文章來源：《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》Jul 1th 2023 期 Culture 欄目 World?in?a?dish

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“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.?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.

“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。

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(guó)小辣椒等都算。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.?They come in red and green varieties; the red has an earthily floral taste, where the green is more astringent.?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.

普通胡椒生長(zhǎng)在藤蔓上，而花椒則是花椒樹的果實(shí)，屬于柑橘科。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。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.?Together with dried chillies it forms the flavour profile known as mala, a term made up of the characters for “numbing” and “spicy”.?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.

顧名思義，花椒（四川胡椒）是中國(guó)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?；ń放c干辣椒一起構(gòu)成了"麻辣 "的味道，這個(gè)詞由 "麻 "和 "辣 "組成。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。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.?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.

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。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。酸檸檬的濃烈與黑巧克力的濃郁和酥皮餅干的香脆，簡(jiǎn)直是完美搭配。

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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.?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.

幾顆花椒就能起到很大的效果。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)。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(zhēng)議性的食材?；ń穮拹赫呦氩幻靼诪槭裁从腥顺燥垥r(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.?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.?In “Love in the Time of Cholera”, one of Gabriel García Márquez’s characters munches asparagus for the resulting aroma of his urine.

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。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(guó)的餐桌上，它具有收斂口感的特點(diǎn)，完美平衡了辣味食物。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。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.?Inevitably, some prefer the familiar. Their loss.

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)。不可避免地，有些人更喜歡熟悉的味道，但這是他們的損失。