清酒配汉堡 能拯救日本酒文化吗

 　　LONDON — Kensuke Shichida, the head of a centuries-old sake brewery² in southern Japan, had spent a dizzying week in London restaurants tasting a variety of exotic and confounding dishes: pub food, gourmet³ burgers, French food, Angus beef, ceviche.

　　伦敦——日本南部一家有一百多年历史的清酒厂的老板七田谦介(Kensuke Shichida)，在伦敦的餐馆里度过了头晕目眩的一周。他品尝了各种充满异国风情又令人费解的菜式：酒吧餐、厨师汉堡、法式大餐、安格斯牛肉，还有柠汁腌鱼生。

　　The experience left him slightly bewildered and slightly ill, he said, suffering from a food hangover.

　　这场体验让他有点困惑，还有点不适，七田谦介说，就好像经历了一次由食物引发的宿醉。

　　日本酒文化.jpg

　　But Mr. Shichida, 43, is on a mission, he said, to bring his family-brewed⁴ sake to European restaurants and pair it with Western cuisine⁵, which means charting new territory. It is an exercise of necessity. Japan is proud of its sake heritage, but sales have been falling for decades, and Mr. Shichida and a number of other brewers are trying to help reverse its decline before it is too late.

　　现年43岁的七田谦介说，他现在有一个目标，就是要把自己家族酿制的清酒推广到欧洲的餐馆，让它与西餐搭配，开辟新的市场。七田谦介这么做实属无奈。清酒一直是日本人引以为傲的传统饮品，但它的销量几十年来却在不断下滑。趁现在还不算太晚，七田谦介和另外几位酿酒商都在设法扭转颓势。

　　“I’d be lying if I said pairing sake with burgers didn’t hurt my pride as a Japanese,” he admitted at a recent dinner, hesitantly poking⁶ a piece of lamb kidney and sweetbreads — a first for him — with his fork. “But we need to be exploring this path to survive as a brewer¹.”

　　“如果我说，清酒配汉堡不会伤害我作为日本人的自豪感，那是在撒谎，”七田谦介最近在一次晚餐时承认道。他一边说着，一边用叉子迟疑地戳向一片羊腰和一堆羊杂。那是他第一次吃羊杂。“但作为酿酒商要存活下来，我们必须尝试这条路。”

　　“Sake is surprisingly versatile,” he added. “I’ve discovered it goes well with many Western recipes, perhaps even better than wine or beer.”

　　“清酒的搭配范围之广令人称奇，”他接着说。“我发现它与很多西方菜式都可以很好地搭配，甚至可能比葡萄酒和啤酒还好。”

　　Fresh oysters⁷, for example, usually go pair well with Champagne⁸ or Chablis, which have a crisp acidity⁹. But Mr. Shichida, who runs the 140-year-old Tenzan brewery, says sake works better. The drink is mellower¹⁰ and less acidic, and its cleansing¹¹ properties help remove the oysters’ briny¹² taste, he said. And sake’s umami — a savory¹³ sensation considered to be the “fifth taste” — helps improve their fleshiness.

　　例如，法国生蚝一般都以口感酸爽的香槟或夏布利酒搭配。但七田谦介却说，清酒配生蚝效果更佳。他经营的天山酒造(Tenzan brewery)已有140年历史。他说，这是因为清酒更香醇、没那么酸，由于能去除邪味，它还可以消除生蚝的腥气。此外，清酒的鲜味(umami)——经常被称为“第五种味道”——则提升了食物的质感。

　　At a recent dinner at Hixter, a restaurant here, the head chef, Ronnie Murray, paired a plate of Launceston lamb and meaty girolle mushrooms with Mr. Shichida’s 75 Junmai, a full-bodied sake that uses unpolished rice, a rarity even in Japan. The Japanese generally prize sake that contains highly polished rice, which produces a flowery and smooth taste. By contrast, Mr. Shichida’s sake had a round, woody flavor with a tempered acidity that complemented¹⁴ the earthy lamb.

