Europe became a better place for less-than-picture-perfect fruits and vegetables this month as the European Union scrapped rules banning oddly shaped produce from supermarket shelves. "This marks the new dawn for the curvy cucumber and the knobby carrot," said E.U. Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.
由于欧盟废除了禁止奇形怪状农产品上超市货架的规定,这个月欧洲成了形状远不如图片完美的果蔬更好的去处。欧盟农业专员玛丽安·费舍·玻尔说,“对长弯了的黄瓜和疙疙瘩瘩的胡萝卜来说,这标志着新的黎明来到。”
For the past 20 years, strict E.U. regulations, spelled out over some 100 pages, had dictated the shape, size and appearance of 36 fruits and vegetables sold in supermarkets, with strangely precise bans on such items as:
在过去的20年里,欧盟罗列了100多页苛严的条规,强行规定了36种于超市售卖的水果和蔬菜在形态、尺寸和外观上近乎不可思议的明确禁令,诸如以下这些名目:
• Green asparagus that is not green for 80% or more ofits length
青芦笋未变绿的部分在其长度80%或以上
• Cucumbers that bend by a curve of morethan 10 mm per 10 cm
长弯的黄瓜每10厘米长的弧度在10毫米以上
• Cauliflower less than 11 cm in diameter
花椰菜直径小于11厘米
• Forked carrots
分叉的胡萝卜
The regulations have long caused outrage among foodies, farmers, retailers and eco-minded eaters who bemoaned how wasteful it was to throw out up to 20% of perfectly tasty produce simply because it wasn't up to snuff visually.
长久以来,这些规定在美食家、农夫、零售商和注重生态的饮食者中引起了公愤,他们很不满,扔掉多达20%仅仅因为不符合视觉上的正常标准但极其好吃的农产品是多么浪费!
In the U.S., the farm-to-table and local-food movements have encouraged consumers to embrace irregularly shaped produce. Last year they helped convince the Federal Trade Commission to ease restrictions on the sale of a coveted hybrid heirloom tomato called the UglyRipe. "Fruits and vegetables can be ugly on the outside but still taste fine on the inside, where it counts," says chef Amanda Cohen, whose newly opened restaurant in New York City is called Dirt Candy, in reference to the origin of its vegetarian treats. "Heirloom tomatoes may look like Frankenstein, but they often taste better than the perfectly round, slightly plasticized tomatoes you sometimes see in supermarkets. An irregular shape usually has nothing to dowith taste."
在美国,从农场到餐桌的本地食品输送方式激励着消费者去食用形状不规则的农产品。去年,他们就帮助说服了联邦贸易委员会放松对一种被称为“UglyRipe(丑番茄)”却让人垂涎欲滴的祖传杂交西红柿的限制。“蔬果可能外表难看,但内里味道仍然很好。它还是有价值的。”Amanda Cohen大厨说,他在纽约市新开了一家名叫“泥土的芳香”的餐馆,餐馆名字参照了素食主义者设宴飨客的渊源。“祖传番茄也许看起来象个怪物,但它们吃起来比你有时在超市里看到的那种滚圆的经过稍加增塑剂处理的番茄味道好多了。不规则形状通常和味道毫无关系。”
Europe, however, might have to wait a while for theUglyRipe. Although the rules have been changed for all but 10 of the 36restricted fruits and vegetables, the regulations still stand that apples,kiwis, strawberries, lettuce, peaches, nectarines, pears, table grapes, sweetpeppers and, yes, tomatoes still need to be pretty.
然而,欧洲人或许还得等上一段时间才能吃上这种丑番茄。(因为,)即使所有食物的禁令都作了修改,但对这36种受到限制的果蔬中的10种,有关规章依然得坚持:苹果、猕猴桃、草莓、莴笋、桃子、油桃、梨、鲜食葡萄、甜椒,当然还有番茄,仍然必须是漂漂亮亮的。
注:本文原文选自http://www.time.com。
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