Luosifen Became the Hippest Dish in China螺螄粉成為中國最火美食

塞雷妮蒂·王/文　秦書未/譯

Its rare for an odorous dish to become a national favorite， which is exactly whats happened with luosifen， one of the hottest food trends in China.

氣味濃烈的食物很少能成為國民美食，但螺螄粉恰恰是個例外，它是中國最熱門的食物之一。

Just like the notorious durian fruit， this snail-based rice noodle soup dish has created a buzz on Chinese social media thanks to its infamous smell.

這道以螺螄作湯底的米粉就像榴蓮一樣，因其臭名昭著的氣味在中國的社交媒體上引起了熱議。

Luosifen originated in Liuzhou， a city in north-central Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It features rice vermicelli soaked in a spicy broth， topped with locally grown ingredients including bamboo shoots， string beans， turnips， peanuts and tofu skin.

螺螄粉起源于廣西壯族自治區(qū)中北部的柳州市。它是將細米粉浸泡在辣湯底中，配以酸筍、酸豆角、蘿卜干、花生和豆皮等當?shù)爻霎a(chǎn)的食材。

“It only takes three bowls to get you hooked，” says Ni Yaoyang， head of the Liuzhou Luosifen Association and director of the Luosifen Museum in the city.

柳州市螺螄粉協(xié)會會長、柳州市螺螄粉飲食文化博物館館長倪銚陽說：“只要三碗就能讓你上癮。”

For a Liuzhou local like Ni， beyond the initial stench， a bowl of luosifen is a delicious concoction with rich and complicated flavors—sour， spicy， savory and succulent.

對于像倪銚陽這樣的柳州人來說，除了一開始聞到的臭味，一碗螺螄粉還調(diào)合了豐富而復雜的味道——酸、辣、咸、鮮。

In the past， it would have been hard for non-locals to share Nis enthusiasm for this strange regional dish—or even to try it. But luosifens magic has unexpectedly spilled beyond its birthplace and overtaken the entire country， thanks to a DIY ready-to-eat form.

過去，非本地人很難像倪銚陽一樣對這道奇特的地方吃食如此鐘情，甚至連嘗一嘗都不太愿意。但是，螺螄粉的魔力如今出人意料地沖出了它的發(fā)源地，風靡了整個中國，這得益于自助即食版螺螄粉。

Pre-packaged luosifen—which many describe as the “l(fā)uxury version of instant noodles”—usually comes with eight or more ingredients in vacuum-sealed packets. “I have to say it has an impressive consistency and quality control in flavors，” says Min Shi， product manager of Penguin Guide， a leading Chinese food review site.

預包裝螺螄粉被許多人稱為“奢侈版方便面”，一般采用真空包裝，內(nèi)含八種或八種以上配料。“企鵝吃喝指南”是中國一家業(yè)內(nèi)領先的食品評論網(wǎng)站，其產(chǎn)品經(jīng)理石閩表示：“不得不說，袋裝螺螄粉在口味和品質(zhì)控制方面很出色。”

Noodles inspired by “industrial thinking”

受“產(chǎn)業(yè)思維”啟發(fā)的米粉

Years before the pandemic began， noodle makers in Liuzhou were brewing an idea to take a different path from those promoting local specialty foods to other parts of China by opening chain restaurants or shops.

在疫情暴發(fā)之前的幾年里，柳州的螺螄粉生產(chǎn)商就在醞釀一個想法，想要另辟蹊徑地向國內(nèi)其他地方推廣自己的地方特色食物，而不是開設連鎖餐廳或連鎖商店。

A city in southwestern China， Liuzhou is a key base for the automotive industry. By 2010， luosifen had already earned a following after being featured in hit culinary documentary “A Bite of China.” Specialized luosifen chains started to pop up in Beijing and Shanghai. But despite some initial fanfare1 and a government push， in-store sales fell flat2.

柳州位于中國西南部，是汽車工業(yè)的一個重要基地。2010年，因在熱門美食紀錄片《舌尖上的中國》中出現(xiàn)，螺螄粉已經(jīng)贏得了一批粉絲。北京和上海開始出現(xiàn)專門做螺螄粉的連鎖店。但是，盡管最初大力宣傳過，政府也助力推廣，店內(nèi)銷量卻未能達到預期。

Then in 2014， Liuzhou entrepreneurs had an idea： Mass produce the noodles and package them.

然后，到了2014年，柳州的企業(yè)家們有了一個想法：批量生產(chǎn)螺螄粉并做成包裝產(chǎn)品。

At first， it wasnt easy. The noodles would only last for 10 days. The setbacks didnt slow the momentum in a city renowned for its assembly and standardization capabilities.

起初，這個想法并不容易實現(xiàn)。生產(chǎn)出來的螺螄粉只能保存十天。在這個以裝配技術和標準化能力聞名的城市，挫折并沒有減緩發(fā)展的勢頭。

As more luosifen workshops popped up， the Liuzhou government started to regulate production and award licenses to factories that met certain requirements， according to state media.

據(jù)官方媒體報道，隨著越來越多的螺螄粉生產(chǎn)車間涌現(xiàn)，柳州市政府開始規(guī)范生產(chǎn)，并向符合特定要求的工廠頒發(fā)許可證。

Government efforts have led to more research and upgraded technologies in food prep， processing， sterilization and packaging. Nowadays， most luosifen packages on the market have a shelf life of up to six months， which allows people， near or far， to enjoy the same flavors with minimal preparation. “In inventing the luosifen packages， Liuzhou people borrowed the ‘industrial thinking of the city，” Ni says.

