VOA慢速英语--美军如何发明了美国人最喜欢的零食

How US Military Invented America’s Favorite Snacks

Many food snacks popular today in the United States were not invented by a cook at a famous restaurant, but rather by food scientists in the U.S. military.

From instant coffee and Cheetos to packaged cookies and energy bars – those military scientists were tasked to make food for soldiers that could be easily carried, stored, and eaten.

The invention of these foods sped up during World War II. At the time, military scientists needed to develop small, but nutritious¹ food for troops.

Anastacia Marx de Salcedo told VOA News that there was a great need for the military to develop modern rations².

To do this, the food writer explains, the military had to find many new food processing techniques. It also created a food science research system that exists to this day.

In her book, Combat-Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat, Marx de Salcedo explains that history.

The new techniques include high-pressure processing. This process ensures that uncooked food is safe to eat. It is commonly used in packaged foods like guacamole, salsa, and hummus.

Cheetos, one of America's favorite cheesy snacks, is another example. They are made using a dehydration³ process. The military food scientists found a way to remove the water from cheese. This kept cheese from going bad and made it lighter⁴ to transport to troops overseas.

The scientists behind military food production looked to the way army doctors treat soldiers on the battlefield. They use freeze dehydration to carry fresh blood products. The scientists used the same process.

"After the war ended," says Marx de Salcedo, "there was a little freeze-dehydration industry. But they no longer had a purpose."

So, she explains, the military began developing food products with freeze-dehydration. This, she adds, gave us freeze-dried coffee, tea, and soups.

NASA used this process to make freeze-dried foods for its astronauts. However, the astronauts did not like the taste of the freeze-dried products, which were really early versions⁵ of the modern energy bar. So, the military found ways to make the food taste better.

Military scientists also discovered that pet food companies were using dehydration to lower water content, but still keeping the food from getting completely dry.

"Once they figured that out," says Marx de Salcedo, "they were able to keep foods moist⁶...at room temperature and with regular packaging."

She adds that this technique is also used with baked goods. The moist cookies we buy in the store today are the result of this military research.

The military also copied a chocolate snack wrapped in hard candy that U.S. troops had found in Europe. The soldiers could carry the candy in their pockets and the chocolate would not melt. And that is how the very popular M&M candies were born.

Today, some of the biggest military researchers continue to search for a chocolate that does not melt under extreme heat.

The next level of military food science arrived recently in the form of mini-food. This is food that is shrunk⁷ to one-third of the normal size.

"They use microwave vacuum⁸ dehydration to reduce the water content of foods," says Marx de Salcedo. This creates food that is smaller but still contains the same amount of nutrition.

While useful for soldiers, it remains⁹ unclear if American civilians¹⁰ will one day carry small, dehydrated lunches for their workday.

Words in This Story

snack – n. small amount of food eaten between meals

instant – adj. partially¹¹ prepared by the manufacturer¹² to make final preparation easy

package – n. a wrapper or container that covers or holds something

tremendous¹³ – adj. very large or great

rations – n. a particular amount of food that is given to one person for one day

technique – n. a way of doing something by using special knowledge or skill

dehydration – n. the process of removing water from something

pet – n. an animal (such as a dog, cat, bird, or fish) that people keep mainly for pleasure

baked goods – n. cookies, cakes, other snacks made with butter, flour and sugar

candy – n. a sugary snack

microwave vacuum – n. a very short wave of electromagnetic energy that removes water

1 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

2 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

3 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。

4 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

5 versions   

n.译本( version的名词复数 )；版本；（个人对事件的）描述；（原物的）变体

参考例句：

• There are two versions of the game, a long one and a short one. 这游戏有两个版本，一长一短。
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 moist   

adj.潮湿的，湿润的；(果物)多汁的；[医]有分泌物的，湿性的；n.潮湿

参考例句：

• There were no windows to admit moist atmosphere to enter.没有窗户使潮湿的空气进入室内。
• Winds from the sea are usually moist.海风通常是潮湿的。

7 shrunk   

shrink的过去式和过去分词:收缩,缩短,皱缩,退避

参考例句：

• I confess it with shame--shrunk icily into myself, like a snail. 我羞愧地忏悔了——冷冰冰地退缩，像个蜗牛。
• The peasantry has shrunk from 74.6 millions to 65.5. 农民人数已从7460万减至6550万。

8 vacuum   

n.真空，空间，真空吸尘器；adj.真空的，产生(利用)真空的；v.用吸尘器打扫

参考例句：

• Sound waves will not travel through a vacuum.声波在真空里不能传播。
• He sells vacuum cleaners.他经销真空吸尘器。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

11 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

12 manufacturer   

n.生产厂商，制造公司，厂主

参考例句：

• A manufacturer can amplify the demand of a product by advertising widely.厂商能用大做广告的方法来扩大人们对产品的需求。
• Prices are laid down by the manufacturer.价格是由厂商制定的。

13 tremendous   

adj.巨大的，极大的；很好的，非常好的

参考例句：

• This book was the outcome of a tremendous amount of scientific work.这本书是大量科学研究工作的成果。
• There is a tremendous difference between them.他们之间有着极大的差别。