原文標(biāo)題：
World in a dish
I melt with you
How the chocolate fondant became a ubiquitous indulgence
盤(pán)中世界
與你共融
巧克力甜點(diǎn)是如何成為大眾美食的？

The dessert can be found in Michelin-starred restaurants and supermarkets alike
在米其林星級(jí)餐廳和超市都有這種甜點(diǎn)

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SOME DISHES are unequivocally high-end: a perfectly clear consommé, for instance. Others are less so—a cheeseburger-crust pizza, say.
有些菜肴無(wú)疑是高端的：如透明的清燉肉湯。其他菜肴則沒(méi)那么高端——如芝士漢堡披薩。

Still others defy the distinction, served in restaurants of all calibres to diners of all tastes.
還有一些菜肴不分貴賤，在各種檔次的餐廳都有，適合各種口味的食客。

The chocolate fondant is one such dish. Its success is a reminder that, in the end, pleasure is still a universal pursuit.巧克力甜點(diǎn)就是這樣美食。它的成功提醒我們，歸根結(jié)底，快樂(lè)仍然是一種普遍追求。

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Two glitzy French cuisiniers claim to have invented the chocolate fondant.
兩位著名的法國(guó)美食家都聲稱(chēng)他們是巧克力甜點(diǎn)的發(fā)明者。

The first is Michel Bras, a Michelin-starred chef, who created the coulant au chocolat (runny chocolate) in 1981 to evoke the memory of sipping hot chocolate to warm up after a family skiing trip.
第一個(gè)是米其林星級(jí)廚師米歇爾-布拉斯，他于 1981 年發(fā)明了 coulant au chocolat（流質(zhì)巧克力），以喚起人們?cè)诩彝セ┞眯泻蠛葻崆煽肆θ∨挠洃洝?br>
The second is Jean-Georges Vongerichten, another starry Gallic gourmet.
第二位是讓-喬治-馮格里希頓，他是一位明星級(jí)的高盧（法國(guó)）美食家。

In New York in 1987 he pulled hundreds of miniature chocolate cakes out of the oven before they were cooked.
在1987 年的紐約，他從烤箱中取出了數(shù)百個(gè)尚未烤熟的微型巧克力蛋糕。

The centres were molten but there was no time to correct the mistake. Despite the error, the diners loved them. He has served them ever since.
蛋糕中心是熔化的，但沒(méi)有時(shí)間糾錯(cuò)了。盡管出了錯(cuò)，但食客們還是很喜歡這些蛋糕。從那時(shí)起，他就開(kāi)始供應(yīng)這些蛋糕。

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Their techniques are different, but between them Messrs Bras and Vongerichten created a sophisticated confection.
他們的技術(shù)不同，但布拉斯和馮格里希頓發(fā)明了一種精致的甜點(diǎn)。

It became a phenomenon, served in the toniest establishments on either side of the Atlantic.
它成了一種現(xiàn)象級(jí)美食，在大西洋兩岸頂級(jí)餐廳里供應(yīng)。

In America it had the all-important aroma of French refinement and élégance.
在美國(guó)，最重要的是它具有法國(guó)精致優(yōu)雅的香味。

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The flavour is straightforward (one-note would be a less charitable description) but getting the dish exactly right is tricky.
味道很簡(jiǎn)單（一種口味的描述顯得不那么仁慈），但是要把這道美食做到剛剛好是很難的。

There are no outward clues to indicate the point at which it is perfectly cooked.
沒(méi)有任何外在的線(xiàn)索顯示它已經(jīng)完全熟透了。

The moment of incision provides the thrill of drama. Will the dessert ooze or will it prove to be a dry disappointment?
切開(kāi)的瞬間有一種戲劇性的快感。甜點(diǎn)是會(huì)滲出還是干巴巴地令人失望呢？

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In 1991 Alain Ducasse, a multi-Michelin-starred chef, told the New York Times that the fondant had reached a point where restaurants “were practically obliged to make it”.
1991 年，米其林星級(jí)主廚阿蘭·杜卡斯告訴《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》，巧克力甜點(diǎn)已經(jīng)到了餐廳"幾乎不得不做 "的地步。

It was one of the defining desserts of that decade. But then the tide began to turn.
這是那十年的標(biāo)志性甜點(diǎn)之一。但隨后潮流開(kāi)始轉(zhuǎn)向。

Mr Vongerichten was churning out so many at one point that Mark Bittman, an American food writer, dubbed it “the Big Mac of desserts”.
馮格里希頓一次制作出如此多的甜點(diǎn)，以至于美國(guó)美食作家馬克·比特曼將其稱(chēng)為“甜點(diǎn)中的巨無(wú)霸”。

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The name evolved. In many places it became a “molten chocolate cake” or a “chocolate lava cake”.
名稱(chēng)也在不斷變化。在許多地方，叫做“熔融巧克力蛋糕”或“巧克力熔巖蛋糕”。

