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      考研英语水平的进步，不仅要记单词，还需要阅读外语文献等资料。接下来，小编为2024考研者们，整理出——2024考研英语同源外刊8月:四川人究竟多爱吃花椒?供考生参考。

2024考研英语同源外刊8月:四川人究竟多爱吃花椒?

Like some other adventurous foods, they expand your sense of what eating can do to you

像其他一些充满挑战性的食物一样，花椒能够加深你对食物的理解

“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.

“一词多义”是指一个词有多重含义，比如“run”、“set”，还有厨房里很常见的“pepper”。“pepper”一词涵盖了整个辣椒家族，从绿色的青椒到辛辣的泰国小辣椒。

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.

它还包括干燥的粉末状胡椒科浆果(即所谓的黑胡椒粉和白胡椒粉)，以及世界上较奇特、较令人上瘾的调味料之一：花椒，通常被称为四川花椒。

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.

普通的胡椒生长在藤蔓上，而四川花椒则是花椒树的果实，属芸香科植物。花椒常见有红色和绿色两种;红色花椒带有泥土花香的味道，而绿色花椒则更涩。

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.

不过，它们较显著的差别不在于气味，而在于口感：花椒含有一种叫做羟基-α-山椒素的化学物质，这种化学物质会在嘴唇和舌头上产生刺痛和麻木感，有点像受到长时间但轻微的电击。

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”.

正如它的英文名字所暗示的，在中国西南部的四川省，花椒是美味复杂的菜肴中不可或缺的调味品。它和干辣椒一起形成了一种被称为“麻辣”的味道，这个词由“麻”和“辣”组成。

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. 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.

任何吃过水煮鱼(在沸腾的辣椒油中煮的鱼)的人都知道这种感觉，他们会止不住地流着眼泪和鼻涕。在西方，四川特色的宫保菜往往过于甜腻而清淡;而正宗的宫保菜则让人回味无穷，黑醋的醇香衬托出胡椒的辛辣。

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.

不太传统的做法是，将花椒干炸后加盐碾碎，它可以作为爆米花的配料。将花椒与孜然、茴香籽、干辣椒、八角、糖和盐混合翻炒，这样炒出来的土豆丝美味可口。酸爽的口感配上浓郁黑巧克力的色泽，与酥饼黄油般的香味相得益彰。

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.

每次只用几粒花椒就够了。就像没有经验的烧烤师傅经常因为点燃太多木炭而把肉烤焦一样，花椒新手也可能会让食客脑袋连着发麻几个小时。

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.

然而，即使适量使用，它们仍然像凤尾鱼或香菜一样，是一种极具争议性的食材。批评者想知道为什么有人想在吃饭时让自己的嘴发麻。没有一个确切的答案，正如谚语所说：百人吃百味。

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.

然而，四川花椒只是众多能够刺激味蕾而被美食家们所珍视的美食中的一种。鹅肝的魅力部分在于其浓郁的口感。未成熟的番石榴经常出现在泰国人的餐桌上，其单宁酸的口感可以平衡火热的食物。

Some cannot get enough of the jolting burn chillies produce; for others, the pain outweighs any pleasure. In “Love in the Time of Cholera”, one of Gabriel García Márquez’s characters munches asparagus for the resulting aroma of his urine.

有些人对辣椒产生的强烈灼烧感欲罢不能;而对另一些人来说，痛苦大于快乐。在《霍乱时期的爱情》一书中，加布里埃尔·加西亚·马尔克斯笔下的一位主人公大口咀嚼芦笋，只为其尿液能够散发香味。

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.

品尝其中任何一种食品都会让你对食品的作用有更深的理解。它们给味觉的概念增添了更多的维度。不可避免的是，有些人更喜欢熟悉的食物。这对他们来说是一种损失。

 

重难点词汇：

anaesthetise [ə'nɛsθətaɪz] vt. 使麻醉

polysemous [ˌpɑliˈsiməs] adj. 多义的;一词多义的

capsicum [ˈkæpsəkəm] n. 辣椒;辣椒果

astringent [əˈstrɪndʒənt] adj. 收缩的;严厉的;尖刻的;辛辣的

mellow [ˈmeloʊ] adj. 柔和的;可口的;松软的

vibrate [ˈvaɪbreɪt] v. 震动;振动;抖动;萦绕

      综上是“2024考研英语同源外刊8月:四川人究竟多爱吃花椒?”，希望对备战2024考研考生们有所帮助!让我们乘风破浪，终抵彼岸，考研加油!

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