英國學生科學讀本 Lesson 85 可可與巧克力(1)
第85課 可可與巧克力
You have all, no doubt, drunk a cup of cocoa, and you have also eaten part of a cocoanut. Perhaps you thought that cocoa was made from the cocoa-nut, but the two things are really quite different from each other.
毫無疑問, 你們肯定都喝過可可并且吃過巧克力。也許你會認為, 可可就是由椰子制成, 實際上, 它們有著很大區(qū)別。
The cocoa-nut is the fruit of a tall palm-tree; but the cocoa which we drink is prepared from the seeds of an evergreen tree whose proper name is the cacao-tree. We ought to speak of "cacao" and not cocoa; but the former name has been changed into the latter, because this is easier to pronounce, I suppose.
椰子是一種高大的棕櫚科樹木結出的果實, 而我們平常喝的可可則來自名為可可樹的常綠樹, 也許是出于發(fā)音的方便, 我們現(xiàn)在都叫它cocoa(可可)。
The cacao-tree needs a warm climate, and grows best in the West Indies and in Central and South America. It is about the size of a cherry-tree, and the leaves are of much the same shape. The flowers are white, and grow in clusters.
可可樹喜歡溫暖的環(huán)境, 西印度群島、中美及南美是它們的理想居所?？煽蓸涞母叨燃叭~子形狀都與櫻桃樹相仿, 花朵為白色, 成簇生長。
As each flower drops off, its place is taken by a brown pod, which grows to the size of a short thick cucumber. When ripe, the pods are gathered and broken open. Each pod contains about fifty brown seeds, or "cocoa-beans, " as they are called.
花朵凋謝之后, 原來的位置上就會長出一個棕色的果莢, 隨后繼續(xù)發(fā)育, 直到大小跟一個粗短的黃瓜相似。成熟之后, 人們把所有的果莢都收集起來敲碎。每個果莢里面大概含有五十個棕色種子, 也就是人們所說的“可可豆”。
In preparing cocoa, these seeds are first dried, and then roasted and crushed. Each seed has a thin, hard husk, which is removed after the crushing. The crushed kernels are called cocoa-nibs.
在制作可可時, 人們首先將這些種子曬干, 然后烘烤并碾碎。每顆種子都帶有一個很薄的硬殼, 種子被碾碎之后, 這層硬殼也就脫落了下來, 而粉碎的果仁則被稱作可可粒。
About one-half of the kernel is made of a kind of oil or fat, called "cocoa-butter, " which is often used for making candles and soap.
果仁中有一半成分都是油脂, 即“可可脂”, 它們經常用于制造蠟燭與香皂。
英語美文