It travelled from hushed dining rooms to the restaurants of Disney World.
它從安靜的餐廳走到了迪斯尼世界的餐廳。

Chain restaurants began serving them; takeaway joints can deliver fondants along with your pizza.
連鎖餐廳也開(kāi)始供應(yīng)；外賣(mài)店也把巧克力蛋糕和披薩放在一起送餐。

Supermarkets include the dessert in their Valentine’s Day ready-meal deals. Aldi, Costco, Lidl and Walmart all flog iterations of it.
超市將這種甜點(diǎn)納入情人節(jié)即食食品中。阿爾迪、好市多、利德和沃爾瑪都有售賣(mài)。

In “Chef”, a film of 2014, a critic seethes that he would rather the cook “sit on my face after a brisk walk on a warm day than suffer through that fucking lava cake again.”
在2014年的電影《落魄大廚》中，一位評(píng)論家怒火中燒，他寧愿廚師“在熱天快走后坐我臉上，也不愿再忍受那該死的熔巖蛋糕了。”

The dish has become déclassé or, worse, a bit naff.
這道美食已不上檔次，更糟糕的是，還有點(diǎn)低劣。

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And yet like crème br?lée and tiramisu—also wildly popular in the 1990s—its ubiquity seems to have inflicted little damage.
然而，就像焦糖布丁和提拉米蘇一樣——同樣在 1990 年代廣受歡迎——它的流行似乎沒(méi)有造成什么損害。

It exists comfortably on both planes, the blowout and the budget. Any version of it is fundamentally an extravagance. That overcomes any food snobbery.
它舒適地存在于兩個(gè)平行世界里，盛宴和小酌中都有。不管哪一種，從根本上來(lái)說(shuō)都是一種奢侈。這克服了任何食物的虛榮與勢(shì)利。

A recent study suggests that people living in “high-indulgence” cultures (as opposed to cultures of restraint) report higher levels of well-being.
最近的一項(xiàng)研究表明，生活在“高度放縱”文化（相對(duì)于克制文化）中的人幸福感更高。

It turns out a little of what you fancy does, in fact, do you good.
事實(shí)證明，你喜歡的東西實(shí)際上對(duì)你有好處。

（恭喜讀完，本篇英語(yǔ)詞匯量536左右）
原文出自：2023年4月22日《The Economist》Culture版塊

精讀筆記來(lái)源于：自由英語(yǔ)之路

本文翻譯整理: Irene

本文編輯校對(duì): Irene
僅供個(gè)人英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)交流使用。

【補(bǔ)充資料】（來(lái)自于網(wǎng)絡(luò)）
巧克力熔巖蛋糕（Chocolate Lava Cake）是一種經(jīng)典的甜點(diǎn)，也被稱(chēng)為巧克力心太軟蛋糕。它的外層酥脆，內(nèi)部柔軟松散，中心藏有一顆濃稠的巧克力熔巖，切開(kāi)時(shí)會(huì)流出誘人的巧克力汁液。制作巧克力熔巖蛋糕需要用到高品質(zhì)的巧克力、奶油、雞蛋和面粉等原料，口感豐富濃郁，是許多人喜愛(ài)的甜點(diǎn)之一。

《落魄大廚》（Chef）是一部2014年上映的美國(guó)喜劇電影，由喬恩·費(fèi)儒執(zhí)導(dǎo)、編劇和主演。影片講述了一名廚師卡爾（喬恩·費(fèi)儒飾），因?yàn)榕c老板發(fā)生爭(zhēng)執(zhí)而失業(yè)后，開(kāi)始經(jīng)營(yíng)一輛食品卡車(chē)，在旅途中重新發(fā)現(xiàn)自己對(duì)美食的熱愛(ài)，并與前妻和兒子重修關(guān)系的故事。電影以美食為主題，展現(xiàn)了各種令人垂涎欲滴的美食制作過(guò)程，同時(shí)也呈現(xiàn)了主角在追求自我價(jià)值和家庭關(guān)系中的成長(zhǎng)歷程。影片因其溫暖幽默的故事情節(jié)、精彩的表演和絕佳的音樂(lè)選曲而備受好評(píng)，成為了一部頗具影響力的美食電影。

【重點(diǎn)句子】（3個(gè)）
The chocolate fondant is one such dish. Its success is a reminder that, in the end, pleasure is still a universal pursuit.
巧克力甜點(diǎn)就是這樣美食。它的成功提醒我們，歸根結(jié)底，快樂(lè)仍然是一種普遍追求。

The name evolved. In many places it became a “molten chocolate cake” or a “chocolate lava cake”.
名稱(chēng)也在不斷變化。在許多地方，叫做“熔融巧克力蛋糕”或“巧克力熔巖蛋糕”。

A recent study suggests that people living in “high-indulgence” cultures (as opposed to cultures of restraint) report higher levels of well-being.
最近的一項(xiàng)研究表明，生活在“高度放縱”文化（相對(duì)于克制文化）中的人幸福感更高。