Food lovers the world over are tickled by pickles腌菜正流行

On social media, preserved cucumbers are freshly trendy腌制黄瓜正风靡社交媒体

October 16th 2024

IN DAYS GONE by, the pickled cucumber—or gherkin, in British parlance—had a humble role in food. It showed up ornamentally or in tiny, grease-cutting portions on burgers and charcuterie boards. So limited were its uses that jars would languish at the back of refrigerators for years.

在过去，腌黄瓜 —— 用英国的说法是小黄瓜 —— 在食物中只扮演着不起眼的角色。只是作为装饰，或者在汉堡和熟食板上以少量的、解油腻的角色出现。它们的用途非常有限，以至于腌黄瓜的罐子会在冰箱后面闲置多年。

Today, however, pickles are having a moment, as a new generation of foodies has discovered their crunchy, tangy charms. On TikTok there are some 315,000 posts with the tag #pickles—more than with #cucumber and even #potatoes. Users film themselves trying dill, garlic, hot and sour varieties. (The flavour changes depending on what herbs and spices are used and whether the cucumber is soaked in vinegar or fermented in brine.) A video showing the assembly of an assorted “pickle platter” has more than 50m views.

然而，如今腌菜正流行，因为新一代的美食爱好者发现了它们松脆、浓郁的口感。在抖音上，带有 #腌菜标签的帖子约有 31.5 万个 —— 比 #黄瓜甚至#土豆的都多。人们拍摄自己尝试莳萝、大蒜、酸辣等各种口味的腌菜。（根据使用的香草和香料以及黄瓜是浸泡在醋中还是在盐水中发酵，味道会有所不同。）一个展示各种 “腌菜拼盘” 组装过程的视频有超过 5000 万的浏览量。

Some pair pickles with confectionery for a sweet-savoury morsel. The chamoy pickle—a bright red, piquant iteration—has gone viral. Eaters unconcerned about heartburn or tooth decay eat it with sour candy, fruit strips, Cheetos and hot sauce. And recently Dua Lipa, a pop star, caused a stir by stirring pickle and jalapeño juice into her Diet Coke.

有些人将腌菜与糖果搭配，制成甜咸口味的小点心。墨西哥辣味腌菜 —— 一种鲜红色、味道辛辣的品种 —— 正在走红。不担心胃灼热或蛀牙的食客会将它与酸味糖果、水果条、膨化食品奇多和辣椒酱一起食用。最近，流行歌星杜阿・利帕（Dua Lipa）将腌菜和墨西哥辣椒汁加入她的健怡可乐中，引起了轰动。

Van Holten’s, an American firm, is Gen Z’s preferred pickle purveyor. Its individually wrapped cucumbers are fun to tear open on camera. Last year the company sold some 85m units, up from 70m in 2022. “Laid end-to-end that would stretch from Miami to Seattle” four times over, says Eric Girard, the head of sales and marketing.

美国公司范・霍尔顿（Van Holten's）是 Z 世代首选的腌菜供应商。在镜头前撕开它的独立包装黄瓜会很有趣。去年，该公司售出了约 8500 万份独立包装黄瓜，高于 2022 年的 7000 万份。“首尾相连的话，长度将是从迈阿密到西雅图距离的四倍。” 销售和营销主管埃里克・吉拉德（Eric Girard）说。

Enthusiasts are producing pickles at home, too. During the pandemic more people found time to experiment with pickling and fermenting. They found cucumber pickles an easy thing to make and a versatile ingredient to cook with. So strong is the interest that Grillo’s, another American brand, recently released a recipe book dedicated to the pickle, spanning condiments, cocktails and cakes.

腌菜爱好者们也在家里制作腌菜。在疫情期间，人们有更多时间尝试腌制和发酵。他们发现黄瓜腌菜很容易制作，而且是一种用途广泛的烹饪食材。人们的兴趣如此浓厚，以至于另一个美国品牌格里洛（Grillo's）最近出版了一本专门关于腌菜的食谱书，其中还涉及调味品、鸡尾酒和蛋糕。

The obsession is new, but the pickle’s history is long. Around 4,000 years ago ancient Mesopotamians pickled vegetables; over the centuries pickle fans have reportedly included Cleopatra, Christopher Columbus and Napoleon Bonaparte.

相对于这种新兴的风潮，腌菜的历史十分悠久。大约 4000 年前，古代美索不达米亚人就腌制蔬菜；在之后的几个世纪，据说克利奥帕特拉、克里斯托弗・哥伦布和拿破仑・波拿巴都是腌菜爱好者。

Health concerns may be partly behind the current boom. George Rice of Serious Pig, a British snack-maker, says people buy pickles because they are low in calories. There is also “a lot of chat about gut health”, and evidence suggests that fermented foods can strengthen the gastrointestinal microbiome. Pickles made with a salt brine fit the wellness bill; those made with vinegar do not, as vinegar is too acidic for the necessary bacteria.

健康可能部分解释了当前的腌菜热潮。英国零食制造商 “严肃猪”（Serious Pig）的乔治・赖斯（George Rice）说，人们购买腌菜是因为热量低。还有 “很多人认为腌菜有利于肠道健康”，有证据表明发酵食品可以增强胃肠道微生物群落。用盐水腌制的腌菜符合健康要求；而用醋腌制的则不行，因为醋对必要的细菌来说太酸了。

Alan Kaufman says his shop in New York, The Pickle Guys, uses more than 1,000kg of cucumbers a week. Yet runners come for the flavoured, salty liquid, as it replaces the electrolytes lost during exercise. Tempted to dust off that jar in your fridge, chomp the contents—and pour yourself a cold glass of pickle juice? ■

艾伦・考夫曼说，他在纽约的店铺 “腌菜佬” 每周要用掉超过 1000 千克的黄瓜。然而，跑步者们却更喜欢有味道的咸咸的腌菜汁，因为它能补充运动中流失的电解质。你是不是很想把冰箱里的那罐腌菜拿出来，吃掉里面的东西，然后给自己倒一杯凉凉的腌菜汁呢？

生词：

parlance /ˈpɑːləns/ 说法，用语。例句：In legal parlance, this is called negligence.（在法律用语中，这被称为疏忽。）

languish /ˈlæŋɡwɪʃ/ 变得衰弱；被搁置。例句：The project languished for lack of funds.（这个项目因缺乏资金而停滞不前。）

foodie /ˈfuːdi/ 美食爱好者。例句：She's a real foodie and loves trying new restaurants.（她是个真正的美食爱好者，喜欢尝试新的餐厅。）

tangy /ˈtæŋi/ 味道浓烈的；有刺激性的。例句：The lemonade had a tangy taste.（柠檬水有一股浓烈的味道。）

piquant /ˈpiːkənt/ 辛辣的；开胃的。例句：The dish had a piquant flavor.（这道菜味道辛辣开胃。）

purveyor /pəˈveɪə(r)/ 供应者。例句：The store is a purveyor of fine wines.（这家商店是优质葡萄酒的供应商。）

versatile /ˈvɜːsətaɪl/ 多用途的；多功能的。例句：This tool is very versatile.（这个工具非常多功能。）

obsession /əbˈseʃn/ 痴迷；着魔。例句：Her obsession with cleanliness is driving me crazy.（她对清洁的痴迷快把我逼疯了。）

microbiome /ˌmaɪkroʊˈbaɪəʊm/微生物群落。例句：The study of the microbiome is a growing field.（微生物群落的研究是一个不断发展的领域。）

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