原文標(biāo)題：
World in a dish
Comfortably numb
Sichuan peppers exemplify the surprising things food can do to you
盤中世界
適中麻辣
美食中的花椒能給你帶來神奇體驗(yàn)

The curious, anaesthetising charm of Sichuan peppers
Like some other adventurous foods, they expand your sense of what eating can do to you
花椒的奇特麻醉魅力
大膽嘗試各種美食，你會(huì)對(duì)美食作用有全新的認(rèn)識(shí)

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“POLYSEMOUS” DESCRIBES a word with several meanings, such as “run”, “set”, or, in the kitchen, “pepper”.

“多義詞”是指一個(gè)詞具有多個(gè)含義，比如“run”，“set”，或者廚房中的“pepper”都屬于多義詞。

That term encompasses the entire Capsicum annuum family, from vegetal green bell peppers to searing little Thai chillies.

pepper這個(gè)詞包括整個(gè)茄科辣椒屬植物，從青椒到超辣的泰國小辣椒等都算。

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.

還包括干粉狀胡椒科果實(shí)（稱為黑胡椒和白胡椒），以及世界上最奇怪又最令人上癮的香料之一：花椒，俗稱四川胡椒。

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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.
普通胡椒生長在藤蔓上，而花椒則是花椒樹的果實(shí)，屬于柑橘科。

They come in red and green varieties; the red has an earthily floral taste, where the green is more astringent.
它們有紅色和綠色兩個(gè)品種；紅色花椒帶有泥土的花香味，而綠色花椒則更辛辣。

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.
然而，花椒最突出的特征不在于味道，而在于對(duì)口腔的影響：它們含有一種叫做羥基-α-花椒烯酮的化學(xué)物質(zhì)，會(huì)引起嘴唇和舌頭的刺痛和麻木感，有點(diǎn)像經(jīng)歷了一次持續(xù)但輕微的電擊。

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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.
顧名思義，花椒（四川胡椒）是中國西南部省份四川美味而復(fù)雜的菜肴中不可或缺的調(diào)料。

Together with dried chillies it forms the flavour profile known as mala, a term made up of the characters for “numbing” and “spicy”.
花椒與干辣椒一起構(gòu)成了"麻辣 "的味道，這個(gè)詞由 "麻 "和 "辣 "組成。

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.
任何吃過水煮魚（一道以沸騰辣椒油煮魚為特色的菜肴）的人都知道這種感覺，辣得流淚、流鼻涕，卻令人愉悅。

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.
西方的宮保菜有四川特色，但要么過于甜膩要么淡而無味；而正宗的宮保菜鮮美獨(dú)特，花椒的辛辣與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.
與傳統(tǒng)做法不同，花椒干炒然后加鹽碾碎，花椒可作為爆米花的一種刺激調(diào)味料。

Toasted and mixed with cumin and fennel seeds, dried chillies, anise, sugar and salt, it makes a spice rub that enlivens stir-fried potatoes.
將烤過的花椒與孜然、茴香籽、干辣椒、八角、糖和鹽混合，制成的混合調(diào)料可以提高炒土豆的口感。

The lemony intensity pairs well with the austere richness of dark chocolate and the buttery blank slate of shortbread.
酸檸檬的濃烈與黑巧克力的濃郁和酥皮餅干的香脆，簡直是完美搭配。

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A few peppercorns go a long way.
幾顆花椒就能起到很大的效果。

Just as inexperienced barbecue cooks often ignite so much wood that they char their meat, pepper novices risk making diners’ heads vibrate for hours.
就像沒有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的燒烤師傅燒多了柴火，導(dǎo)致肉糊掉一樣，如果控制不好用量，花椒新手有可能會(huì)讓食客頭麻目暈數(shù)小時(shí)。

Yet even when used in moderation, they remain, like anchovies or coriander, a divisive ingredient.
然而，即使適度使用，花椒仍然像鳳尾魚或香菜一樣，是一種具有爭議性的食材。

