Trivia Answers
January Trivia Answers – 1. May, 2026 May 1 and May 31 are both full moons. 2. The 13th Amendment
February Trivia Answers: Red Velvet Answer #1: Natural cocoa powder, used in traditional recipes, is acidic, containing anthocyanins—pigments that react to changes in pH levels. When mixed with buttermilk and vinegar, the cocoa is alkalized and the pigments produce a reddish tint. It is believed that this natural process gives the cake its soft, velvety texture, too!
Red Velvet Answer #2: Many recipes included beets!
Pavlova Answers: The invention of pavlova is contested between Australia and New Zealand, both of which claim to have created the meringue-based dessert in honor of the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in the 1920s. Australia’s claim: Some Australians point to Perth’s Esplanade Hotel chef Herbert “Bert” Sachse creating a meringue dessert in 1935 to honor the ballerina. New Zealand’s claim: New Zealanders claim a chef in Wellington created it in 1929. The Oxford English Dictionary also supports New Zealand’s claim for the first named pavlova recipe in a 1927 cookbook, although that recipe was for a jelly dessert. HOWEVER: Recent research indicates that meringue-based desserts resembling pavlova existed in Europe, such as in the Habsburg dynasty, as far back as the 18th century. Best Answer? It’s more likely that the dessert Pavlova as it is known today was an evolution of existing meringue-based cakes, rather than a single invention.
March Trivia Answer: Current article on keeping maples healthy: Helping your maple trees
April Trivia Answers: Journey/Johnny Cake Spider Answer: In colonial times, a spider was a type of cooking pan. Made from iron, it had three legs to raise it up from the fire. It had a long handle so the cook could place the pan anywhere in the giant cooking hearth and still be able to maneuver it.
“Fool” food Question: The food “fool” likely got its name from the Old French word “fouler,” meaning to “crush” or “press,” referring to the mashed fruit in the dessert. Another theory suggests that the name may have come from the dessert’s simple, unpretentious nature, similar to how the word “fool” once meant something of little consequence.
Frogs Question: Peepers peeping and wood frogs “quacking!”
May Trivia Answers:
1. Europe, Asia, and Africa (or Eurasia and Africa)
2. Colonists brought roots with them.
3. It escaped from gardens or was left growing when folks abandoned their homes to relocate.
June Trivia Answers:
1: True! Flavors were based on the foods they had handy, or favorite foods of the time. It is said that Dolley Madison’s favorite was oyster ice cream! No one actually knows if that is true about Dolley, but oyster ice cream did exist. Think of it as a very thick, very cold chowder… (Or maybe it’s best NOT to think about it!)
2. The vinegar and the sweetener helped preserve the fruit ingredients. A bottle of shrub was meant to last up to 2 years before being opened! We recommend using it up in a few days instead.
3. Historical Territorial Parish Question Answer: In Massachusetts today, a historical “territorial church” generally refers to the descended congregation of the town parish church during the colonial era. This first church was the established, publicly supported church of each town and was deeply integrated with the government. The “territorial” aspect relates to the defined geographic area (the town or parish) within which a specific church held the official, privileged position, functioning as a de facto civil as well as religious authority for all residents.
This system, often described as a union of church and state, meant:
- Town and Church were One: The church and the town government were essentially one and the same in early MA.
- Public Support: Local taxes (tithes) supported the church and its minister.
- Civic Requirements: Full citizenship and the ability to vote or hold office were often tied to church membership – and property qualifications.
- Intolerance: This system was largely intolerant of other religious viewpoints, such as those of the Quakers and Catholic priests, and was a key factor in events like the banishment of Roger Williams and the Salem witch trials.
This system of governance lingered until a series of religious tolerance acts and then the state Constitution revision in 1832, which officially separated church and state in Massachusetts. The direct descendants of these historical churches are today’s various Congregational churches, Unitarian Universalist churches, or other denominations.
July Trivia Answers:
A: The name “trifle” for the dessert comes from the old French word “trufe” (or truffle), meaning something of little importance or something trivial. This origin reflects how the dessert was initially seen as a simple way to use up leftover ingredients like cake, fruit, and cream. Over time, the trifle evolved into a more elaborate dessert, but the name stuck.
A: Abigail Adams to her husband John Adams: Read all about it!
A: Best known now for the practice of ‘Gerrymandering’. Explore the link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/where-did-term-gerrymander-come-180964118/
August Trivia Answer: Yes! Switchel is considered a healthy alternative to sugary sports drinks because it provides electrolytes like potassium, which are crucial for hydration and muscle function. Molasses provides iron and calcium. Ginger contains antioxidants. Apple cider vinegar may be good for gut health.
September Trivia Answer: Regions that are now part of modern-day Germany, Switzerland, and France (specifically the Alsace-Lorraine region). They were called Dutch because that term was used in America to refer to all German-speaking immigrants. The word ‘Deutsch’, meaning German, sounded so much like Dutch, hence the Pennsylvania Dutch
October Trivia Answers – 1. Tricky question! Some of them most likely would have known about or even grown and eaten pumpkins while still living in Europe. Called pompions, pumpkins were grown in Europe from about the 1500’s on. Explorers, including Columbus, brought back the seeds! So, no. Not true. But it’s so tricky we’ll accept a yes answer, too! We can’t prove it either way…
2. check out the link first then read below. A modern clinical article A 1910 newspaper text -Search page for “a felon”
For Felon: “take common rock salt as used for salting down park or beef:
dry it in an oven and pound it fine and mix it with spirits of turpentine in equal parts;
put it in a rag and wrap it around the parts affected.
as it gets dry put on more, and in 24 hours you are cured. The felon will be dead”
The print size above is as a reader would see it in an early 1900’s
November Trivia Answer: They did not! Cranberries were a new, unfamiliar food to them. It would have been very sour anyway, since they ran out of sugar soon after they arrived. The Native Americans used them as a source of dye, and some tribes may have added dried cranberries to their pemmican – a survival food for travelling. Later on, settlers learned to enjoy cranberries!
December Trivia Answers:
A: Celebration? There was no celebration! The Puritans banned any celebration and punished anyone caught making merry at all.