是什么让食物变得辛辣？

ABC，听好了。

ABC listen.

你好。

Hello.

我叫Nij。

My name is Nij.

今天在《想象一下》这个节目里，我来做顿午饭。

And today on Imagine This, I'm making lunch.

闻起来真香。

Smells good.

谢谢。

Thanks.

这是我妈妈的独家扁豆汤食谱。

It's my mom's special dal recipe.

里面放了啥？

What's in it?

扁豆、洋葱、大蒜、姜黄、盐，最后再加三颗辣椒。

Lentils, onion, garlic, turmeric, salt, and to finish it off, three chilies.

辣椒很辣。

Chili is spicy.

火辣辣的。

Hot.

这量也太多了吧。

That looks like a lot.

来咯。

Here we go.

别客气。

No.

谢谢。

Thanks.

我不太能吃辣。

I don't like spicy food.

不过这辣味可真够劲的。

Quite a kick to it though.

哇哦。

Wow.

尼，这食谱上明明只写了一个辣椒。

Nij, this recipe just says one chili.

你不是放了三个吗？

Didn't you put in three?

是的。

Yeah.

我放了。

I did.

现在真开始辣得不行了。

Oh, it's really heating up now.

我嘴里怎么了？

What's happening in my mouth?

一百个辣椒？

A 100 chilies.

一百？

A 100?

我就放了三个啊。

I only put in three.

我嘴里这是怎么了？

What's happening in my mouth?

好疼啊。

It hurts.

感觉像在吃熔岩。

It feels like you're eating lava.

烫得要命。

It's burning hot.

雅各布和杰米最近也在琢磨辣味食物。

Jacob and Jamie have been thinking about spicy food too.

嗨，欢迎来到《想象一下》。

Hi, Imagine This.

我叫Jamie，今年七岁。

My name's Jamie and I am seven years old.

我想知道，为什么食物会辣呢？

I would like to know what makes food spicy.

嗨，欢迎来到《想象一下》。

Hello, Imagine This.

我叫Jacob，今年五岁。

My name's Jacob and I'm five years old.

我想问，辣味是从哪儿来的？

My question is, where does spice come from?

它跟玉米有关系吗？

How is it maize?

牛奶为啥能缓解辣味？

And how does milk help?

牛奶能管用吗？

Milk help?

咱们去问问希梅思教授吧。

We should talk to professor Heather Smyth.

她是研究风味的化学家，也是感官科学家。

She's a flavor chemist and a sensory scientist.

也就是说，她特别清楚我们身体是怎么尝味道的。

That means she knows all about how our bodies taste things.

牛奶喝光了。

The milk ran out.

我们现在在食品市场里。

We're at a food market.

哇，好香啊。

Oh, yum.

这儿吃的真多。

There's so much to eat here.

你看，那边有泰国的Pad Kee Mau。

Look, there's Pad Kee Mau from Thailand.

墨西哥塔可。

Mexican tacos.

摩洛哥的塔吉锅。

Moroccan tajin.

哦，海瑟在那儿。

Oh, and there's Heather.

你好，尼尔。

Hello, Nij.

嗨，海瑟。

Hi, Heather.

你好。

Hello.

嗨。

Hi.

一起吃午饭吗？

Wanna join me for lunch?

我正要吃这顿美味的刺身呢。

I was just about to eat this lovely sashimi.

我还准备了腌姜和芥末配着吃。

I've got pickled ginger and wasabi to go with it.

芥末？

Wasabi?

不用了，谢谢。

No, thanks.

那也挺辣的。

That's spicy too.

是啊。

Yeah.

我们正想问问你对辣味食物的看法。

We wanted to ask you about spicy food.

什么东西让食物变辣啊？

What makes something spicy?

这辣味是从哪儿来的？

Where does it come from?

其实全世界到处都有辣的食物。

Well, there's spicy food all over the world.

这市场里就多得是。

There's plenty right here at this market.

辣味可以来自辣椒这样的水果，也可以来自姜、辣根这类根茎类蔬菜。

Spiciness can come from fruits like chilies, root vegetables like ginger, and horseradish.

连大蒜都有点辣劲儿呢。

Even garlic can have a kick to it.

那咱们从哪儿开始尝起？

Where should we start?

说白了，就只有一个地方非去不可。

Well, there's really only one place to go.

在嘴里？

Inside your mouth?

对。

Yes.

但比那还要小。

But smaller than that.

小到能趴在舌头上来吃东西？

Small enough to feed on your tongue?

还要更小。

Smaller still.

