英语听力文摘 English Digest 727 泰国菜受欢迎的其他理由

Another Good Reason To Go For Thai Food

Have you ever wondered why some cuisines², like Indian and Thai, are so spicy³ and others, like English, are so bland⁴? India and Thailand are very hot countries, while England is cold and damp. Perhaps the answer has something to do with the climate associated with each cuisine¹?

One explanation that supports this theory is that spices mask spoilage⁵, and in a country with a hot climate and without refrigeration, that can come in handy. The second explanation has to do with bacteria; some scientists suggest that the spices in hot cuisines help protect humans from certain kinds of bacteria found in food. In fact, the hotter the country, the more likely it is that its recipes will use the kind of spices that slow down the growth of bacteria.

That’s right. For example, onion, garlic, oregano and allspice alone all kill or inhibit⁶ up to twenty-nine different kinds food-borne bacteria. In fact, most spices inhibit bacteria to some extent. And if you think about it, this makes sense. As plants evolved, they had to learn to fight off parasites⁷ and bacteria in order to survive. That’s how they got their distinctive⁸ flavoring in the first place.

泰国菜受欢迎的其他理由

你有没有想过，为什么有些美食，比如印度菜和泰国菜，那么辛辣，而其他的，比如英语，那么平淡？印度和泰国是非常炎热的国家，而英国又冷又潮湿。也许答案与每种美食的气候有关？

支持这一理论的一种解释是，香料掩盖了腐败，在一个气候炎热且没有冷藏的国家，这可能会派上用场。第二种解释与细菌有关；一些科学家认为，热菜系中的香料有助于保护人类免受食物中某些细菌的侵害。事实上，越热的国家，其食谱越有可能使用能够减缓细菌生长的香料。

没错。例如，仅洋葱、大蒜、牛至和多香香料就可以杀死或抑制多达29种不同种类的食源性细菌。事实上，大多数香料在一定程度上抑制细菌。如果你想一想，这是有道理的。随着植物的进化，它们必须学会消灭寄生虫和细菌才能生存。这就是为什么他们一开始就有了独特的口味。

1 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

2 cuisines   

n.烹饪( cuisine的名词复数 )；菜肴；（通常指昂贵的饭店中的）饭菜；烹饪艺术

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the different features of these cuisines? 能不能告诉我这些不同的烹调流派各自有哪些特点？ 来自地道口语脱口SHOW 高中超越版
• Ice sculptures are used as decorations in some cuisines, especially in Asia. 冰雕在某些菜肴中被当作装饰品，尤其在亚洲。 来自互联网

3 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

4 bland   

adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的

参考例句：

• He eats bland food because of his stomach trouble.他因胃病而吃清淡的食物。
• This soup is too bland for me.这汤我喝起来偏淡。

5 spoilage   

n.（食物等）变质，损坏

参考例句：

• He was determined to track down the cause of food spoilage.他决心查出食品腐烂的原因。
• The principal methods of avoiding spoilage are the use of pure yeast strains as starters.防止啤酒变坏的主要方法是用纯酵母菌株发酵。

6 inhibit   

vt.阻止，妨碍，抑制

参考例句：

• Don't let ego and greed inhibit clear thinking and hard work.不要让自我和贪婪妨碍清晰的思维和刻苦的工作。
• They passed a law to inhibit people from parking in the street.他们通过一项法令以阻止人们在街上停车。

7 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

8 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。