　　最近在伦敦Hixter餐厅享用晚餐时，主厨朗尼·莫瑞(Ronnie Murray)以一盘朗塞斯顿羔羊肉和有肉质口感的鸡油菌，来搭配七田谦介的“纯米75”。这种清酒用糙米酿造，口味浓烈，即使在日本也很稀有。日本人一般喜欢用精米酿造的清酒，因为精米能带来一种优雅和柔滑的味道。相比之下，七田谦介的清酒则饱满直接，酸味受到了抑制，与味道浓厚的羊肉相得益彰。

　　“Wine tends to be more acidic and cuts through the taste of meat,” said Gareth Groves¹⁵, the head of marketing¹⁶ at Bibendum Wine, a retailer¹⁷ that recently announced that it was stocking sake from Japan. “Sake is less about cutting through the food than sitting alongside it.”

　　“葡萄酒往往口感更酸，会盖过肉的味道，”必比登葡萄酒(Bibendum Wine)市场营销负责人加雷思·格罗夫斯(Gareth Groves)说。这家零售商最近宣布，从日本进口了大量清酒。“清酒不太会盖住食物的味道，能够互不影响。”

　　Most Westerners generally view sake as a clear-colored liquor to be savored¹⁸ with sushi and sashimi, with an alcohol content of 15 to 20 percent. It is thought to have originated in the seventh century and is considered the drink of the gods in the Shinto religion.

　　多数西方人只是知道，清酒颜色澄清，要搭配寿司或刺身，酒精度在15%到20%之间。清酒据信起源于7世纪，而在日本的神道教里，清酒则被视作神祗的饮品。

　　There are 80 types of rice specially¹⁹ designed to produce sake, which is made from fermented²⁰ rice, water and koji — white rice imbued²¹ with a special kind of mold. While wine is typically served only in glasses, sake can be poured into a variety of cups that alter its fragrance²², including earthenware²³, lacquerware, glass, porcelain²⁴ and box-shaped ones made from Japanese cedar²⁵.

　　专门用来酿造清酒的大米有80种。清酒是由酒酿、水和酒曲酿成的。酒曲是加入了某种特殊霉菌的大米。葡萄酒一般只用玻璃杯盛，而清酒却可以倒入不同的杯皿，酒香也会因为容器的不同而略有差异。可以盛放清酒的容器包括陶器、漆器、玻璃、瓷器，还有用日本柳杉制做的盒型容器。

　　Sake ranges from sparkling, somewhat similar to Champagne, to namazake, which tastes best straight from the vat²⁶, unpasteurized. Meaning “raw sake,” namazake offers a taste of the ethereal, as it can sour within hours. Some other sake uses yuzu, a Japanese citrus, making the drink a tangy cousin of the Italian limoncello, while umeshu is kind of a plummy version of the Hungarian dessert wine Tokaj.

　　清酒种类繁多，从有些类似香槟的发泡酒，到未经杀菌处理的生酒。生酒直接从酒桶汲出时味道最佳，口感妙不可言，但几个小时就会变质。还有一些清酒是用日本柚酿制的，这种柑橘属水果又称香橙，味道就像是意大利柠檬酒(limoncello)的浓郁版。而梅酒则仿佛是梅子味的匈牙利甜酒托卡伊(Tokaj)。

　　Some lesser-known koshu, or aged²⁷ sake, sells for more than $300 a bottle for a 40-year-old vintage. Shigeri Shiraki, whose family brewery in the mountainous region of Gifu was founded in 1835, is exploring how to make her 20-year-old aged sake, Daruma Masamune, palatable²⁸ to Westerners. It is brewed manually by a handful of employees, and only in the winter, a practice among koshu brewers that dates to the 17th century. Mrs. Shiraki said her brewery does not use refrigerators.

　　还有一些不那么出名的古酒，即陈年清酒。一瓶40年的古酒售价在300美元以上。白木繁里（Shigeri Shiraki，音）是岐阜市山区一座家族清酒厂的老板。这家酒厂创立于1835年。她正在探索如何让自己酿造了20年的清酒——达摩正宗(Daruma Masamune)——适合西方人的口味。这种古酒是由几名工人手工酿制的，而且只在冬天酿造，延续了17世纪酿造古酒时普遍采用的方法。白木说她的清酒厂不用冷库。

　　On its own, her sake has a salty undertone reminiscent of soy sauce or Marmite, and it shares notes with port, sherry or the smoky-flavored Islay Scotch²⁹ whisky. Mrs. Shiraki suggested pairing it with a particularly rich dessert, pouring it over a slice of pecan pie and vanilla³⁰ ice cream, or trying it as a digestive.

