中華文化英文講系列：吃吃喝喝的那些事兒

李晶

南方溫暖、濕潤、多雨的氣候適宜水稻、糯稻種植，因此南方人喜食大米、糯米，并且用大米、糯米制作出了很多主食種類。相較于南方，北方相對干旱、寒冷，雨水較少，這樣的氣候適合小麥種植。用小麥碾出的面粉在勤勞的中國人手中被制成了豐富多樣的主食。

以上概述可以用英文表達如下。

As the mild， moist and wet climate in Southern China is suitable for growing rice and glutinous rice， people there like to eat these two types of grain， making a variety of staple foods from them. Compared to Southern China， Northern China is relatively dry and cold with less rain， hence it grows wheat well. Wheat is ground into flour to make a wide range of staple foods， such as pancakes， noodles， dumplings and wontons.

“饅頭”的一種英文翻譯是steamed bread，直譯過來就是“蒸面包”。這個翻譯很有意思：bread其實是“烤”（bake）出來的，而這里卻說“蒸面包”，有時候會讓英美人士摸不著頭腦，不知道到底是什么意思。還有一種翻譯是steamed bun，bun這個詞也是“面包”的意思，《柯林斯高階英漢雙解學習詞典》（以下簡稱《柯林斯》）的解釋是：“Buns are small bread rolls. They are sometimes sweet and may contain dried fruit or spices.”

通過對這些英文單詞的探究，我們感覺這兩種翻譯都不能準確完整地表達“饅頭”的含義。在中華文化外譯過程中，這個問題非常普遍。再比如，我們一般認為“餃子”譯成dumpling，可是仔細看一下《柯林斯》對這個詞的解釋：“Dumplings are small lumps of dough that are cooked and eaten， either with meat and vegetables or as a fruit-filled dessert.”從這個解釋中可以看到，這跟中國的餃子不同，是一種團子或水果布丁。在這種情況下，近年來很多人傾向于將中國特有的文化名詞（亦稱“國俗詞語”，即別的語言中很難找到與之完全對應的非等值詞語）直接音譯，比如譯成mantou、jiaozi，以避免上述“不對等”現(xiàn)象。但這樣又會產(chǎn)生另外一個問題。如果跟一個對中國文化沒有任何了解的英美人士說起音譯名詞，幾乎等于“無效輸入”，除非在現(xiàn)場演示這些東西，否則他們對于這些詞沒有任何概念。這就是中華文化外譯中的“兩難”境地。

對于這樣的“兩難”，我們應當有辯證的認識，并采取相應的解決辦法。一方面，從文化自尊、自信的角度來說，我們應當大力推行國俗詞語的音譯，讓它們進入英語詞匯體系。在這方面，有成功的例子，比如toufu （漢語“豆腐”進入日語，英語采用日語發(fā)音）、chow mein （“炒面”的粵語發(fā)音）都已經(jīng)為英語人士廣泛接受，這些國俗詞語和其所承載的文化內(nèi)涵也就在西方社會獲得了更好、更快、更廣泛的傳播。另一方面，我們也應該看到，在目前中國文化尚未在西方社會普及傳播的背景下，大部分國俗詞語如果只是一味采取音譯，并不能為普通英美民眾接受。所以，在音譯的同時，要注重“有效輸入”，通過細致的釋譯和實物演示，逐步讓中華文化中這些特殊的詞匯為人接受。

如果說南方人的主食是米飯，那么北方人的主食就是饅頭、餅和面條。饅頭、餅、面條與包子、餃子不同之處在于它們沒有餡兒，因此在食用時，饅頭和餅要配著菜一起吃，面條要澆鹵，北方人吃面時，有時會單獨再配一些蔬菜和肉丁，這些俗稱“菜碼兒”。我們今天就主要來介紹一下饅頭和餅。

在給外國朋友介紹北方人的主食時，可以參考下面這段表達。

Steamed bread （mantou）， pancakes and noodles are typical kinds of staple food for northern people just as steamed rice is for southern people. Different from steamed stuffed buns （baozi） and dumplings （jiaozi）， steamed bread， pancakes and noodles dont have any meat or vegetable stuffing. People eat steamed bread and pancakes， as accompaniments to other dishes. For noodles， people usually coat them with certain types of sauce or stew （燉湯） like westerners do when eating spaghetti （意大利式細面條）. There is also meat and vegetables in the sauce or stew， making the diet nutritious and delicious.

