Can You Get More Than 11 Right on This Tasty Pastry ID Quiz?

Olivia Cantor

This is perhaps the most American pastry ever. What is it?

Pies are technically considered as pastries, because they are considered as pastry dishes composed primarily of the filling, then the crust. Therefore, the apple pie is considered as a pastry -- and Americans love eating it a la mode sometimes, meaning they top off a slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This twisted bread is usually called what?

A long, stretched dough shaped into a knot and then baked is what we call a pretzel. It comes in various forms and sizes actually, and is said to have originated in Europe as early as the medieval times.

This fun pastry is popularly sold in fairs. What is it?

A funnel cake is actually a kind of fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar, and topped with whatever the customer wants, commonly some chocolate syrup, cinnamon powder, or even some fruits like berries. If you visit a fair in America, or even in amusement parks and carnivals, they're usually sold there.

This flaky pastry is a breakfast fave. What is it?

The typical croissant is shaped like a crescent, and experts are still ambiguous of its exact origins, but they all point to Europe as its primary source. These days, the typical croissant doesn't exactly follow the full crescent shape of its origins, as it appears as an elongated bread that's popularly consumed for breakfast the world over.

This pastry is made of fruit that you peel. What is it?

Banana bread is more of a loaf that's baked with banana mashed into the dough. Since it's basically sweet, it is technically considered as a pastry, for sweetness is one requirement for a baked good to be considered a pastry.

This very sweet and crumbly pastry is known as what?

Everybody loves their chocolate chip cookies. Whether they come in crumbly texture or chewy ones, young and old alike patronize this very popular pastry as a snack and as a comfort food item.

You could say this came from Denmark. What is it?

The danish is a kind of puff pastry, and it indeed hails from Denmark, where it was reportedly brought there by Austrians. It comes in different forms now, usually glazed, and also has different flavorings and variants on the top. Nuts, fruits, berries and jams are some of the popular toppings baked into the danish.

This popular pastry could have a hole or not. What is it?

Sometimes it's known as a doughnut, and sometimes it's simply called donut, but this pastry with a hole (or not) remains a worldwide favorite for many people and many nationalities. In the U.S., there is even a "National Doughnut Day" celebrated every June, which commemorates the importance of this food item during World War I in U.S. history, and there's another one celebrated during November as well .

This pastry is usually eaten with a meal. What is it?

The pastry called cornbread is also categorized as a quick bread, because it doesn't come from a yeasted dough. It's a popular pastry in the southern U.S. where it is commonly served with chili or fried chicken.

This pastry involves having some viscous element inside of it. What is it?

Choux pastry is used to create cream puffs, because it's a kind of light pastry. This popular pastry is filled with whipped cream or custard, often enclosed within the pastry but sometimes peeking out in the middle, like a sandwich-looking type of preparation.

This pastry has interesting fillings within it. What's it called?

You may not know it, but Pop Tarts are actually a kind of toaster pastry since they're filled with some kind of fruit preserves enclosed in a thin and square-shaped pastry. They are usually sold in ready-to-eat packets, and often consumed as snack items.

The Italians love this one! What is it?

The Italian island of Sicily lays claim to the popular cannoli, which is a pastry that's shaped like a long tube and filled with some kind of cheesy cream filling inside of it. Outside, they are sprinkled with powdered sugar, and some eateries serve them drizzled with chocolate syrup. It's a fun pastry to eat after having a great Italian meal.

This blue-shaded pastry is known as what?

Muffins that have sweet fruity ingredients baked inside of it are also considered pastries, and one popular example of this is the blueberry muffin. These goodies originated in the U.S. and are found in bakeries and cafes worldwide.

The French like this one a lot. What is it?

The quiche is identified as a pastry because of its pastry crust, which is then filled with a preparation consisting of eggs, cream, cheese and milk as base, then mixed in with some savory fillings that complete the picture. A quiche might consist of a meat or seafood element.

It's a smaller version of what they serve during birthdays. What is it?

Did you know that Australians and the British call cupcakes as fairy cakes? Perhaps it's because the small version of cakes are fairly nice to consume anywhere and everywhere, be it at parties or watching the movies. Regardless of what it's called, the cupcake is a very proud American-originated pastry.

