【每天一篇经济学人】World in a dish 盘中世界（2023年第38期

文章来源：《经济学人》Jul 1th 2023 期 Culture 栏目 World in a dish

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“POLYSEMOUS” DESCRIBES a word with several meanings, such as “run”, “set”, or, in the kitchen, “pepper”. That term encompasses the entire Capsicum annuum family, from vegetal green bell peppers to searing little Thai chillies. It includes dried, powdered Piperaceae berries, known as black and white pepper, as well as one of the strangest and most addictive spices in the world: Zanthoxylum simulans, more commonly known as Sichuan pepper.

“多义词”是指一个词具有多个含义，比如“run”，“set”，或者厨房中的“pepper”都属于多义词。

pepper这个词包括整个茄科辣椒属植物，从青椒到超辣的泰国小辣椒等都算。还包括干粉状胡椒科果实（称为黑胡椒和白胡椒），以及世界上最奇怪又最令人上瘾的香料之一：花椒，俗称四川胡椒。

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Whereas ordinary peppercorns grow on vines, Sichuan peppers are berries of the prickly-ash tree and part of the citrus family. They come in red and green varieties; the red has an earthily floral taste, where the green is more astringent. Their most pronounced feature, however, is not their flavour but their effect on the mouth: they contain a chemical called hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, which induces a tingling numbness in the lips and tongue, a bit like being subjected to a long but mild electric shock.

普通胡椒生长在藤蔓上，而花椒则是花椒树的果实，属于柑橘科。它们有红色和绿色两个品种；红色花椒带有泥土的花香味，而绿色花椒则更辛辣。然而，花椒最突出的特征不在于味道，而在于对口腔的影响：它们含有一种叫做羟基-α-花椒烯酮的化学物质，会引起嘴唇和舌头的刺痛和麻木感，有点像经历了一次持续但轻微的电击。

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As its English name suggests, the pepper is indispensable to the deliciously complex cuisine of Sichuan, a province in south-west China. Together with dried chillies it forms the flavour profile known as mala, a term made up of the characters for “numbing” and “spicy”. Anyone who has had the eye-watering, nose-running pleasure of eating shui zhu yu—poached fish in a sea of seething, peppery chilli oil—knows this sensation. In the West, kung pao dishes, a Sichuan speciality, tend to be oversweetened and bland; the real version sings, the zingy pepper set off by the mellow kick of black vinegar.

顾名思义，花椒（四川胡椒）是中国西南部省份四川美味而复杂的菜肴中不可或缺的调料。花椒与干辣椒一起构成了"麻辣 "的味道，这个词由 "麻 "和 "辣 "组成。任何吃过水煮鱼（一道以沸腾辣椒油煮鱼为特色的菜肴）的人都知道这种感觉，辣得流泪、流鼻涕，却令人愉悦。西方的宫保菜有四川特色，但要么过于甜腻要么淡而无味；而正宗的宫保菜鲜美独特，花椒的辛辣与黑醋的醇厚相得益彰。

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Less traditionally, dry-fried and then crushed with salt, Sichuan pepper can be a bracing topping for popcorn. Toasted and mixed with cumin and fennel seeds, dried chillies, anise, sugar and salt, it makes a spice rub that enlivens stir-fried potatoes. The lemony intensity pairs well with the austere richness of dark chocolate and the buttery blank slate of shortbread.

与传统做法不同，花椒干炒然后加盐碾碎，花椒可作为爆米花的一种刺激调味料。将烤过的花椒与孜然、茴香籽、干辣椒、八角、糖和盐混合，制成的混合调料可以提高炒土豆的口感。酸柠檬的浓烈与黑巧克力的浓郁和酥皮饼干的香脆，简直是完美搭配。

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A few peppercorns go a long way. Just as inexperienced barbecue cooks often ignite so much wood that they char their meat, pepper novices risk making diners’ heads vibrate for hours. Yet even when used in moderation, they remain, like anchovies or coriander, a divisive ingredient. Detractors wonder why anyone would want to anaesthetise their mouths while eating. There is no answer, really—no disputing tastes, as the maxim goes.

几颗花椒就能起到很大的效果。就像没有经验的烧烤师傅烧多了柴火，导致肉糊掉一样，如果控制不好用量，花椒新手有可能会让食客头麻目晕数小时。然而，即使适度使用，花椒仍然像凤尾鱼或香菜一样，是一种具有争议性的食材。花椒厌恶者想不明白为什么有人吃饭时要麻醉自己的嘴巴。实际上，没有答案--正如谚语所说，萝卜白菜，各有所爱。

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Sichuan peppercorns, however, are just one of an array of foods prized by gastronauts for the sensations they induce. The appeal of foie gras is partly its lush richness. Unripe guava, which often shows up on Thai tables, has a tannic, mouth-drying quality that balances fiery foods perfectly. In “Love in the Time of Cholera”, one of Gabriel García Márquez’s characters munches asparagus for the resulting aroma of his urine.

然而，花椒只是众多美食家青睐的食物之一，因为它们能带来特殊的感觉。鹅肝的吸引力部分在于其丰富的口感。未熟的番石榴经常出现在泰国的餐桌上，它具有收敛口感的特点，完美平衡了辣味食物。有些人对辣椒的刺激烧灼感欲罢不能；但对其他人来说，辣椒带来的痛苦超过了任何愉悦感。在《霍乱时期的爱情》中，加夫列尔·加西亚·马尔克斯笔下有一个人物角色为了尿液的气味而啃食芦笋。

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To sample any of these items is to expand your understanding of what food can do to you. They add more dimensions to the concept of taste. Inevitably, some prefer the familiar. Their loss.

品尝其中任何一种味道都能拓展你对食物的理解，它们可以给你带来更多的美食体验。不可避免地，有些人更喜欢熟悉的味道，但这是他们的损失。