英国学生科学读本 Lesson 85 可可与巧克力(1)
第85课 可可与巧克力
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.
毫无疑问, 你们肯定都喝过可可并且吃过巧克力。也许你会认为, 可可就是由椰子制成, 实际上, 它们有着很大区别。
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.
椰子是一种高大的棕榈科树木结出的果实, 而我们平常喝的可可则来自名为可可树的常绿树, 也许是出于发音的方便, 我们现在都叫它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.
可可树喜欢温暖的环境, 西印度群岛、中美及南美是它们的理想居所。可可树的高度及叶子形状都与樱桃树相仿, 花朵为白色, 成簇生长。
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.
花朵凋谢之后, 原来的位置上就会长出一个棕色的果荚, 随后继续发育, 直到大小跟一个粗短的黄瓜相似。成熟之后, 人们把所有的果荚都收集起来敲碎。每个果荚里面大概含有五十个棕色种子, 也就是人们所说的“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.
在制作可可时, 人们首先将这些种子晒干, 然后烘烤并碾碎。每颗种子都带有一个很薄的硬壳, 种子被碾碎之后, 这层硬壳也就脱落了下来, 而粉碎的果仁则被称作可可粒。
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”, 它们经常用于制造蜡烛与香皂。
英语美文
