美国国家公共电台 NPR U.S. Bakeries Grab A Slice Of A Latin American Tradition: 3 Kings Cake

U.S. Bakeries Grab A Slice Of A Latin American Tradition: 3 Kings Cake

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Tomorrow is Three Kings Day. It's an occasion celebrated¹ by many Christians² and especially among Latinos.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Aside from the religious symbolism, there's food. Many Latinos enjoy a hot drink and a traditional cake called rosca de reyes. Bakers³ in Los Angeles today unveil what's reportedly the city's biggest rosca ever.

INSKEEP: But you don't need to go to LA. You can find the cakes in just about any metro⁴ area. And NPR's Ashley Westerman found one in hers.

ASHLEY WESTERMAN, BYLINE⁵: In the back of La Mexicana Bakery and Taqueria in Alexandria, Va., the giant oven is roaring.

CARLOS BENITEZ: Let me show you - in the oven already.

WESTERMAN: And when bakery owner Carlos Benitez opens it...

BENITEZ: OK.

WESTERMAN: Wow.

Dozens of huge roscas de reyes, or Three Kings Day cakes, can be seen going round and round on the oven carousel⁶. Uncooked, the roscas are pale-yellow, doughy⁸ ovals. But the more they bake, the more they shine - literally⁹. The cake is decorated with green and red candied cherries, figs¹⁰, plums and glittery bands made of sugary, colorful paste.

BENITEZ: OK. These are the medial ones.

WESTERMAN: This is one of the busiest times of the year for Benitez. He's been making roscas since he opened in 2002.

BENITEZ: So we're going to make it all this week.

WESTERMAN: Baked inside are little, plastic figurines representing the baby Jesus.

BENITEZ: The person who got the piece, got the little Jesus inside - they're supposed to throw a party at the 2 of February, a tamales party.

WESTERMAN: Benitez walks me through how he makes the dough⁷. First, he combines the yeast¹¹ and flour. Then he adds lots of margarine, sugar, salt orange peel, orange juice, anise extract for aroma¹² and eggs.

BENITEZ: It's ready. So start mixing.

WESTERMAN: The ingredients are mixed until the dough is no longer wet or sticky. Then it's unloaded onto a table and kneaded, then rolled into the shape of an oval to represent a crown. After proofing for a couple hours, it's decorated. These are the jewels of the crown. And then it's baked.

Pati Jinich is a chef and the host of the PBS show "Pati's Mexican Table."

PATI JINICH: Everybody in Mexico eats roscas growing up. It's a huge deal.

WESTERMAN: She says the love of roscas goes well beyond Mexico.

JINICH: All of the Latin American countries that were conquered by the Old World inherited this tradition.

WESTERMAN: And over the years, she's seen the tradition grow here in the U.S. along with the Latino population.

TONY SALAZAR: We see about 20 percent increase year to year for the last five years consistently.

WESTERMAN: Tony Salazar is chef at Porto's, one of the most famous bakeries in the Los Angeles area. They're one of the bakeries behind the 24-by-2-and-a-half-foot rosca de reyes being unveiled today in LA. Salazar says the first time they sold roscas in the 1970s, they only sold 10. This year, they're planning to sell over 5,000. He says other bakeries around the LA area are experiencing the same thing.

SALAZAR: We really are so happy that the popularity is growing. The people who don't celebrate Three Kings Day will come and buy it. It's so good, and they enjoy it.

WESTERMAN: Back at La Mexicana Bakery and Taqueria outside Washington, D.C., Carlos Benitez says he's expecting to sell almost 300 roscas de reyes this year. And it's not just families placing orders. He says more companies and schools are ordering them, too. Benitez says this means the tradition is reaching people outside the Latino community.

BENITEZ: I feel so happy that people don't lose their traditions. I think that diversity of the cultures make this country great.

WESTERMAN: Ashley Westerman, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF SOUND'S "JALALE")

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 bakers   

n.面包师( baker的名词复数 )；面包店；面包店店主；十三

参考例句：

• The Bakers have invited us out for a meal tonight. 贝克一家今晚请我们到外面去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bakers specialize in catering for large parties. 那些面包师专门负责为大型宴会提供食品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 carousel   

n.旋转式行李输送带

参考例句：

• Riding on a carousel makes you feel dizzy.乘旋转木马使你头晕。
• We looked like a bunch of awkward kids riding a slow-moving carousel.我们看起来就像一群骑在旋转木马上的笨拙的孩子。

7 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

8 doughy   

adj.面团的，苍白的，半熟的；软弱无力

参考例句：

• The cake fell; it's a doughy mess. 蛋糕掉在地上，粘糊糊的一团。 来自互联网
• Soon the mixture was doughy. 很快，混合物成了面团状。 来自互联网

9 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

10 figs   

figures 数字，图形，外形

参考例句：

• The effect of ring dyeing is shown in Figs 10 and 11. 环形染色的影响如图10和图11所示。
• The results in Figs. 4 and 5 show the excellent agreement between simulation and experiment. 图4和图5的结果都表明模拟和实验是相当吻合的。

11 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

12 aroma   

n.香气，芬芳，芳香

参考例句：

• The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。
• The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。