饅頭來源于古代祭祀，因為形狀跟人的頭顱類似，所以代替人頭來祭祀。饅頭的制作方法相對簡單，將面粉發(fā)酵后做成面團，上鍋直接蒸制就可以了。逢年過節(jié)，有的家庭在制作饅頭時也會在面團上放一些棗或其他堅果等，做出一些花樣。蒸出來的饅頭還可以切片后油炸，又是一種風味。近來燒烤之風盛行，饅頭切片后還可以燒烤，也很受青年人喜愛。

在給外國朋友介紹饅頭時，可以參考下面這段表達。

Steamed bread is derived from the ancient sacrifices （祭品）， as the shape of it is similar to a human beings head. The making of steamed bread is relatively simple and easy. The wheat flour is fermented and made into dough， which is then steamed. At festivals， in some families， the steamed bread is decorated with preserved jujube or nuts. The steamed bread being cut into slices， can be either fried or toasted over an open fire.

餅是中國北方另一種歷史悠久的主食，在北方地區(qū)也有廣泛的市場。中國人將面團經(jīng)過多種方法的制作，如烤制、烘焙、油炸等，制成了中華飲食中各式各樣的餅。華夏大地各地制作的餅種類繁多、大小各異、厚薄不一。餅里有餡兒的稱為餡餅。沒有餡料的餅種類居多，有多層也有單層，有的會用椒鹽、蔥花等調(diào)味品提香。餡餅中的餡料也是種類繁多：有肉餡兒的，有蔬菜餡兒的，還有蔬菜和肉混合的，更有甜口兒的餡餅，餅里裝著如糖芝麻、紅豆沙等。最為京津地區(qū)人們喜愛的煎餅更是一絕。先把以面粉為主的多種谷物磨成的粉與水和成漿，接下來把漿在平平的鐵板上刷上一層。鐵板下有火加熱，鐵板的熱量使?jié){液固化成薄餅。然后在餅上打一個雞蛋，慢慢將其拍碎使其形成蛋液，再均勻涂抹在薄餅上。等蛋液遇熱凝固后，再均勻刷醬，放入蔥、香菜等調(diào)料，放上薄脆或油條，最后卷起來，就成了美味的煎餅。

中國飲食中“餅”如何用英文介紹？英語里的pancake、pie都有“餅”的意思，但是有何區(qū)別呢？《柯林斯》對pancake的解釋是“A pancake is a thin， flat， circular piece of cooked batter made from milk， flour， and eggs. Pancakes are usually eaten for breakfast， with butter and syrup.”意思是一種薄餅。對pie的解釋是：“A pie consists of fruit， meat， or vegetables baked in pastry.”大意是一種餡餅。在解釋pie時，釋義里出現(xiàn)了pastry這個詞，咱們看看它是什么意思：“Pastry is a food made from flour， fat， and water that is mixed together， rolled flat， and baked in the oven. It is used， for example， for making pies.”如此看來，我們統(tǒng)稱的“餅”用pastry表達可能最合適。而pie和pancake基本對應了中文里的“餡餅”和“煎餅”。還有一種我們經(jīng)常吃的烙餅，基本對應了墨西哥人的tortilla。Tortilla的解釋是：“A tortilla is a piece of thin flat bread that first came from Mexico， and is made from corn or wheat.”Tortilla多是用玉米粉制成，而我們的烙餅多用小麥粉，這是一點不同之處。

上述有關(guān)餅的介紹可以用英文表達如下。

Pastry is another type of popular staple food which can be processed from dough in various ways by grilling， baking， and frying. Pastry can be made into pies， pancakes and tortillas. The diversity of pastry in size and thickness is also another remarkable feature. Tortilla is extremely common in Northern China and it is mainly made of wheat flour. Although flour made from corn or other grains may also be added， wheat flour is the major ingredient. Tortilla is usually seasoned with slices of spring onion and other condiments （調(diào)味品）. The non-stuffed tortilla can be single- or multi-layered. Pie fillings can be either sweet or salty. Salty fillings include meat or vegetables， or a mixture of both. Sweet sesame （芝麻） and red bean paste are typical sweet pie fillings. People in and around Beijing and Tianjin also like to eat pancakes which are usually served as breakfast as they are both easy to make and to transport. The process of making a pancake is quite miraculous. Various types of flour， but mainly wheat flour， are mixed with water to make a thick liquid. The liquid is then poured into a hot pan and the heat causes the pancake to form. An egg is then broken onto it and slowly smoothed across the pancake. After the egg solidifies， you can add some sauce and sprinkle some slices of spring onion and coriander onto the pancake. After the addition of a fried bread stick or crispy pastry inside the pancake， it is rolled and is then ready to eat.