Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: In Japan, what is battered in tempura for a tasty seasonal treat?

Matsutake mushrooms
Pumpkin
Maple leaves
Cabbage

Correct Answer: Maple leaves

So why is this answer correct? : Tempura-battered maple leaves are a seasonal delicacy in Japan. They are salted, fried, and sometimes topped with sesame seeds. Known for its strikingly beautiful fall foliage, Japan might also be the origin of “leaf-peeping.” While Americans popularized this tradition, there is evidence as far back as 794 CE (during the Heian Era) that Japan’s noble families regularly attended “leaf hunting” excursions. From enjoying the beautiful red hues of falling maple leaves to frying them as a treat, the Japanese know how to celebrate the season.

Trivia: The invention of what product skyrocketed the popularity of pecan pie?

Karo syrup
Jell-O
Coca-Cola
Nabisco Sugar Wafers

Correct Answer: Karo syrup

So why is this answer correct? : Pecan harvesting begins in late September and continues throughout November, just in time for fall baking. Pecan pie began popping up in cookbooks in the early 1900s, but it became forever cemented in American culture in the 1920s when Karo brand syrup printed its recipe on products distributed all over the country. Today, recipes frequently call for corn syrup rather than the brand name Karo (a flavored corn syrup), but some bakers still swear by it.

Trivia: The first NFL game was held where?

Buffalo, New York
Hammond, Indiana
Dayton, Ohio
Chicago, Illinois

Correct Answer: Dayton, Ohio

So why is this answer correct? : Whether it’s at a local high school field or under the bright lights of an NFL stadium, watching a football game is a favorite fall activity for Americans all over the country. The first professional football game was played in Ohio on October 3, 1920, between the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles. Four thousand people came to watch the event, reportedly paying $1.50 per ticket. Even more surprising? Each player was paid $50 to play in the game — quite different than the NFL salaries of today. The Dayton Triangles won the game 14 to 0.

Trivia: A late 18th-century pioneer, what is Johnny Appleseed known for?

Baking apple pies
Planting apple orchards
Inventing apple cider
Bringing apples to America

Correct Answer: Planting apple orchards

So why is this answer correct? : Johnny Appleseed, whose real name was John Chapman, contributed greatly to a hallmark of America: the apple orchard. While parts of his life were mythologized, Johnny did plant a surplus of apple orchards across the U.S., beginning in the Allegheny Valley of Pennsylvania in 1798. He then traveled west through Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Illinois. It is estimated that he planted over 100,000 square miles of orchards during his lifetime.

Trivia: What happens on the night before Halloween in some parts of the U.S.?

Beggar’s Night
Fastnacht Day
Boxing Day
Ash Wednesday

Correct Answer: Beggar’s Night

So why is this answer correct? : Beggar’s Night is celebrated on October 30 in certain cities around the country. It began when some city officials wanted to crack down on the mischief of Halloween night, and decided the solution was to hold trick-or-treating the night before. The first city to initiate the holiday was Des Moines, Iowa, in 1938. By the 1950s, it had spread to other cities, including Washington, D.C. Today, some cities still hold their official trick-or-treating night on Beggar’s Night rather than Halloween.

Trivia: In 1993, the first recorded corn maze was created in which state?

Pennsylvania
Iowa
Texas
Michigan

Correct Answer: Pennsylvania

So why is this answer correct? : The year 1993 marked an important milestone in American culture: the first public corn maze was created. Aptly named the “Amazing Maize Maze,” Don Frantz wanted to create a new type of family fun for fall. His first maze was located at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania, and made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. Today, the American Maze Company creates multiple mazes in different states every year, keeping its nearly 30-year tradition alive.

Trivia: What was the original purpose of bobbing for apples?

Predicting the upcoming winter
A child’s birthday game
A courting ritual
A suspected witch’s trial

Correct Answer: A courting ritual

So why is this answer correct? : This game has been around for hundreds of years. There are many variations of “bobbing for apples,” but in the early versions, young British suitors would play with their intended, hoping to bite into the apple with their name on it. If it took one try to bite the apple, the romance would be a success; two bites and the love would eventually fade; three bites meant certain doom. Immigrants in America began playing this game during the late 1800s. This new version, however, was fun for everyone. Both adults and children participated during the time of fall apple harvests.

Trivia: What was the first jack o’lantern carved from, according to Irish legend?

Potato
Turnip
Watermelon
Eggplant

Correct Answer: Turnip

So why is this answer correct? : We have Irish immigrants to thank for bringing the pumpkin carving tradition to the U.S., but centuries ago, it wasn’t pumpkins they were carving. According to the legend of “Stingy Jack,” Jack angered the Devil by tricking him, who then sentenced Jack to the punishment of eternal darkness. To light his way, Jack carved the first jack o’lantern from a hollowed-out turnip and lit it with hot coal. He was called “Jack of the lantern” which was eventually shortened to jack o’lantern. Later in America, immigrants began to carve all kinds of vegetables and fruits, but pumpkins, which are native to North America, became the favored choice.

Trivia: About how many apples will fit in a bushel?

10
50
125
300

Correct Answer: 125

So why is this answer correct? : A popular autumn pastime, apple picking brings in millions of visitors to America’s orchards each year. If an orchard advertises apples “by the bushel,” you can expect to take home about 125 medium-sized apples. That’s enough to make 15 apple pies. Apple picking season begins around mid-August and continues throughout October. If you have your eye on a specific variety of apples, be sure to do a little research before you go, because peak ripeness windows vary.

Trivia: What was the original name for candy corn?

Witch teeth
Chicken feed
Goblin nails
Pumpkin seeds

Correct Answer: Chicken feed

So why is this answer correct? : Candy corn has been around since 1888, when confectioners began experimenting with a simple candy made of sugar, corn syrup, and wax. One of the biggest candy corn producers was Goelitz Candy Company. They marketed their new candy as “chicken feed.” Eventually, that name was phased out and replaced with a generic name, candy corn, due to the candy’s exaggerated corn kernel shape.