在政府的努力下，食品制備、加工、滅菌和包裝方面的研究有所加強，技術也得到了升級。如今，市面上大多數(shù)袋裝螺螄粉的保質(zhì)期長達六個月，無論遠近，人們都可以用最便捷的方式來享受同樣的味道。倪銚陽說：“在發(fā)明袋裝螺螄粉時，柳州人借鑒了這座城市的‘產(chǎn)業(yè)思維。”

Soul of the soup

螺螄粉的靈魂

While the snail may stand out as the most unusual ingredient in luosifen， local bamboo shoots are what give soul to the noodle soup.

雖然螺螄可能是螺螄粉中最不一般的食材，但當?shù)氐乃峁S才是螺螄粉的靈魂。

Luosifens arguably off-putting scent comes from fermented “suan sun”—sour bamboo shoots. Despite being produced in a factory， every bamboo shoot packet sold with luosifen is handmade according to Liuzhou trad-itions， say manufacturers.

螺螄粉令人繞道而行的臭味來自發(fā)酵過的酸筍。生產(chǎn)商表示，盡管螺螄粉的酸筍料包產(chǎn)自工廠，但每包都是按照柳州傳統(tǒng)手工制作的。

Bamboo shoots are highly prized in China， their crunchy and tender texture making them a supporting ingredient in many gourmet recipes. But as bamboo grows fast， the taste window for its shoots is extremely short， which poses challenges for preparation and preservation.

竹筍在中國非常受人喜愛，脆嫩的口感使其成為許多美食食譜中的輔助原料。但由于竹子生長迅速，筍的最佳口感維持時間極短，這給制作和保存帶來了挑戰(zhàn)。

To retain the utmost freshness， farmers in Liuzhous suburbs get up before dawn for the hunt. Aiming for the tip of the plant， as its just surfacing from the ground， they carefully cut off the shoots above the rhizome. Before 9 a.m.， the plants are harvested and handed to the processing factories. The bamboo shoots will then be unsheathed， peeled and slivered. The slices will sit in the pickling liquid for at least two months.

為了最大限度地保證食材新鮮，柳州郊區(qū)的農(nóng)民天不亮就起床去挖筍。他們瞄準剛剛從地面冒出來的筍尖，小心翼翼地切斷根莖以上的嫩芽。上午九點之前，挖好的竹筍被送到加工廠。然后，加工廠將竹筍去皮，一層層地剝出來，再切絲。筍絲將在泡菜水中腌制至少兩個月。

The secret sauce of pickling， according to Ni， is the mix of local Liuzhou spring water and aged pickle juice. Every new batch contains 30% to 40% of the old juice.

根據(jù)倪銚陽的說法，腌制的秘方是將柳州當?shù)氐娜完惸甑呐莶怂旌稀Ｃ颗碌呐莶怂?0%到40%的陳年泡菜水。

The ensuing fermentation isnt just a waiting game. It also needs to be mindfully monitored. Seasoned “pickle sommeliers” are paid to sniff the “sour bamboo shoots” to track the fermentation stages.

隨之而來的發(fā)酵不僅僅是坐等過程，還需要悉心監(jiān)控。經(jīng)驗豐富的“泡菜品鑒師”通過聞酸筍的氣味來跟蹤發(fā)酵的不同階段，這就是他們的生計。

Convenient healthy food

健康的方便食品

Though it admittedly draws inspir-ation from convenience food， packaged luosifen shouldnt be classed as such， says Ni. Instead， he prefers to refer to it as a “l(fā)ocal specialty food，” because neither the quality nor the freshness has been compromised.

倪銚陽說，雖然袋裝螺螄粉確實是從方便食品中獲得的靈感，但不應該把它歸類為方便食品。相反，他更喜歡把袋裝螺螄粉稱為“地方特色食品”，因為它的品質(zhì)和新鮮度都沒有打折扣。

“Luosifen producers use spices—star anise， numbing peppers， fennel and cinnamon—as natural preservatives in addition to flavorings，” Ni says. “Depending on the recipe， there are at least 18 spices in the broth.”

“螺螄粉生產(chǎn)商使用香料——八角、花椒、茴香和肉桂——作為天然防腐劑和調(diào)味料。”倪銚陽說，“根據(jù)不同的秘方，湯底里至少有18種香料。”

Rather than adding flavoring powders， the luosifen broth—often condensed in packets—is created through protracted cooking processes， with bulks of snails， chicken bones and pig marrow bones sitting in rolling boils for more than 10 hours.

螺螄粉湯底盡管常常濃縮在一個料包里，但它不是調(diào)味粉沖出來的，而是經(jīng)過長時間烹飪而成，即將大量螺螄、雞骨和豬髓骨放在沸水鍋里熬煮十個多小時。

The elaborate process also applies to the rice noodles—the main character of the dish. From grinding grains to steaming to drying to packaging， it takes at least seven procedures carried out over two full days—already a largely shortened time thanks to automation—to achieve the foolproof “al dente3” state.

這種精心制作的過程也適用于米粉——這道美食的主角。從研磨谷物到蒸煮，再到干燥，接著包裝，至少要經(jīng)過七道工序，耗時整整兩天（得益于自動化，時間已經(jīng)大大縮短了）才能萬無一失地達到“筋道”的狀態(tài)。

However cooked， the noodles will turn silky and slippery， while setting off all the bold flavors in the bowl.

螺螄粉的米粉不管怎么煮都會變得絲滑，同時襯托出碗里所有濃烈的味道。

“People staying home now have higher expectations for convenience food. And its much more than filling the belly; they want to engage in a ritual to make something delicious，” Shi says.

石閩說：“現(xiàn)在宅家的人對方便食品有了更高的期望。他們不僅僅是想填飽肚子，更想?yún)⑴c制作美食這樣一個具有儀式感的活動。”

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）