
3667527
http://www.gardenguides.com/seedcatalog/herbs/sorrel.asp
http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=sorrel&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-sorrel.htm
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/sorcom64.html
Thu May 08 05:02:12 -0700 2008
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105717
alkapal
4
3672712
cool. I do have sorrel! Thanks!
Fri May 09 13:33:09 -0700 2008
3667527
106056
firecooked
1
3648049
11/20. Clearly my herb knowledge is deficient. I got 18/20 for the pasta quiz, though.
Thu May 01 14:57:52 -0700 2008
3622986
123543
Pincus
1
3653438
That was fun! I have only been a foodie for a short time now so I think I did pretty good
13/20 on the herbs. shocked me cuz until a few weeks ago I never ever used herbs
15/20 on the candy and I don't eat candy at all but I remembered what alot of the different bars looked like.
Sad to say I only got 14/24 on the pasta and I am Italian....sigh
Sat May 03 13:05:44 -0700 2008
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180068
Smileelisa
1
3665905
15/20 on the herbs, haven't tried the others yet.
Wed May 07 14:13:50 -0700 2008
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14386
BobB
1
3666332
http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight/spice-id-quiz
Now there's a spice ID quiz. Sadly, not in Smell-O-Vision.
Wed May 07 16:17:37 -0700 2008
3622986
13870
kittywithawhippet
2
3666451
I did much better with that one - 17/20. :-)
Wed May 07 16:53:31 -0700 2008
3666332
10532
LindaWhit
2
3666522
Yeah- I'd have gotten the side by side question if I'd have been able to smell them, I bet. Still- 18/20 not too bad.
Wed May 07 17:18:53 -0700 2008
3666332
12713
TongoRad
2
3667559
19 out of 20, just missed the side-by-side. But really, the hints this one gives make it much easier than the herb one.
Thu May 08 05:22:00 -0700 2008
3666332
14386
BobB
1
3667564
candy quiz: no way was that a kit kat....even the packaging shows a different cross section.
now, i've got to go try some candy bars!
Thu May 08 05:24:17 -0700 2008
3622986
105717
alkapal