VOA新闻杂志2023 新晋"最辣辣椒"问世（在线收听）

新晋"最辣辣椒"问世

Ed Currie is the pepper expert who grew the Carolina Reaper, which has been considered the hottest pepper in the world since 2013.

埃德·柯里是种植卡罗来纳死神的辣椒专家，自2013年以来，卡罗来纳死神辣椒一直被认为是世界上最辣的辣椒。

Ten years later, Currie broke his record with one that is three times hotter: Pepper X.

十年后，柯里用一种比它辣三倍的辣椒打破了他的记录：辣椒X。

The Guinness Book of World Records named Currie's latest creation the world's "hottest chili pepper" this month.

本月，吉尼斯世界纪录认证柯里最新培育的辣椒为世界上“最辣的辣椒”。

Guinness uses what are called Scoville Heat Units (SHU) to measure heat in a chili pepper.

吉尼斯使用所谓的史高维尔单位来测量辣椒的辣度。

A normal jalapeno pepper registers about 5,000 units.

一个普通的墨西哥辣椒的辣度约为5000单位。

A habanero, the record-holder about 25 years ago, reaches 100,000 SHU.

25年前的纪录保持者哈瓦那辣椒的辣度达到了10万单位。

The Carolina Reaper held the record since 2013 with 1.64 million SHU.

自2013年以来，卡罗来纳死神以164万单位保持着世界最辣辣椒纪录。

And Pepper X is the new record holder with an average of 2.69 million units.

而辣椒X则以平均辣度269万单位成为新的纪录保持者。

By comparison, pepper spray commonly carried by police is around 1.6 million units.

相比之下，警察通常携带的辣椒喷雾的辣度约为160万单位。

And bear spray, a product to keep bears away, is advertised to have 2.2 million units.

而广告宣传的防熊喷雾（一种防熊的产品）的辣度为220万单位。

Currie said when he first tried Pepper X, "I was feeling the heat for three-and-a-half hours."

柯里说，当他第一次试吃辣椒X时，“我感觉辣了三个半小时。”

Currie, one of only five people so far to eat an entire Pepper X added, "Then the cramps came."

柯里是到目前为止吃了整个辣椒X的五人之一，他补充道：“然后腹部就开始绞痛。”

The cramps, he said, left him lying in pain for another hour.

他说，腹部绞痛让他又痛苦地躺了一个小时。

Currie started working on Pepper X after he set the record in 2013 with the Carolina Reaper.

2013年，柯里在用卡罗来纳死神创下纪录后，开始培育辣椒X。

He crossbred 100 different kinds of peppers every year for 10 years.

10年来，他每年杂交培育100种不同的辣椒。

Currie hoped that just one or two would make it through the development process.

柯里只希望能培育成功一两种辣椒。

His goal was to offer an extremely hot pepper flavored with a little sweetness.

他的目标是提供一种带有一点甜味的极辣辣椒。

Pepper X is greenish yellow.

辣椒X呈黄绿色。

It is a crossbreed of a Carolina Reaper and, what Currie mysteriously called, a "pepper that a friend of mine sent me from Michigan that was brutally hot."

这是卡罗来纳死神与柯里神秘地称之为“我的一个朋友从密歇根寄给我的非常辣的辣椒”杂交培育出的辣椒。

The chemical in peppers that causes the burn is called capsaicin.

辣椒中引起灼烧感的化学物质被称为辣椒素。

The chemical causes a burning sensation when it touches human tissue.

人体组织在接触这种化学物质时会产生灼烧感。

The burning sensation is also said to release chemicals into the body called endorphins and dopamine.

据说这种灼烧感还会让人体分泌名为内啡肽和多巴胺的化学物质。

Currie started growing peppers after ending drug and alcohol addictions.

在戒掉毒瘾和酒瘾后，柯里开始种植辣椒。

He considers that sensation a natural "high."

他认为这种感觉是一种自然的“快感”。

He shares his peppers with medical researchers, hoping they can use them to treat disease and help people who suffer chronic pain or discomfort.

他与医学研究人员分享他的辣椒，希望他们能用它们来治疗疾病，帮助那些遭受慢性疼痛或不适的人。

Currie is trying to build a business with his new creation.

柯里正试图用他的新发明建立一家企业。

In the past, Currie permitted people to grow his peppers without protecting his ideas.

过去，柯里允许人们在不保护他的想法的情况下种植他的辣椒。

His lawyers say they have counted more than 10,000 products that use the Carolina Reaper name, or other intellectual property, without permission.

他的律师表示，他们发现有超过1万种产品未经许可使用了卡罗来纳死神的名字或其他知识产权。

For Pepper X, he said no seeds will be released without his permission.

对于辣椒X，他说，没有他的许可，不得释放任何种子。

"Everybody else made their money off the Reaper. It's time for us to reap the benefits of the hard work I do," Currie said.

柯里说：“其他人都靠卡罗来纳死神赚到钱了。是时候让我们收获我辛勤劳动的成果了。”

Currie wants people to eat peppers and thinks they can gain from the experience that comes after the burn.

柯里希望人们吃辣椒，并认为他们可以从被辣椒灼烧后的体验中获益。

He warns people from reaching too quickly for a Carolina Reaper or Pepper X.

他警告人们不要太快吃卡罗来纳死神和辣椒X。

When asked if Pepper X is the "pinnacle" or the hottest a pepper can be, Currie said with a smile, "No, it's not the pinnacle."

当被问及辣椒X是否是最辣的辣椒时，柯里笑着说：“不，它不是最辣的。”