Food & Flavor
This crispy, usually triangular South Asian snack often contains spiced potatoes and peas.
What is a samosa?
This Himalayan mountain on the Nepal-China border is the highest above sea level on Earth.
What is Mount Everest?
India and Pakistan became independent from British rule in this year.
What is 1947?
Often called the Festival of Lights, this holiday is celebrated with lamps called diyas.
What is Diwali? (Accept Deepavali.)
This nickname refers to the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai.
What is Bollywood?
This fragrant rice dish, popular across India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, is layered or cooked with spices and meat or vegetables.
What is biryani?
This island country lies just southeast of India and is separated from it by the Palk Strait.
What is Sri Lanka?
This leader of India's independence movement led the 1930 Salt March.
Who is Mahatma Gandhi? (Accept Mohandas Gandhi.)
Celebrants throw colored powder during this South Asian spring festival.
What is Holi?
This energetic folk dance from Punjab is often performed to the beat of a dhol.
What is bhangra?
These filled dumplings, often steamed and served with achar, are a favorite in Nepal.
What are momos?
Male is the capital of this South Asian island nation made up of coral atolls.
What is the Maldives?
Bangladesh gained independence in 1971 from this country.
What is Pakistan?
Muslims across South Asia celebrate this Eid marking the end of Ramadan.
What is Eid al-Fitr?
Ravi Shankar was internationally famous for playing this long-necked string instrument.
What is the sitar?
In Sri Lanka, kottu is made by chopping and stir-frying this flatbread with other ingredients.
What is roti? (Accept godamba roti.)
This vast mangrove forest spans coastal Bangladesh and India and is famous for its Bengal tigers.
What is the Sundarbans?
Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were major cities of this Bronze Age civilization.
What is the Indus Valley Civilization? (Accept Harappan Civilization.)
This major Nepali festival honors the goddess Durga and includes elders giving tika and blessings.
What is Dashain?
Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was renowned for this form of Sufi devotional singing.
What is qawwali?
This Bhutanese dish has a Dzongkha name meaning "chilies and cheese."
What is ema datshi?
This mountain range stretches across much of Afghanistan and into northern Pakistan.
What is the Hindu Kush?
This Mauryan emperor promoted Buddhism after the devastating Kalinga War.
Who is Ashoka?
Mangal Shobhajatra processions in Bangladesh celebrate this Bengali New Year holiday.
What is Pahela Baishakh? (Accept Pohela Boishakh or Bengali New Year.)
This Bengali writer became the first Asian Nobel laureate in Literature in 1913.
Who is Rabindranath Tagore?