Detractors wonder why anyone would want to anaesthetise their mouths while eating. There is no answer, really—no disputing tastes, as the maxim goes.
花椒厭惡者想不明白為什么有人吃飯時(shí)要麻醉自己的嘴巴。實(shí)際上，沒有答案--正如諺語所說，蘿卜白菜，各有所愛。

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Sichuan peppercorns, however, are just one of an array of foods prized by gastronauts for the sensations they induce.
然而，花椒只是眾多美食家青睞的食物之一，因?yàn)樗鼈兡軒硖厥獾母杏X。

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.
鵝肝的吸引力部分在于其豐富的口感。未熟的番石榴經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)在泰國的餐桌上，它具有收斂口感的特點(diǎn)，完美平衡了辣味食物。

Some cannot get enough of the jolting burn chillies produce; for others, the pain outweighs any pleasure.
有些人對(duì)辣椒的刺激燒灼感欲罷不能；但對(duì)其他人來說，辣椒帶來的痛苦超過了任何愉悅感。

In “Love in the Time of Cholera”, one of Gabriel García Márquez’s characters munches asparagus for the resulting aroma of his urine.
在《霍亂時(shí)期的愛情》中，加夫列爾·加西亞·馬爾克斯筆下有一個(gè)人物角色為了尿液的氣味而啃食蘆筍。

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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.
品嘗其中任何一種味道都能拓展你對(duì)食物的理解，它們可以給你帶來更多的美食體驗(yàn)。

Inevitably, some prefer the familiar. Their loss.
不可避免地，有些人更喜歡熟悉的味道，但這是他們的損失。

（恭喜讀完，本篇英語詞匯量567左右）
原文出自：2023年7月1日《The Economist》Culture版塊
精讀筆記來源于：自由英語之路

本文翻譯整理: Irene

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

【補(bǔ)充資料】（來自于網(wǎng)絡(luò)）
茄科辣椒屬（Capsicum annuum family）是一種植物家族。該屬包括許多種植物，其中最著名的是辣椒（Capsicum）和甜椒（Bell Pepper）。這些植物在許多地區(qū)被廣泛種植，并且在烹飪中被用作調(diào)味品和食材。

花椒（學(xué)名：Zanthoxylum simulans），是蕓香科植物花椒屬下的一種植物。它也被稱為山胡椒、辣木椒等。花椒是一種常綠喬木，可以生長到10米高。它的樹干通常有刺?；ń返墓麑?shí)是它最受歡迎的部分。果實(shí)呈紅色或橙色，外表飽滿而光滑。果實(shí)內(nèi)含有許多小顆粒，這些顆粒被稱為花椒粒。花椒粒有一種獨(dú)特的辛辣味道，因此被廣泛用作調(diào)味品。它們通常用于烹飪辣菜和火鍋。

羥基-α-花椒烯酮（hydroxy-alpha-sanshool）是一種從花椒中提取的活性成分。它是一種化學(xué)物質(zhì)，具有辣味和麻木感。羥基-α-花椒烯酮與我們的舌頭上的感受器相互作用，從而產(chǎn)生辣味和麻木感。這種辣味與辣椒中的辣椒素辣味不同，更接近麻木感。

【重點(diǎn)句子】（3個(gè)）
Together with dried chillies it forms the flavour profile known as mala, a term made up of the characters for “numbing” and “spicy”.
花椒與干辣椒一起構(gòu)成了"麻辣 "的味道，這個(gè)詞由 "麻 "和 "辣 "組成。

Some cannot get enough of the jolting burn chillies produce; for others, the pain outweighs any pleasure.
有些人對(duì)辣椒的刺激燒灼感欲罷不能；但對(duì)其他人來說，辣椒帶來的痛苦超過了任何愉悅感。

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.
品嘗其中任何一種味道都能拓展你對(duì)食物的理解，它們可以給你帶來更多的美食體驗(yàn)。