What Makes Ice Cream So Addictive?

冰淇淋為何讓人欲罷不能？

By Lisa Drayer 文/莉薩·德雷爾 譯/范婕 Even as a nutritionist concerned with healthy eating, ice cream is one food I can’t give up. Maybe it has something to do with the way the coldness hits my mouth on a hot summer day. Or the creaminess of every bite. Or maybe it’s that ice cream evokes happy memories of special times shared with my family. 即使身為注重健康飲食的營(yíng)養(yǎng)學(xué)家，我也無(wú)法割舍冰淇淋這種食物。也許是因?yàn)殡y以抗拒炎熱夏天里，它觸及唇齒時(shí)帶來(lái)的冰爽涼意；或是因?yàn)樯岵坏裟且淮未稳肟诘臐馓鹑峄?；還可能是因?yàn)楸苛芸偰軉酒鹞液图胰斯捕忍厥鈺r(shí)刻的愉快回憶。 Whatever the reason, I know I’m not the only person that has regular cravings for ice cream. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, the average American consumes more than 23 pounds of ice cream per year. One study shows that the more often we eat ice cream, the more of it we may need to satisfy the craving. 不管是什么原因，我知道我不是唯一一個(gè)經(jīng)常饞冰淇淋的人。國(guó)際乳制品協(xié)會(huì)的相關(guān)資料顯示，每個(gè)美國(guó)人平均每年吃掉超過(guò)23磅的冰淇淋。一項(xiàng)研究表明，我們?cè)筋l繁地吃冰淇淋，可能就越需要多吃來(lái)解饞。 But why? 但這是為什么呢？ “When you get the answer to that, will you call me and let me know?” joked Steve Young, a food chemist and microbiologist, and a former technical director at Dreyer’s and Edy’s Grand Ice Cream, who teaches courses on ice cream science and technology to ice cream manufacturers. “你要是找到了這個(gè)問(wèn)題的答案，可以打電話(huà)告訴我嗎？”史蒂夫·揚(yáng)打趣地說(shuō)。他是食品化學(xué)家和微生物學(xué)家，曾在德雷爾和埃迪大冰淇淋公司擔(dān)任技術(shù)總監(jiān)，現(xiàn)在從事的工作是向冰淇淋生產(chǎn)商教授關(guān)于冰淇淋的科學(xué)知識(shí)和生產(chǎn)技術(shù)。 Young says that producing ice cream with a high appeal for consumers “is the study of a lifetime,” because it involves “a lot of applied chemistry and physics,” along with “heavy doses of personal preferences.” For example, Young notes, “I love coffee... but if you put it in ice cream format, I can’t stand it.” 揚(yáng)說(shuō)，制作出深受消費(fèi)者喜愛(ài)的冰淇淋是一項(xiàng)“畢生研究”，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)過(guò)程涉及“很多應(yīng)用化學(xué)和物理學(xué)知識(shí)”，還有“大量的個(gè)人喜好因素”。他舉例道：“我喜歡喝咖啡，但如果把咖啡做成冰淇淋，我就無(wú)法接受?！?Unsatisfied with Young’s non-answer, I pushed until he finally offered me at least a hint at what makes ice cream so delectable. 揚(yáng)似是而非的回答無(wú)法讓我滿(mǎn)意，于是我繼續(xù)追問(wèn)，最后他至少向我暗示了冰淇淋如此美味可口的原因。

The “F-factor”

“F要素”

The ultimate appeal of ice cream, he explained, is anything that positively influences what he calls the “F-factor,” or “flavor.” And he breaks that down into the perception of any ice cream flavor as a complex combination of six variables: appearance, aroma, acidity, taste, texture and temperature. 揚(yáng)解釋說(shuō)，凡是能對(duì)風(fēng)味（他稱(chēng)之為“F要素”）產(chǎn)生積極作用的東西都能構(gòu)成冰淇淋的終極魅力。他把F要素加以分解，認(rèn)為任何冰淇淋風(fēng)味都是6個(gè)變量的復(fù)雜組合。這6個(gè)變量是：外觀、香氣、酸度、口味、口感和溫度。 Paying careful attention to temperature during delivery is key, because if ice cream melts and refreezes during distribution and storage, this can damage the air cell structure and create large ice crystals, which can negatively affect the texture of ice cream, Young explained. 他接著解釋說(shuō)，關(guān)鍵在于運(yùn)輸途中要特別注意控制溫度。如果冰淇淋在配送和儲(chǔ)存環(huán)節(jié)融化后又重新凍住，這個(gè)過(guò)程會(huì)破壞其內(nèi)部的氣室結(jié)構(gòu)，產(chǎn)生大塊冰晶，從而讓冰淇淋的口感打折扣。 cream: control over melt. The melt should be “not too fast” and “not too slow,” which can make an ice cream feel gummy. 不過(guò)，西維爾還指出了另一個(gè)關(guān)于冰淇淋的有趣特征：對(duì)融化速度的控制。冰淇淋的融化速度“不能太快”也“不能太慢”，這樣吃起來(lái)就會(huì)覺(jué)得很黏稠。 cream: control over melt. The melt should be “not too fast” and “not too slow,” which can make an ice cream feel gummy. 不過(guò)，西維爾還指出了另一個(gè)關(guān)于冰淇淋的有趣特征：對(duì)融化速度的控制。冰淇淋的融化速度“不能太快”也“不能太慢”，這樣吃起來(lái)就會(huì)覺(jué)得很黏稠。

