雖然辛辣食物會刺激口內黏膜，讓人舌頭發(fā)麻、嘴巴冒火，渾身冒汗，但很多人認為吃辣是 “痛并快樂的”，甚至 “無辣不歡”。辣椒是世界各地許多菜肴中的關鍵成分。本期節(jié)目從科學和歷史兩方面分析人們熱衷吃辣的原因。

詞匯：sensation 感受

You know the feeling – your ears start to warm up, your tongue?goes numb, you start sweating and taking deep breaths. You've just eaten something spicy knowing it would be painful, and, yet, you chose to do it anyway. Are humans just?masochistic, or is there something else going on? The answer lies in both science and history.

你知道這種感覺——你的耳朵開始發(fā)熱，你的舌頭開始麻木，你開始出汗并深呼吸。你剛剛吃了一些辣的東西，明知會很疼，但你還是選擇了吃。人類是受虐狂，還是另有隱情?答案在科學和歷史中。

Let's start with the science. Spicy isn't actually a?taste?like salty, sweet,?sour?and?bitter?– it’s a?sensation. This sensation is?triggered?by a?chemical compound?found in chilli peppers called 'capsaicin'. When we eat foods?containing?capsaicin, our bodies are?tricked?into thinking the temperature is actually rising. In trying to?temper?the burning sensation, our bodies?release?endorphins?which control pain and, at the same time, give a feeling of pleasure – like painkillers.

讓我們從科學開始。辣并不像咸、甜、酸、苦那樣是一種味道——它是一種感覺。這種感覺是由辣椒中發(fā)現(xiàn)的一種叫做“辣椒素”的化合物引發(fā)的。當我們吃含有辣椒素的食物時，我們的身體會誤以為溫度實際上在上升。在試圖緩和灼燒感的過程中，我們的身體會釋放內啡肽來控制疼痛，同時給人一種愉悅的感覺——就像止痛藥一樣。

This is what is happening chemically, but there is also a?conscious?side to choosing spicy food. Dr Tamara Rosenbaum, Cognitive Neuroscientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, explains in an interview with the BBC that this is because we are?rational?beings?– we know that the burning sensation of chilli does not physically harm us. Furthermore, we?derive?pleasure from the other ingredients chilli is generally cooked and eaten with – including fat, sugar and salt. So – like skydiving – eating chilli is a form of?thrill-seeking?or 'benign?masochism', where we get pleasure from a seemingly negative sensation.

這是化學上的變化，但選擇辛辣食物也有它有意識的一面。墨西哥國立自治大學的認知神經(jīng)學家塔瑪拉·羅森鮑姆博士在接受BBC采訪時解釋說，這是因為我們是理性的生物——我們知道辣椒的灼燒感不會對我們的身體造成傷害。此外，我們還可以從其他烹飪和食用辣椒的配料中獲得樂趣——包括脂肪、糖和鹽。因此，就像跳傘一樣，吃辣椒是一種尋求刺激或“良性受虐”的形式，我們從看似消極的感覺中獲得快樂。

This masochistic relationship with capsaicin has been a long one, starting in the Andes of South America, where chilli peppers originate. Humans were one of the few mammals on Earth that?developed?a taste for?capsaicin so, archaeological evidence suggests, they started?cultivating?chilli peppers about six thousand years ago. Human?intervention?changed the chilli pepper to suit human tastes and needs – including the pepper's colour, size and capsaicin?content?– helping to explain the many different types of chilli peppers now available.

這種與辣椒素的自虐關系由來已久，始于辣椒的發(fā)源地南美洲安第斯山脈。人類是地球上為數(shù)不多的對辣椒素產(chǎn)生味覺的哺乳動物之一，因此，考古證據(jù)表明，人類大約在六千年前開始種植辣椒。人類的干預改變了辣椒以適應人類的口味和需求，包括辣椒的顏色、大小和辣椒素含量，這有助于解釋現(xiàn)在有許多不同類型的辣椒。

Fast-forward to today, and our love affair with the chilli pepper is?going strong. We eat around 57.3 million tons of peppers globally each year, and chilli is a key ingredient in traditional dishes from Mexico to Korea. Maybe we are masochistic after all.

快進到今天，我們對辣椒的熱愛越來越強烈。全球每年食用約5730萬噸辣椒，從墨西哥到韓國，辣椒都是傳統(tǒng)菜肴的關鍵原料。也許我們終究是受虐狂。

詞匯表

go numb 發(fā)麻
masochistic 自討苦吃的，自找罪受的
taste 味道
sour 酸的
bitter 苦的
sensation 感覺
trigger 引發(fā)，觸發(fā)
chemical compound 化合物
capsaicin 辣椒素
contain 含有
trick 使產(chǎn)生錯覺
temper 使緩和
release 釋放
endorphin 內啡肽
conscious 有意的
rational being 理性的動物
derive 獲得，得到
thrill-seeking 尋求刺激的
benign masochism 良性自虐，從不適中得到享受
develop a taste for 養(yǎng)成吃…的習慣
cultivate 種植
intervention 干預
content 含量
going strong 依舊強烈

測驗與練習

1.?閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. True or False??Spicy is a taste.

2. What's the name of the chemical compound found in chilli peppers?

3. Why do we feel pleasure when eating chilli peppers?

4. How is eating chilli similar to skydiving?

5. True or False??Lots of mammals like the sensation of capsaicin.

2.?選擇意思恰當?shù)膯卧~或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. I love the _______ of ginger. I cook with it all the time!

taste? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?sour? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? bitter? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? sensation

2. The smell of cinnamon always _______ memories of my grandmother.

triggers? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?contains?????????????? tricks? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? releases

3. Excuse me, does this dish _______ nuts? I'm allergic.

release? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?content? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?contain? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?derive

4. Human _______ are social creatures – we need the company of others.

thrill-seeking? ? ? ? ? ?tastes? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?beings? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? benign-masochism

5. Our son has _______ peanut butter. He can't get enough!

gone numb? ? ? ? ? ? ?gong strong? ? ? ? ? cultivated? ? ? ? ? ?developed a taste for

答案

1.?閱讀課文并回答問題。?

1. True or False??Spicy is a taste.
False. Spicy is a sensation.

2. What's the name of the chemical compound found in chilli peppers?
Capsaicin.

3. Why do we feel pleasure when eating chilli peppers?
The endorphins the body releases to temper the burning sensation, as well as the ingredients chilli peppers are often cooked or eaten with, give pleasure.

4. How is eating chilli similar to skydiving?
It's a form of thrill-seeking or 'benign masochism', where we get pleasure from a seemingly negative sensation.

5. True or False??Lots of mammals like the sensation of capsaicin.
False. Humans are one of the few mammals on Earth that developed a taste for?capsaicin.

2.?選擇意思恰當?shù)膯卧~或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. I love the?taste?of ginger. I cook with it all the time!

2. The smell of cinnamon always?triggers?memories of my grandmother.

3. Excuse me, does this dish?contain?nuts? I'm allergic.

4. Human?beings?are social creatures – we need the company of others.

5. Our son has?developed a taste for?peanut butter. He can't get enough!

文章來源BBC，侵權刪。