辣椒與湘味

對(duì)湖南人來(lái)說(shuō)，吃辣的習(xí)俗不僅存在于市井煙火間，更在文化和基因里得到了傳承。人們常說(shuō)吃辣有三重境界：第一重是不怕辣；第二重是辣不怕；第三重是怕不辣，也是吃辣的最高境界。在湖南，幾乎家家戶戶都會(huì)腌辣椒、醬辣椒、曬辣椒，日常飲食中也是“無(wú)辣不成菜”。在別的地方，人們把辣椒當(dāng)佐料，而湖南人則把辣椒當(dāng)菜。

For people from Hunan Province — known by its abbreviationas Xiang，eating spicy food is embedded in their kitchens，in their culture，and， some might say， even in their genes.Local people speak of three levels of eating spicy food.The first is not being afraid of spice.The second is being able to handle it.And the third一perhaps the most Hunan of all—is fearing only that the food isn't spicyenough.InHunan，nearly everyhousehold knows howto make pickled chillies，soypreserved chillies， and sun-dried chilli peppers.In their daily life，there is acommon saying： ^eNo spice，Nodish.\"Whileinother parts of China，chilli is used as a seasoning or garnish， in Hunan，chilliesare eatenas dishes.

湖南的辣椒種類繁多，堪稱全國(guó)之最。據(jù)報(bào)道，湖南有13個(gè)國(guó)家地理標(biāo)志辣椒產(chǎn)品，另有200多個(gè)地方特色品種。這些不同種類的辣椒經(jīng)過(guò)湖南人的加工，有的成為辣椒肉醬、辣椒魚醬、辣椒罐頭等網(wǎng)紅產(chǎn)品，有的成為剁辣椒、泡辣椒、白辣椒等調(diào)味品。按照辣的程度，這些辣椒和醬可依次分為甜辣型、微辣型、中辣型和猛辣型四個(gè)等級(jí)。

Hunan has the greatest variety of chillis in China. Ithas13 chilli productswith National Geographical Indication（GI） status，along with over 200 other regionallydistinctivevarieties.Thesedifferentvarieties of chillies have been processed by the people of Hunan intoa wide range of products，including internetfamous items such as minced meat chilli sauce， chilli anchovy sauce，and cannedchillies.Somevarieties have also been made into traditional ingredients such as chopped chilli， pickled chilli，and white chilli. Accordingto the intensityof their heat，these vibrant peppersand sauces are classified into four tiers：sweet spice，mild spice，medium spice，and hot spice.

在眾多湖南辣椒中，來(lái)自湘陰的樟樹港辣椒尤為聲名遠(yuǎn)揚(yáng)，因其培育周期長(zhǎng)、產(chǎn)量少，以“好吃”和“昂貴”著稱，常常供不應(yīng)求。來(lái)到湖南的食客們都以能吃到樟樹港辣椒為一大樂(lè)事。這種辣椒生長(zhǎng)前期呈長(zhǎng)羊角形，后期則漸變?yōu)槎萄蚪切危苯钒褞资菐澋膫惆研螤睢e看它其貌不揚(yáng)，吃起來(lái)層次感非常豐富，集香、脆、甜于一體，別有一番風(fēng)味，獲得了一大批食客的青睞。當(dāng)?shù)厝税颜翗涓劾苯芳庸こ衫苯丰u、辣椒餅等特色產(chǎn)品，成為游客們非常喜歡的伴手禮。2022年，神舟十四號(hào)載人飛船帶著樟樹港辣椒種子進(jìn)入太空，開展育種實(shí)驗(yàn)。如今，這些從太空回來(lái)的“天椒”種子已經(jīng)開始培育嫩苗，這一批突變種將為食客們提供品質(zhì)更好、風(fēng)味更佳的樟樹港辣椒。

Among the many varieties ofchilli， the Zhangshugangchilli from Xiangyin standsapart， celebratedfarandwide.Withalonganddelicate breedingcycleanda modest yield，it has earned a reputationasachilliboth exquisitely tastyand dear. Theprizedchilli isoften in such high demand that supply can scarcely keep pace.For diners visiting Hunan，tasting the Zhangshugang chilli is yet a profound pleasure.Inits early stage of growth， the chilli stretcheslongandslender，resemblingaram'shorn. Asitmatures，itcurlsinward， takingon the shapeof ashorterram'shorn，withastemthatbendslikethe crook of an old umbrella handle.Modest in appearance andeasilyoverlooked， thishumblechilli surprisesthe palatewithitslayeredcomplexity-adelicatefusion offragrance，crisp texture，and a hint of sweetness.It is thisdistinctivecharacterthathascaptured the hearts offoodloversfarandwide.Localshavetransformed Zhangshugang chilli into a range of specialty delights fromrichchilli sauce to flavourfulchilli pancakes.These belovedlocal products havebecome favourite takeaway gifts for travellersto bringhomea tasteofHunan.In 2022，China’sShenzhou XIVcrewed spacecraftcarried Zhangshugangchilli seeds intospace，where theywere used ina germination experiment.Now， these heavenly seeds-having journeyed through space and returned to Earth - have begun to nurture a new generation. These space mutant seeds promise to bring food lovers Zhangshugangchilliesof evengreaterqualityand richer flavour，deepening the legacy of this beloved spice.