Can you name this U.S. state specialty pastry?

Key limes are said to be endemic in the Florida Keys, hence the name. It's just a matter of time that somebody used these specific limes to create one of the most popular kinds of pastry pies to come out of the U.S. -- the key lime pie.

These usually squarish chewy goodies are known as what?

Brownies, especially the fudge brownie kind, usually comes in chocolate flavor, sometimes with nuts or chocolate chips on the top, sometimes served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. It is said to have originated in Chicago sometime in the late 1800s.

This sweet-filled long pastry is called what?

The typical éclair is usually oblong, filled with custard, and topped with chocolate fondant icing. But these days, there are different types of éclairs available all over the world, and their fillings and topping also vary in flavor now. The custard inside can now be flavored in chocolate, vanilla, coffee, pistachio, and even rum!

This Italian-sounding pastry is known as what?

People who love their coffee-flavored food should definitely try a slice of the tiramisu, the Italian dessert made up of cocoa, mascarpone cheese, and ladyfingers with coffee flavors. Different Italian regions are laying claim to its origins. Regardless of where it came from, this sweet pastry is now enjoyed by many dessert lovers worldwide.

This pastry can be filled with so many different things! What is it?

If you see these triangularly shaped simple-looking pastry, don't judge it by the outside, since the inside is what counts here. The turnover is filled with different kinds of things, and it can serve as either a dessert or a mini-meal, depending on its fillings, which can include fruits or meat.

This Austrian-sounding pastry is popular the world over. What is it?

Ever since Maria Von Trapp sang of her favorite things in "The Sound of Music," one of them being the crisp apple strudel, the world got to know this layered pastry. The sweet-filled pastry originated in Central Europe and in Eastern Europe, and it remains popular there -- and wherever Europeans are in the world, actually, because they also make it in many countries now.

What do you call these small colorful cuties?

The Italian-French-originated macaron is actually a pastry that's also classified as a confectionery, because it has a meringue base and icing sugar as well as some granulated sugar. The pastry is said to have originated in Venice, Italy and was brought over to France by Catherine De Medici when she married King Henry II at the time of the Renaissance era.

A slice of this pastry is chewy and a bit heavy. What is it?

The cheesecake is technically considered as a tart, so it is a form of pastry by that categorization. The New York cheesecake is one of the most widely-recognized cheesecake kinds in the world, which is a very dense sour cream-based tart.

Sometimes it's a bun, sometimes it's a roll. What is this pastry?

People either love the taste of cinnamon or they don't, and it's one of those "taste tests" that sometimes don't have a middle ground. That is why some people either love the cinnamon roll or bun, and some just don't like it, period. The most popular bakery that sells this is the worldwide brand called Cinnabon, where they sell it glazed.

This very graphically textured pastry is known as what?

Yes, the waffle is considered a pastry, one that has long been associated with Belgium where various kinds of waffles exist -- because it is said to have originated there, and in France as well. Try to look for the liège waffle which is the best representative of the authentic Belgian kind of waffle, because the so-called "Belgian waffle" was actually invented in the U.S. already!

This Indian-sounding pastry usually has veggie fillings. What is it?

If you love Indian food, then chances are, you've already encountered the samosa, or those 3D-like triangular fried pastry that's made up of savory vegetarian filling such as potatoes, lentils, peas and onions. It is usually dipped in chutney.

This mini-pie pastry is known as what?

If you love custard pastries, then you have to try one of the original egg tarts made popularly in parts of Asia, South America, and Europe. The egg custard is encased in a small pastry crust, and this style is said to have Chinese and Portuguese origins. The egg tart is actually sold worldwide now, so that's a treat.

This heavenly body-sounding pastry is known as what?

The mooncake is an indispensable pastry that's part of the Mid-Autumn Festival that happens sometime in September or October in various parts of the world that honor this agricultural-based festival season, mainly in China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, but also in countries in Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The mooncake is usually small, rounded or squared, filled with red bean paste or lotus seed paste, and it is eaten during this festival because it highlights the Harvest Moon.

Australians know this pastry! What is it?

