Luosifen Became the Hippest Dish in China螺蛳粉成为中国最火美食

塞雷妮蒂·王/文　秦书未/译

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.

气味浓烈的食物很少能成为国民美食，但螺蛳粉恰恰是个例外，它是中国最热门的食物之一。

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.

這道以螺蛳作汤底的米粉就像榴莲一样，因其臭名昭著的气味在中国的社交媒体上引起了热议。

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.

螺蛳粉起源于广西壮族自治区中北部的柳州市。它是将细米粉浸泡在辣汤底中，配以酸笋、酸豆角、萝卜干、花生和豆皮等当地出产的食材。

“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.

柳州市螺蛳粉协会会长、柳州市螺蛳粉饮食文化博物馆馆长倪铫阳说：“只要三碗就能让你上瘾。”

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.

对于像倪铫阳这样的柳州人来说，除了一开始闻到的臭味，一碗螺蛳粉还调合了丰富而复杂的味道——酸、辣、咸、鲜。

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.

过去，非本地人很难像倪铫阳一样对这道奇特的地方吃食如此钟情，甚至连尝一尝都不太愿意。但是，螺蛳粉的魔力如今出人意料地冲出了它的发源地，风靡了整个中国，这得益于自助即食版螺蛳粉。

Pre-packaged luosifen—which many describe as the “luxury 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.

预包装螺蛳粉被许多人称为“奢侈版方便面”，一般采用真空包装，内含八种或八种以上配料。“企鹅吃喝指南”是中国一家业内领先的食品评论网站，其产品经理石闽表示：“不得不说，袋装螺蛳粉在口味和品质控制方面很出色。”

Noodles inspired by “industrial thinking”

受“产业思维”启发的米粉

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.

在疫情暴发之前的几年里，柳州的螺蛳粉生产商就在酝酿一个想法，想要另辟蹊径地向国内其他地方推广自己的地方特色食物，而不是开设连锁餐厅或连锁商店。

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.

柳州位于中国西南部，是汽车工业的一个重要基地。2010年，因在热门美食纪录片《舌尖上的中国》中出现，螺蛳粉已经赢得了一批粉丝。北京和上海开始出现专门做螺蛳粉的连锁店。但是，尽管最初大力宣传过，政府也助力推广，店内销量却未能达到预期。

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

然后，到了2014年，柳州的企业家们有了一个想法：批量生产螺蛳粉并做成包装产品。

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，这个想法并不容易实现。生产出来的螺蛳粉只能保存十天。在这个以装配技术和标准化能力闻名的城市，挫折并没有减缓发展的势头。

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.

据官方媒体报道，随着越来越多的螺蛳粉生产车间涌现，柳州市政府开始规范生产，并向符合特定要求的工厂颁发许可证。

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，食品制备、加工、灭菌和包装方面的研究有所加强，技术也得到了升级。如今，市面上大多数袋装螺蛳粉的保质期长达六个月，无论远近，人们都可以用最便捷的方式来享受同样的味道。倪铫阳说：“在发明袋装螺蛳粉时，柳州人借鉴了这座城市的‘产业思维。”

Soul of the soup

螺蛳粉的灵魂

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

雖然螺蛳可能是螺蛳粉中最不一般的食材，但当地的酸笋才是螺蛳粉的灵魂。

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.

螺蛳粉令人绕道而行的臭味来自发酵过的酸笋。生产商表示，尽管螺蛳粉的酸笋料包产自工厂，但每包都是按照柳州传统手工制作的。

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.

竹笋在中国非常受人喜爱，脆嫩的口感使其成为许多美食食谱中的辅助原料。但由于竹子生长迅速，笋的最佳口感维持时间极短，这给制作和保存带来了挑战。

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.

为了最大限度地保证食材新鲜，柳州郊区的农民天不亮就起床去挖笋。他们瞄准刚刚从地面冒出来的笋尖，小心翼翼地切断根茎以上的嫩芽。上午九点之前，挖好的竹笋被送到加工厂。然后，加工厂将竹笋去皮，一层层地剥出来，再切丝。笋丝将在泡菜水中腌制至少两个月。

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.

根据倪铫阳的说法，腌制的秘方是将柳州当地的泉水和陈年的泡菜水混合。每批新的泡菜水含有30%到40%的陈年泡菜水。

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.

随之而来的发酵不仅仅是坐等过程，还需要悉心监控。经验丰富的“泡菜品鉴师”通过闻酸笋的气味来跟踪发酵的不同阶段，这就是他们的生计。

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 “local specialty food，” because neither the quality nor the freshness has been compromised.

倪铫阳说，虽然袋装螺蛳粉确实是从方便食品中获得的灵感，但不应该把它归类为方便食品。相反，他更喜欢把袋装螺蛳粉称为“地方特色食品”，因为它的品质和新鲜度都没有打折扣。

“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.”

“螺蛳粉生产商使用香料——八角、花椒、茴香和肉桂——作为天然防腐剂和调味料。”倪铫阳说，“根据不同的秘方，汤底里至少有18种香料。”

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.

螺蛳粉汤底尽管常常浓缩在一个料包里，但它不是调味粉冲出来的，而是经过长时间烹饪而成，即将大量螺蛳、鸡骨和猪髓骨放在沸水锅里熬煮十个多小时。

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.

这种精心制作的过程也适用于米粉——这道美食的主角。从研磨谷物到蒸煮，再到干燥，接着包装，至少要经过七道工序，耗时整整两天（得益于自动化，时间已经大大缩短了）才能万无一失地达到“筋道”的状态。

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

螺蛳粉的米粉不管怎么煮都会变得丝滑，同时衬托出碗里所有浓烈的味道。

“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.

石闽说：“现在宅家的人对方便食品有了更高的期望。他们不仅仅是想填饱肚子，更想参与制作美食这样一个具有仪式感的活动。”

（譯者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）