中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
魚子醬歷來為西方皇室青睞的珍品，也是歐美上流宴會桌上的“黑色黃金”。豐富的營養、精細的制作、考究的食用方法為它披上了一層奢華而神秘的面紗。
紫蘭 選 肖妮 譯
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Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed and salted sturgeon roe. The roe can be “fresh” (non-pasteurized) or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value. The word caviar originates from the Turkish khavyar, first appearing in English print in 1591. Traditionally the designation caviar is only used for sturgeon roe from the wild sturgeon species living in the Caspian and Black Sea. Caviar is expensive due to its limited supply outstripped by constantly increasing demand, and elaborate time-consuming technique of production. Therefore, caviar was once reserved strictly for royalty. Experts often prefer Malossol process in making caviar. Malossol means lightly salted. Fresh caviar usually has a maximum of five percent salt. Today, caviar’s salt content is much lesser, approximately less than three percent. This type of caviar is considered a high quality type. It is the finest process and tends to be more expensive. In general, salt content of Caviar depends on the grade or also known as size of the roe, the weather, and condition. Caviar and health For those watching their cholesterol and salt intake, caviar should be reserved as a rare treat as it is high on both counts. On the other hand, caviar is a rich source of vitamins A and D, as well as omega-3 fatty acids which some researchers say can aid in deterring depression. Caviar is touted as a hangover remedy due to its high content of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter believed to play a key role in memory retention) which lines the stomach and increases the body’s tolerance to alcohol. Arginine, a vascular dilator in caviar, helps increase blood flow. Surprisingly, airlines purchase about fifty percent of the world’s caviar to serve to their first-class passengers. Tips to choose and enjoy caviar Quality caviar must have a bright glossy colour, fresh, mild smell, uniformly sized eggs and lightly salty flavour. The texture must be firm to the bite, not squish soft. In many restaurants, caviar is served with sour cream, chopped red onions, chopped hard-boiled egg whites and yolks, and parsley. All help stretch the quantity, but drown the delicate taste. Most gourmets like to pair it with champagne, but the true connoisseur knows that the best alcoholic beverage to accompany caviar is well-chilled vodka. Caviar is a food like no other. Sometimes called gray gold, a symbol of luxury and excess, it’s the stuff of fantasy. |
魚子醬是一種奢侈的珍饈美味，有時也被稱為“黑魚子醬”，主要是用鹽腌過的鱘魚卵加工制成。魚卵可以是“新鮮的”（未進行巴氏滅菌消毒的）或者經過巴氏滅菌消毒，然而后者的烹飪價值和經濟價值均居次等。 魚子醬一詞源自土耳其語khavyar，并于1591年首次出現于英語出版物中。傳統意義上的魚子醬所使用的魚子僅僅是指生長在里海和黑海中的野生鱘魚所產的卵。魚子醬的產量有限，因而價格昂貴，而其不斷增長的市場需求以及精細耗時的生產工藝卻總是讓它供不應求。因此，魚子醬曾一度被嚴格僅限于供應皇室。 專家們常常青睞“馬洛索”魚子醬制作法。馬洛索的意思是低鹽的。新鮮的魚子醬通常只含有不超過5%的鹽分。如今，魚子醬的含鹽量更低一些，大約不到3%。這種魚子醬被認為是高品質的。這種加工方法也是最精細的，而且價格也日趨水漲船高。一般而言，魚子醬的含鹽量取決于魚卵的等級（或我們稱之為魚卵的大小）以及天氣和環境等因素的影響。 魚子醬與健康 對于那些需要注意膽固醇和鹽攝入量的人，魚子醬應該少吃，因為這兩種物質的含量都很高。另一方面，魚子醬還含有豐富的維他命A和D，以及研究人員發現的對抑郁癥有抑制作用的歐米伽-3脂肪酸。 魚子醬也可用來緩解宿醉，這是由于它含有大量的乙酰膽堿（即一種神經傳遞素，它被認為對保持記憶起著重要作用），該物質可以填滿胃并增強人體對酒精的耐受力。 魚子醬中還含有精氨酸，它具有血管擴張作用，可以加快血液流通。令人吃驚的是，全世界大約50%的魚子醬都被航空公司買走，以提供給頭等艙乘客享用。 如何挑選和品嘗魚子醬 上佳品質的魚子醬必須色澤透明清亮，新鮮且氣味清淡，魚子的大小要均勻、味道微咸。口感要柔韌耐嚼，不粘口。很多餐館的魚子醬是配上酸奶油、切碎的紅洋蔥、煮熟并切碎的蛋白、蛋黃和歐芹一起做的。這些東西增加了菜量，但卻破壞了魚子醬精致的美味。大多數美食家喜歡用香檳酒與之搭配，但真正的行家則知道與魚子醬最佳搭配的酒應是冰透的伏特加。 魚子醬是一種獨一無二的美食，有時也被稱為“黑色的黃金”，它是奢華和富足的象征，也是令人遐想的珍品。 （來源：英語學習雜志） |
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Vocabulary: sturgeon roe 鱘魚卵 pasteurized 巴氏滅菌消毒的 outstrip 做得比……更好，超過 line 填滿（肚子等） arginine 精氨酸，一種氨基酸 |