Sweetness: the biggest driver of the “F-factor”

甜度：“F要素”的最強(qiáng)驅(qū)動(dòng)力

The No. 1 driver of ice cream cravings is its sweetness, explained Gail Civille, founder and president of Sensory Spectrum, a consulting firm that helps companies learn how sensory cues drive consumer perceptions of products. Ice cream should not be “cloyingly sweet, so you can eat more of it,” Civille said. 蓋爾·西維爾是咨詢(xún)公司“感官光譜”的創(chuàng)始人兼總裁。她的公司旨在幫助企業(yè)了解種種感官暗示如何促使消費(fèi)者形成對(duì)產(chǎn)品的認(rèn)知。西維爾解釋說(shuō)，冰淇淋最吸引人的一點(diǎn)就是甜度，“應(yīng)該甜而不膩，讓人越吃越想吃”。 The amount of fat is important, too. To even be called “ice cream,” a product must contain at least 10% milk fat, also called butterfat. The more butterfat, the better the mouthfeel. So, sweetness which contributes to the taste variable and fat which contributes to texture are key players in the likability of any particular ice cream. 另一個(gè)要點(diǎn)是脂肪含量。一款產(chǎn)品要想被稱(chēng)作“冰淇淋”（ice cream直譯為“冰奶油”），至少得含10%的乳脂肪（也叫乳脂）。乳脂越多，口感越好。因此，甜度豐富口味，乳脂提升口感，二者是決定一款冰淇淋能否讓人喜歡的關(guān)鍵因素。 But Civille also points to another interesting characteristic about ice cream: control over melt. The melt should be “not too fast” and “not too slow,” which can make an ice cream feel gummy. 不過(guò)，西維爾還指出了另一個(gè)關(guān)于冰淇淋的有趣特征：對(duì)融化速度的控制。冰淇淋的融化速度“不能太快”也“不能太慢”，這樣吃起來(lái)就會(huì)覺(jué)得很黏稠。

Ice cream ingredients: a complex dance

各種成分：配合跳出復(fù)雜的舞蹈

Aside from sugar, fat and melt, companies may use differing amounts and types of ingredients to affect the different flavor variables. For example, a manufacturer might use egg yolk in an ice cream recipe, which may contribute a yellowish color and “eggy” flavor to ice cream. 除了糖分、脂肪和融化速度，各家冰淇淋公司可能會(huì)用不同分量和種類(lèi)的原料來(lái)調(diào)節(jié)風(fēng)味的各個(gè)變量。比如說(shuō)，一家生產(chǎn)商可能會(huì)在冰淇淋配方中加入蛋黃，為其增添淡黃的顏色和“蛋”的風(fēng)味。 Irresistible ice creams are also made with high-quality ingredients. For example, making ice cream with good milk is very important. The milk should have a very light sweet taste, without any extraneous off-flavors. 要做出讓人難以抗拒的冰淇淋，還需高品質(zhì)的原料。例如，用優(yōu)質(zhì)牛奶制作冰淇淋非常重要。這樣的牛奶帶有淡淡的甜味，不會(huì)有任何多余的異味。 So there are many factors that go into an ice cream’s flavor and ultimate enjoyment. “It’s a complex dance,” Young said. 由此可見(jiàn)，許多因素相互作用才能成就冰淇淋的風(fēng)味，并最終帶給消費(fèi)者舌尖上的享受。揚(yáng)說(shuō)：“這就像是一支復(fù)雜的舞蹈?！?But that’s not the end of the ice cream story. 不過(guò)，冰淇淋的故事并未就此結(jié)束。

Ice cream “addiction” can be brand-specific

人們可能會(huì)對(duì)特定品牌的冰淇淋“上癮”

Young explained how you can have all the formula and flavor specifics of the very best-selling ice cream, and yet there’s no guarantee that another ice cream meant to “copy” that very bestseller would taste the same. In other words, there’s something uniquely consistent about what any given brand produces. Because consistency is so important, Civille spends her days ensuring that brands deliver a product that is “unchanged as humanly possible so people have the same sensory experience.” 揚(yáng)解釋說(shuō)，就算獲得一款暢銷(xiāo)冰淇淋的完整配方和調(diào)味細(xì)節(jié)，也不能保證“復(fù)制”出來(lái)的產(chǎn)品在味道上能與那款暢銷(xiāo)冰淇淋一模一樣。換句話(huà)說(shuō)，任何特定品牌的產(chǎn)品都始終保持著自身特色。品質(zhì)如一至關(guān)重要，因此西維爾每天都在確保品牌推出的產(chǎn)品“在人力所及范圍內(nèi)盡可能地保持不變，以便消費(fèi)者總能獲得相同的感官體驗(yàn)”。 After all, the pleasure we get from slowly savoring a mouthwatering scoop of ice cream on a sweltering summer day counts for something, right? 在炎炎夏日里慢慢品味一勺讓人垂涎的冰淇淋，從中獲得的那份愉悅終究有其意義，大家說(shuō)對(duì)嗎？ （選自《英語(yǔ)世界》2023年第7期）