　　白木繁里的清酒带有一种咸味，能让人联想起酱油或马麦酱，还有一丝波尔图葡萄酒、雪利酒，或者烟熏味艾拉岛威士忌(Islay Scotch)的口感。白木繁里建议搭配味道浓郁的甜品，在享用山核桃派和香草冰淇淋时倒上一杯，或者把它当成一种餐后酒。

　　Some chefs and food lovers describe the experiment with sake as a shot in the dark, but for brewers, the challenge is more urgent.

　　一些大厨和美食爱好者称，用清酒所做的这种尝试结果还很难说，但对于酿酒商来说，面前的挑战越来越迫在眉睫。

　　Sake consumption has fallen sharply in Japan since the 1970s because of a decreasing birthrate and a switch by many drinkers to wine, much of it imported, or other domestic drinks like beer, whiskey or shochu, a Japanese spirit. Japan exported 5,000 tons of sake in 2012, but mostly to Japanese restaurants, limiting its audience. Overseas sales are still a small fraction of total sales.

　　自1970年代以来，清酒在日本的消耗量就大幅下降，一个原因是出生率的不断下滑，此外许多饮酒者转而饮用葡萄酒——很大一部分是进口的——或者国内生产的其他酒类，如啤酒、威士忌或烈性的烧酒。2012年，日本出口了5000吨清酒，但主要都流入了日式餐厅，这就限制了清酒的受众。海外销售仍然只占总销量的很小部分。

　　The number of brewers — mostly old-fashioned and family-owned — has shrunk to around 1,000 from around 4,600 in the earlier part of the 20th century.

　　清酒厂的数量已经由上世纪上半叶的约4600家，减少至目前的1000家左右。大部分清酒厂都是传统的家族式酒厂。

　　“The sake industry won’t survive on its local market,” said Barry McCaughley, a food and beverage³¹ consultant³² based in London. “Unless it makes changes now, it will be dead in 20 to 30 years.”

　　“清酒行业单靠本地市场根本无法生存，”伦敦的餐饮行业咨询师巴里·麦可利(Barry McCaughley)说。“除非现在就做出改变，否则二三十年后清酒业就会消亡。”

　　Restaurants and retailers³³ are starting to push sake as the next drink fad³⁴, similar to craft beer, whose popularity has exploded in Britain. A Scottish brewer, Arran, plans to start producing Britain’s first sake on a commercial scale later this year, the second European brewer to do so after Nogne O of Norway. Many bars are already using sake in their cocktails³⁵.

　　餐厅和零售商正开始把清酒包装成新的时尚饮品，就像在英国人气爆棚的手工酿制啤酒一样。苏格兰的酒厂Arran计划今年晚些时候，商业化生产英国的第一款国产清酒。它是继挪威的纳酷欧(Nogne O)之后，第二家采取这种做法的欧洲酒厂。许多酒吧已经开始使用清酒调制鸡尾酒。

　　For all the gambling³⁶ on foreign sales, brewers say they have one ultimate aim: bringing sake back in Japan as well.

　　除了进军海外市场的赌博，酿酒商说，他们还有一个终极目标：让清酒在日本重新流行起来。

　　“If we’re able to tell the Japanese, ‘Look how much foreigners are enjoying sake,’ that would give them an opportunity to rediscover sake and revive demand,” Mr. Shichida said. “We don’t want our culture to disappear. We really don’t.”

　　“如果我们能够告诉日本人，‘看，外国人多喜爱清酒啊，’就会让他们重新发现清酒的魅力，进而提振需求，”七田谦介说。“我们不想让自己的文化消失。真的不想。”

1 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

2 brewery   

n.啤酒厂

参考例句：

• The brewery had 25 heavy horses delivering beer in London.啤酒厂有25匹高头大马在伦敦城中运送啤酒。
• When business was good,the brewery employed 20 people.在生意好的时候，这家酿造厂曾经雇佣过20人。

3 gourmet   

n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的

参考例句：

• What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
• A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。

4 brewed   

调制( brew的过去式和过去分词 )； 酝酿； 沏（茶）； 煮（咖啡）

参考例句：

• The beer is brewed in the Czech Republic. 这种啤酒是在捷克共和国酿造的。
• The boy brewed a cup of coffee for his mother. 这男孩给他妈妈冲了一杯咖啡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

