Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: In what region of the U.S. did crab cakes originate?

Pacific Northwest
Chesapeake Bay
Gulf Coast
Great Lakes

The correct answer is Chesapeake Bay

So why is this answer correct? : Now an East Coast staple, crab cakes originated in the Chesapeake Bay, a mid-Atlantic region that includes Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware coastal areas. Indigenous peoples were the first to make crab cakes in this region, mixing crab meat, cornmeal, vegetables, and bear fat and shaping them into discs. The recipe has changed over the centuries, and today, it often includes Old Bay seasoning, bread crumbs, and vegetables.

Trivia: What shellfish is essentially a larger version of a shrimp?

Prawn
Abalone
Conch
Whelk

The correct answer is Prawn

So why is this answer correct? : The terms “shrimp” and “prawn” are often used interchangeably in cuisine, but they are actually two different species. Both are crustaceans with 10 legs, but prawns tend to be larger than shrimp and live in fresh or brackish water (shrimp live in salt water). When cooked, the two shellfish usually taste the same and have a similar appearance.

Trivia: Where are lobsters’ teeth located?

Feet
Tail
Stomach
Mouth

The correct answer is Stomach

So why is this answer correct? : Most fish have teeth in their mouths, but shellfish have teeth in other places — or no teeth at all. Lobsters, for example, have a gastric mill consisting of three molar-like grinding surfaces in their stomachs. Their stomachs are located close to their mouths, so the food does not need to travel far to be chewed.

Trivia: What is NOT a type of crustacean?

Mussels
Lobster
Shrimp
Crabs

The correct answer is Mussels

So why is this answer correct? : All crustaceans are shellfish, but not all shellfish are crustaceans. Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods that fall into the shellfish category because they are edible. Marine crustaceans have various predators, including humans. Crabs, lobsters, and shrimp are the most commonly farmed crustaceans.

Trivia: What freshwater crustaceans look like tiny lobsters?

Conch
Crawfish
Prawn
Snow crab

The correct answer is Crawfish

So why is this answer correct? : Crawfish (also called crayfish or crawdads) are a staple in American Southern cuisine. They have a similar look and taste to lobsters and are found in freshwater environments like rivers and ponds. In the Gulf states, peak crawfish season runs from late winter through spring. Crawfish farming is also a major industry in Louisiana, which produces 85% of the crawfish supply in the U.S.

Trivia: What popular dish features baked oysters on the half-shell?

Angels on horseback
Ceviche
Po’boy
Oysters Rockefeller

The correct answer is Oysters Rockefeller

So why is this answer correct? : Oysters Rockefeller was created at Antoine’s in New Orleans in 1899 due to an escargot shortage — the chef needed a similar replacement, and oysters fit the bill. The dish was named after wealthy business tycoon John D. Rockefeller, because of its rich taste. Traditional oysters Rockefeller is topped with a rich butter sauce, parsley, spinach, and bread crumbs.

Trivia: “Shellfish” is a colloquial term for what type of aquatic invertebrates?

Nocturnal
Poisonous
Edible
Endangered

The correct answer is Edible

So why is this answer correct? : “Shellfish” refers to edible animals in the Mollusca or Echinodermata phylum or the class Crustacea. This includes oysters, scallops, clams, crabs, shrimp, and lobsters. These animals are farmed or commercially raised and used as a food source around the world. Several species of lobster and crab are among the most expensive — and popular — types of shellfish.

Trivia: What valuable material can oysters produce?

Pearls
Diamonds
Caviar
Amber

The correct answer is Pearls

So why is this answer correct? : Oysters are the most common type of mollusk that make pearls, but technically, other mollusks such as clams, mussels, and scallops can create pearls, too. Pearls form when an irritant such as a parasite enters the body of a mollusk, which secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin as a natural defense that builds up around the foreign body. This nacre (also called “mother of pearl”) encases the irritant, forming shiny, precious pearls that are often made into jewelry.

In the hotel room scene in the film version of “The Last Detail,” what was Jack Nicholson teaching Randy Quaid?

Drinking games
Knotting techniques
Poker
Semaphore
Yahtzee

The correct answer is Semaphore

The 1970 film about the Buffalo Soldiers, “The Red, the White, and The Black,” starred who as Private Armstrong?

Danny Glover
Rafer Johnson
Sidney Poitier
O.J. Simpson
Denzel Washington

The correct answer is Rafer Johnson