英美文化：圣诞饼干和姜饼小人儿究竟是怎么来的？

 　　Like many Christmas traditions, the origin of this delicious custom lies ages ago, in solstice ritualsconducted long before Christmas became the huge commercial holiday it is today. Winter solstice festivals have been held for eons, across the world. Celebrations revolved¹ around food.

　　像许多圣诞节传统一样，这道好吃的传统美食也有好多年历史了，早在圣诞节变成现在这种商业节日之前好久，姜饼就已经是冬至仪式的一部分了。人类庆祝冬至日已经有几千年的历史的，而食物一直是庆祝活动的中心。

　　By the Middle Ages, the Christmas holiday had overtaken solstice rituals throughout much of present-day Europe. However, the old feast traditions remained. The pastry² world was experiencing some amazing changes. Spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper were just starting to be widely used, and dried exotic fruits like citron, apricots and dates added sweetness and texture³ to the dessert tray.

　　到中世纪，今天欧洲的大部分地区已经用圣诞节取代了冬至，然而旧的筵席传统却保留了下来。不过，面点做法发生了巨大变化。像肉豆蔻、肉桂和黑胡椒这样的香辛料开始被广泛应用，像香橼、杏和大枣这样的热带果干则为甜点增添了甜度和质地。

　　These items, along with ingredients like sugar, lard and butter, would have been prized as expensive delicacies⁴ by medieval cooks. Only on the most important holiday could families afford treats like these. And unlike pies or cakes, cookies could be easily shared and given to friends and neighbors.

　　这些材料以及糖、荤油、黄油对中世纪的大厨来说都是昂贵的佳肴，普通家庭只有在最重要的节日才能吃上这些美味。而且饼干跟派或者蛋糕不一样，它可以被很方便地分享，能分给朋友和邻居。

　　Though cookies have come a long way since medieval times, some things haven’t changed. Many Christmas cookies are still heavily spiced. We think of “traditional” Christmas flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger⁵.

　　虽然，中世纪以后饼干有很长的演变过程，但有些东西从未改变过。很多圣诞饼干依旧大剂量地使用香辛料，我们一想到“地道的”圣诞口味就会想到肉桂、肉豆蔻和姜的味道。

　　Gingerbread is a classic Christmas cookie, and yet it’s also a cookie that would have tasted strikingly similar back in the Middle Ages. These cooks would not have made gingerbread men, however. The first person to try that was none other than Queen Elizabeth I of England, who had the cookie molded into the shapes of her favorite courtiers.

　　姜饼是一款经典款的圣诞饼干，而且它现在的味道和中世纪时的基本一样。然而那时却没有姜饼小人。第一个做姜饼小人的不是别人，正是英国女王伊丽莎白一世，她把饼干做成了她最喜爱的大臣的形状。

1 revolved   

v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The fan revolved slowly. 电扇缓慢地转动着。
• The wheel revolved on its centre. 轮子绕中心转动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 pastry   

n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry.厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• The pastry crust was always underdone.馅饼的壳皮常常烤得不透。

3 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

4 delicacies   

n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到

参考例句：

• Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后，狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗

5 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。