7 oysters   

牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We don't have oysters tonight, but the crayfish are very good. 我们今晚没有牡蛎供应。但小龙虾是非常好。
• She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon. 她端出一盘滚烫的烤牡蛎和咸肉。

8 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

9 acidity   

n.酸度，酸性

参考例句：

• This plant prefers alkaline soil,though it will readily tolerate some acidity.这种植物在酸性土壤中也能生存，但硷性土壤更加适宜。
• Gastric acidity would not prevent the organism from passing into the gut.胃的酸度不能防止细菌进入肠道。

10 mellower   

成熟的( mellow的比较级 )； （水果）熟透的； （颜色或声音）柔和的； 高兴的

参考例句：

• He's got mellower as he's got older. 随着年龄的增长，他变得更成熟了。
• Mellow She used to have a fierce temper, but she's got mellower as she's got older. 她以前脾气暴躁，但随着年龄的增长，她变得较为成熟了。

11 cleansing   

n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词

参考例句：

• medicated cleansing pads for sensitive skin 敏感皮肤药物清洗棉
• Soap is not the only cleansing agent. 肥皂并不是唯一的清洁剂。

12 briny   

adj.盐水的；很咸的；n.海洋

参考例句：

• The briny water is not good for the growth of the trees.海水不利于这种树木的生长。
• The briny air gave a foretaste of the nearby sea.咸空气是快近海的前兆。

13 savory   

adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的

参考例句：

• She placed a huge dish before him of savory steaming meat.她将一大盘热气腾腾、美味可口的肉放在他面前。
• He doesn't have a very savory reputation.他的名誉不太好。

14 complemented   

有补助物的，有余格的

参考例句：

• The excellent menu is complemented by a good wine list. 佳肴佐以美酒，可称完美无缺。
• In vitro analysis must be complemented by studies of the virus replication cycle in plants. 体外的分析必须辅之以植物体内病毒复制周期的研究。

15 groves   

树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The early sun shone serenely on embrowned groves and still green fields. 朝阳宁静地照耀着已经发黄的树丛和还是一片绿色的田地。
• The trees grew more and more in groves and dotted with old yews. 那里的树木越来越多地长成了一簇簇的小丛林，还点缀着几棵老紫杉树。

16 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

17 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

18 savored   

v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的过去式和过去分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝

参考例句：

• We savored the barbed hits in his reply. 我们很欣赏他在回答中使用的带刺的俏皮话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We savored, (the pleasures of) mountain life to the full. 我们充分体会了山居生活的乐趣。 来自辞典例句

19 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

20 fermented   

v.（使）发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰

参考例句：

• When wine is fermented, it gives off gas. 酒发酵时发出气泡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His speeches fermented trouble among the workers. 他的演讲在工人中引起骚动。 来自辞典例句

21 imbued   

v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等）

参考例句：

• Her voice was imbued with an unusual seriousness. 她的声音里充满着一种不寻常的严肃语气。
• These cultivated individuals have been imbued with a sense of social purpose. 这些有教养的人满怀着社会责任感。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 fragrance   

n.芬芳，香味，香气

参考例句：

• The apple blossoms filled the air with their fragrance.苹果花使空气充满香味。
• The fragrance of lavender filled the room.房间里充满了薰衣草的香味。

23 earthenware   

n.土器，陶器

参考例句：

• She made sure that the glassware and earthenware were always spotlessly clean.她总是把玻璃器皿和陶器洗刷得干干净净。
• They displayed some bowls of glazed earthenware.他们展出了一些上釉的陶碗。

24 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

25 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

26 vat   

n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶

参考例句：

• The office is asking for the vat papers.办事处要有关增值税的文件。
• His father emptied sacks of stale rye bread into the vat.他父亲把一袋袋发霉的黑面包倒进大桶里。

27 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

28 palatable   

adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的

参考例句：

• The truth is not always very palatable.事实真相并非尽如人意。
• This wine is palatable and not very expensive.这种酒味道不错，价钱也不算贵。

29 scotch   

n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的

参考例句：

• Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。
• Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景，真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。

30 vanilla   

n.香子兰，香草

参考例句：

• He used to love milk flavoured with vanilla.他过去常爱喝带香草味的牛奶。
• I added a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to the pie.我在馅饼里加了一块香草冰激凌。

31 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

32 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

33 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

34 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。

35 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

36 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。