Here are 100 great trivia facts to drop in casually at your next dinner party or to use to stump that certain someone who always knows everything about food - or thinks they do! In choosing these we have steered away from names of alcoholic drinks, fish, processed meats, pasta and cheeses, which are many and varied, as well as those of specific dishes. The following are all ingredients that could be bought in Australia. That is your only clue.

abiu            a small round sweet yellow fruit

achar          Indian oil-based lime and mango pickle

adzuki         (also aduki and azuki) tiny red bean with sweet flavour

amaranth     an ancient South American grain 

amasu shoga       Japanese pickled pink ginger

ancho           the most common chilli used in Mexico

annatto         a reddish spice often used as a colouring agent

arborio         a short round rice used for risotto

arugula         a leafy green vegetable also called rocket

asafoetida    Indian seasoning used widely in Asian foods to enhance flavour

atta             Indian wheat flour

attar            another name for rose water

babaco         a long pawpaw-like fruit

besan          chickpea or lentil flour

blachan        shrimp paste used in many Asian dishes

bonito flakes       shaved dried bonito used in Japanese dishes

bunya bunya       Australian bush nuts

candlenuts          Asian nuts similar to macadamias

cape gooseberry    a small round fruit in a papery husk

carambola            star fruit

cassava         (also manioc) a staple starchy food in the Pacific

cassia            used as a cheaper substitute for cinnamon

chard             green leafy vegetable, silverbeet

chayote         another name for choko

cherimoya     another name for custard apple

chipotle         smoke-dried jalapeno chilli

citron            lemon-shaped citrus fruit prized for its skin

collard           kale

dashi            Japanese fish stock

dulse            European seaweed

durian           large south-east Asian fruit with a strong smell

enokitaki       tiny white Japanese mushrooms

escarole        broadleaf Batavian endive - a green leafy vegetable

fava              another name for broad beans

filbert            another name for hazelnuts

galangal        similar to root ginger from south-east Asia

ghee             clarified butter

gingko           Chinese nuts

granadilla       another name for passionfruit

gula melaka     palm sugar

harissa            fiery North African sauce or spice mix

hijiki               a Japanese seaweed

hominy            whole dried corn

Indian fig         the fruit of the prickly pear

isinglass           a rare gelatine from the air bladders of some fish

jaboticaba        a round dark plum-shaped fruit

jaggery            palm sugar

jicama             also called yam bean, a crisp fleshed vegetable tasting similar to water chestnuts

jujube             Chinese red date

kimchee          Korean pickled cabbage

kiwano            a prickly fruit with cucumber-like seeds

kohlrabi          like a leafy turnip

kombu            flat Japanese seaweed

kumara           similar to sweet potato with an orange flesh

kumquat          tiny tart citrus fruit

kuzu                starch used in Japanese cookery

lavash             flat middle-Eastern bread

lillypilly            a pink acidic Australian fruit

macapuno        immature coconut

mangosteen     a round thick-skinned south-east Asian fruit

marron            freshwater crustacean

mastic            Middle Eastern flavouring

mizuna            type of leafy green vegetable

nori            flat green Japanese seaweed

okra            a small greed vegetable used in Indian and Cajun cookery

pepino         small melon-shaped fruit

pinon           another name for pinenuts

plantain        a starchy type of banana

pomelo        tropical fruit like a large grapefruit

quandong     Australian wild peach

quark           a type of European cottage cheese

quinoa          an ancient tiny grain resembling millet

rambutan      hairy red-skinned south-east Asian fruit

ramen           Asian wheat noodle

rutabaga        another name for swede

salep             starch used for thickening in Middle Eastern cookery

sambal ulek        Indonesian chilli sauce

sansho            prickly ash powder used as seasoning in Japanese dishes

sapodilla          a small round fruit with gritty flesh

screwpine        another name for pandan, an Asian flavouring

sekihan           Asian red rice

serai               another name for lemongrass

sorrel              a herb related to dock

soursop          a prickly skinned custard apple

star anise       a star-shaped seasoning used in Asian cookery

taggiasche      very small, black expensive olives from Italy

takuan            yellow Japanese radish pickle

tamarind         a fruit used in Indian cookery

tansy              a bitter herb

tarama            roe of the grey mullet

teff                 a grain similar to millet and used in African breads

udon               thick Asian wheat flour noodles

ugli fruit          a large knobbly citrus fruit

umeboshi        Japanese plum pickle

verjuice            a sour liquor made from unripe apples or grapes

wakame           a Japanese seaweed

wasabi             Japanese horseradish

witloof             Belgian endive

yabbies           freshwater crustaceans

yarrow            an ancient, slightly bitter herb

OK, smart foodies....what ones have we missed here? Let us know - but you must be sure of exactly what they are too.