對(duì)地道的湖南人來(lái)說(shuō)，什么菜式配什么辣椒都極有講究。比如，炒肉得用香辣兼?zhèn)涞某旖罚拍艹闯鋈獾孽r美和辣椒的香辣；湘系名菜“剁椒魚頭”要選用汝城朝天椒才算正宗；要是做酸辣湯，那就得用酸中帶辣的泡辣椒，才能喝出湯的酸爽和辣椒的味道；而素炒大白菜，則要在白菜上點(diǎn)綴一撮紅辣椒，既增味又添色。此外，辣椒自身也能成為名菜，如虎皮辣椒、油燜辣椒、擂辣椒等經(jīng)典湘菜，僅僅幾個(gè)辣椒就能讓人輕松干掉兩三碗米飯。在湖南人的日常生活中，辣椒無(wú)處不在，就連談戀愛，湖南人都要用辣椒來(lái)傳情達(dá)意。要是哪個(gè)小伙子想追湖南妹子，就得先過(guò)辣椒這一關(guān)。如果連辣椒都吃不了，還怎么談得上湖南人的浪漫呢？

Fornative Hunan people， the relationship between chilli and cuisine is never casual - every dish， every pepper， follows itsown tradition.A proper stir-fried pork， for instance，mustbe paired with FacingHeaven Chillies. Onlythencanthesavoryrichnessofthemeatandthe fragrantheatofthechilliestrulycomethrough.The region'siconicdish-SteamedFishHeadwithChopped Chilli- demandsnot just any chilli， but the Chaotian Chillies especially sourced from Rucheng County to be considered authentic. To make a hot and sour soup， only pickledchillieswitha tangy，spicy kick will work; it is the verycombinationthatbringsoutthesoup'ssourfreshness and the bold，layered heatof the chillies. While something ashumbleasa stir-fryof Chinese cabbageisnot complete withouta garnishofa small handful of vivid red chillies， enhancingboththecolourandthetasteofthedish.In Hunan，chilliesaren't just ingredients-theyare the stars of the plate.Dishes like Tiger Skin Chilli （Pan Fried Chilli），

Youmen Chilli（Oil Braised Chilli），and Lei Chilli （Mashed Chilli） have become classics.With justa handful of chillies， these simple yet powerful dishes can stir the appetite so deeply thataHunannative might finish two or even three bowls of rice without asecond thought.In the everyday life ofHunan people， chillies are everywhere - on the table， in the fields，and evenin themattersof theheart.Whenit comes to courtship，chillies playa surprisingrole as well. In Hunan，affection is often expressed through chillies.If a young man wishes to win the heart of a Hunan girl，he must first prove himself through chillies.Forif hecannot evenhandle theheat，howcanhehopetospeakoflove？

至于湖南人為什么愛吃辣椒，大概與這里的氣候有關(guān)。湖南三面環(huán)山、一面臨水，夏季炎熱潮濕，冬季寒冷干燥，是人們常說(shuō)的“卑濕之地”。辣椒有驅(qū)寒、祛風(fēng)濕的功效，夏天吃可以驅(qū)濕，冬天吃可以御寒，幫助人們減輕氣候?qū)ι眢w的影響。因此，吃辣椒成了湖南人適應(yīng)當(dāng)?shù)貧夂虻囊环N生活方式，同時(shí)也養(yǎng)成了他們嗜辣的口味。對(duì)湖南人來(lái)說(shuō)，辣椒是餐桌上的必備品，沒(méi)有辣味，簡(jiǎn)直就等于無(wú)味。如果想與湖南人比吃辣，那可是個(gè)不小的挑戰(zhàn)，畢竟這里每人每年消費(fèi)的鮮食辣椒都在100斤以上呢！

Asforwhy Hunanpeopleare so fond of eatingchillies，much of ithas todowith the region'sclimate.Hunanisringedbymountains onthreesidesandfaceswateronthefourth， creating a basin-like geography. Summers arescorchingandhumid，whilewintersare coldanddamp，and itiscommonlyknown as a low-lying and damp land. Chillies are believed to dispel cold，warm the body， and even ease rheumatism. In summer， they helpdriveoutdampness;inwinter，theyward off the chill. Over time， eatingchillies has helpedHunanpeopleadapttotheregion's challenging climate. Chillies have become a vital part of their everyday diet， shaping notonlytheirmealsbutalso their palate. For Hunan people，chilliesare a daily necessity- without them， food simply tastes too bland. And if you ever try to go head-to-head with a Hunan local in a spicy food contest， prepare yourself. After all， each person here consumes over 100 kilogramsof freshchilliesevery year.