The pavlova is said to have been named after the popular Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova when she visited Australia and New Zealand, and both of those countries have been laying claim to its invention for decades. But no matter who concocted it, people still love a slice of this meringue-based dessert cake, especially when it's topped with fruits like kiwi, strawberry, passionfruit, or even pomegranate.

This very New York chic pastry hybrid is known as what?

It was only in 2013 when this cronut pastry got hyped in New York City, particularly when Dominique Ansel Bakery came up with it, and the baker had it patented when it became popular. As its name suggests, the pastry is made up of the same ingredients of a croissant, only it resembles a doughnut in shape, complete with the glaze on top. Today, Ansel invents new flavor versions of the cronut to add to his list of bakery creations.

Hunters might love eating this pastry. What is it?

It's easy to see why the popular almond paste-filled U.S. breakfast pastry called bear claw got its name. Think of it as a form of danish, but its shape takes the form of bear claws when the yeast is raised during preparation.

Fans of Creole cuisine know what this pastry is! Do you?

People who flock over to New Orleans' French Quarter always head over to Café du Monde, where they serve the popular beignet pastry. This can be eaten as breakfast or as dessert, and is also French in origin.

Can you guess what this Mediterranean pastry is?

The baklava is an ancient pastry that has existed in the Middle East as early as the Ottoman Empire. It's made up of flaky dough called filo or phyllo pastry, poured with honey, and contains nuts. It's delicious to try with tea as a dessert to end a good Mediterranean meal.

This exquisite-sounding pastry is known as what, s'il vous plaît?

We say cream puff, the French say profiterole. Yes, the two are essentially the same, because they're both made of choux pastry shaped like a ball, and filled with the pastry cream in the middle. But profiteroles are sometimes filled with ice cream or whipped cream.

Can you name this hyper-sounding pastry?

The poppy seed has been a very popular cooking ingredient since the ancient times, so it's no wonder that it will also end up being used in many kinds of pastries around the world. But Europeans actually made it into a full-fledged pastry that stars the poppy seed alone, and not merely as one of the ingredients, thus making the poppy seed roll.

This rather British-sounding pastry is known as what?

The Cornish pasty is highly identified with Cornwall county located in the southwest part of the UK. it's made up of beef, potatoes and onions folded in a half-circle shape inside a pastry dough, and they are all cooked together.

This popular sweet paste-filled pastry is known as what?

Did you know that the fig roll is a popular pastry in Egypt and its neighboring areas, where it originated? Of course people still eat it now, and a more commercial descendant is actually the Fig Newton brand.

This single fruit-based pastry is called what?

If you visit any eatery in various Chinese communities or International districts with East Asian roots, chances are you'd run into one of these pineapple bun pastries in there. While its origins are traced back to Hong Kong and Macau in particular, many people of Chinese descent like eating this sweet pastry that actually looks like a pineapple on top.

This nut-focused pastry is popular in the southern U.S. What is it?

Pecan pie is very popular in New Orleans, and it is theorized that the French who settled there eons ago were the ones who first made this delicious pie. Regardless of its origins, a slice of this pie is very popularly consumed all over the United States now, and is considered a very American pie.

This flower-sounding pastry is known as what?

Many Chinese restaurants specializing in dumplings may have this extraordinary "dumpling" in their menu called the lotus seed bun. The dough is actually filled with lotus seed paste filling, then they steam it like a dumpling instead of baking or frying it like other pastries.

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About This Quiz

True-blue foodies would know the different kinds of pastries, and how they could differentiate such pastries from mere baked goodies. Are you this type of foodie?

Pastries have existed for centuries now, and they're not merely a modern culinary invention. A pastry should have some form of dough in it, which is typically made up of flour and some kind of shortening ingredient. But a pastry also needs to be flavorful, hence it should have some kind of sweet taste or savory filling inside of it.

Different cultures of the world prepare pastries differently. But they share some common basics in terms of how the dough is prepared. There's the shortcrust pastry which is like the base for making many kinds of tarts. And we all know the flaky pastry or the puff pastry kinds, which we always see in bakeries. The choux pastry is the light ones usually filed with cream of some sort, and most are categorized as desserts. Its cousin is called the filo or the phyllo, and then there's the hot water crust pastry that's utilized in making various kinds of pies.

With so many types of pastries around, we're sure you can name many of these delicious treats. Try them out now!

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