时差N小时 如何挑选好吃的番茄?(上)（在线收听）

Most of us have had the same experience. We see a big, red tomato in the grocery store, take it home for our salad, and find out that it tastes like cardboard.

大多数人都有过这样的经历，从商店里挑选出又大又红的番茄回去做沙拉，然后一尝，味同嚼蜡。

You might think that the tomato is sub-par because it’s been picked before it ripened, or shipped across the country.

你可能认为买回的番茄味道不好是因为它没有成熟就被摘下，或者是运输过久的原因。

Those things can be true, but scientists have found another reason why modern tomatoes have little or no taste. It’s in their genes.

这的确是一部分原因，然而科学家们发现现今的番茄不好吃还有其它原因，那就是它们的基因问题。

The problem began with old-fashioned or heirloom tomatoes didn’t ripen consistently.

这个问题要追溯到从前的天然番茄，它们并不总能完全长熟，

Some areas would be red, while other areas, usually near the stem, would be white or green.

番茄的有些部分是红的，而其它地方，尤其是靠近茎蒂的地方，往往是白色或绿色的。

About seventy years ago, tomato breeders accidentally discovered a variety that turned red uniformly.

大约70年以前，番茄种植者们偶然间发现一种全红的番茄品种，

Consumers liked the way the tomatoes looked. The trouble was, red did not equal tasty.

消费者们喜欢这种模样的番茄。然而问题是，红色并不代表番茄的口感好。