一鍋燉瞭60天的燉菜，你會吃嗎？那一盆煲瞭49年、仍在不斷加入新原料的老湯呢？這類經過持續燉制、永不離火、鍋不見底的菜品被人們稱作 “永久燉菜”。有些人擔心它不衛生，而有一些人則認為菜品經燉制後使病原體無法存活，因此可以放心食用。本文介紹 “永久燉菜” 的前世今生。
詞匯：cooking 烹飪
What’s the oldest meal you’ve eaten? Maybe you’ve had leftovers from a few days ago. They probably still tasted good. But what if it wasn’t a few days ago, what if you ate a 60-day old stew? Or a 49-year-old beef noodle soup?
Perpetual stew is a dish that is never taken off the heat; it’s never finished. As portions are served, new ingredients are put in the pot to replace them. One day’s stew becomes the basis of the following days’ meals. There have been some famous examples. This year, Annie Rauwerda’s 60-day stew became a social media sensation. One Bangkok restaurant claims to have been cooking its beef noodle soup since the 1970s. It has been suggested that perpetual stew was a tradition in Medieval Europe when the effort required to start a fire meant that they were left to burn all day, and a pot of stew was always simmering away on top of it. One New York Times article tells us about a stew in Normandy that was kept cooking for 300 years.
This tradition may date back to the Middle Ages, but thankfully, our understanding of food hygiene has developed since then. In a world where food is often thrown away once it reaches its use-by date, many people have asked how safe perpetual stew can actually be. Experts are divided, some maintain that as long as the stew is kept bubbling away at a temperature too high for pathogens to survive, it should be safe. Others suggest that meat can become dangerous if it’s left in the stew for too long. Concerns have also been raised that some vegetables, such as potatoes, or those containing nitrates, could become more toxic the more they are reheated.
Advocates of slow cooking believe that the best food takes time, but even they may be surprised by a months or years-old perpetual stew.
詞匯表
leftovers 剩飯，剩菜
stew 燉菜
beef noodle soup 牛肉湯面
dish （一道）菜
take off the heat 將…從灶上挪開，離火
portion （食物的）一份
ingredient 食材，原料
pot 鍋
simmer 燉，煨
food hygiene 食品衛生
use-by date 保質期
bubble 沸騰，咕嘟冒泡
pathogen 病原體
nitrate 硝酸鹽
toxic 有毒的
reheat 重新加熱（食物）
slow cooking 慢燉
測驗與練習
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. What makes perpetual stew different to other stews?
2. When did the Bangkok restaurant mentioned start cooking its beef noodle soup?
3. True or False? The article says that perpetual stew started in Normandy.
4. How long was the stew in Normandy cooking for?
5. Which vegetables could get more toxic as they are reheated?
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. Don’t throw extra food away! Saving your _______ reduces food waste.
nitrates portions leftovers pot
2. It can be dangerous to eat food after its _______ .
food hygiene pathogen nitrate use-by date
3. Sauces often taste better if left to _______ for a few hours.
pot grill simmer mix
4. People are worried that some ingredients could become _______, if left too long.
nitrate pathogen hygiene toxic
5. Large _______ sizes can be a cause of obesity.
portion bubble nitrate pathogen
答案
1.閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. WWhat makes perpetual stew different to other stews?
Perpetual stew is never taken off the heat, it is never finished.
2. When did the Bangkok restaurant mentioned start cooking its beef noodle soup?
They started cooking it in the 1970s.
3. True or False? The article says that perpetual stew started in Normandy.
False. The article says that it might have started in Medieval Europe.
4. How long was the stew in Normandy cooking for?
The stew in Normandy was cooking for 300 years.
5. Which vegetables could get more toxic as they are reheated?
The article says that some experts believe that potatoes and vegetables containing nitrates could become more toxic.
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. Don’t throw extra food away! Saving your leftovers reduces food waste.
2. It can be dangerous to eat food after its use-by date.
3. Sauces often taste better if left to simmer for a few hours.
4. People are worried that some ingredients could become toxic if left too long.
5. Large portion sizes can be a cause of obesity.
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