你有没有凑近看过自己的舌头？上面密密麻麻全是小疙瘩。

Have you ever looked at your tongue up close and seen that it's covered with lots of tiny little bumps?

是的。

Yeah.

那些叫味蕾。

They're called papillae.

这些叫味蕾。

Papillae.

咱们得仔细看看这些小凸起。

We're gonna need to take a closer look at some of those bumps.

对。

Yeah.

哦，

Oh,

听着好黏糊。

sounds slimy.

咱们再想象一下穿上胶靴。

Let's imagine some gumboots too.

准备好了吗？

Ready?

准备好了。

Ready.

哇哦。

Woah.

我们站在舌头上了。

We're on a tongue.

站在龙舌兰上？

On a tequila.

就像站在一大片粉红色的睡莲叶上。

It's like standing on a big pink lily pad.

又软又弹。

They're soft soft and bouncy

还特别坑洼。

and so bumpy.

哇哦。

Woah.

别掉下去了。

Don't fall off.

这些‘Yes’之间还有空隙呢。

There are gaps between the Yes.

味蕾周围的沟槽很深，食物和味道都能钻进去，而味蕾就藏在这些地方。

There are deep grooves around the papillae for all the food and flavors to get into, and this is where you'll find taste buds.

它们就是你的尝味小能手。

They're your tasters.

帮你分辨各种味道。

They help you taste.

你吃东西的时候，味道一碰到舌头，它就开始琢磨这是啥味儿。

When you eat something and it goes into your tongue, it tries to figure out what the taste is.

对。

Yes.

味蕾就是些超小的感应器，能尝出食物的味道。

Taste buds are tiny sensors that can detect taste in foods.

咱们每个人舌头上有成千上万个味蕾。

We all have thousands of taste buds on our tongue.

成千上万？

Thousands?

在哪啊？

Where?

我怎么看不见啊。

I don't see them.

就在这些乳头里头，舌头上的那些小凸起。

They're inside these papillae, the bumps on the tongue.

所以咱们就是靠这个尝味道的？

This is how we taste stuff?

我倒想知道这到底是怎么运作的。

I wonder how it works.

味蕾会把口腔里东西的信息传给大脑。

Well, the taste buds send messages to our brain about what's in our mouth.

那意思是它们能尝出……

Does that mean they can taste

我现在靴子的味道也能尝出来？

the flavors of my gumboots right now?

天哪。

Damn.

味蕾只能分辨大约五种味道，我觉得靴子肯定不算其中之一。

Taste buds can only detect about five flavors, and I don't think gumboots is one of them.

我能尝出不止五种味道。

I can taste more than five things.

没错。

Yes.

但光靠味蕾，我们只能分辨出甜、咸、酸、苦和鲜味。

But our taste buds alone can only really tell if something is sweet, salty, sour, bitter, or umami.

哎呀，妈妈。

Oh, mommy.

鲜味。

Umami.

这是一种咸鲜味，像肉、奶酪或者蘑菇那种味道。

It's a savory taste like meat or or cheese or mushrooms.

但光靠味觉，其实没法让我们真正了解吃的是啥。

But taste on its own doesn't tell us much about the food we're eating.

风味是舌头尝到的味道，加上鼻子闻到的气味，综合起来的感觉。

Flavor is a mix of the tastes in our tongues plus what we can smell.

说到这个，你能闻到吗？还能听到吗？

Speaking of, can you smell that and and hear it?

那个声音是空气从鼻子里吸进去的声音。

That noise is air being breathed in through the nose.

闻起来像柠檬？

Smells like lemon?

不是。

No.

不是。

No.

不是。

No.

是青柠。

It's lime.

或者更像蜜橘。

Or maybe it's more mandarini.

是橙子。

It's oranges.

啊，我喜欢这个味道。

Oh, I love that smell.

对。

Yes.

虽然舌头只能分辨五种基本味道，但鼻子能闻出成千上万种气味。

While our tongues are limited to five tastes, our noses can sniff out literally thousands of smells.

你能尝出柠檬是酸的、橙子是甜的，但如果没有气味，你大概分不出两种酸味水果之间的区别，比如柠檬和青柠，或者两种甜味水果，比如橙子和蜜橘。

You can taste that a lemon is sour and an orange is sweet, but without the smell, you probably can't taste the difference between two sour things like a lemon and lime, or two sweet things like an orange and mandarin.

抓稳了啊。

Hang on tight.

水果洪流要来了。

There's a fruity flood on its way.

哇哦。

Woah.

就像一股橙汁洪流冲过味蕾。

It's like a river of orange juice rushing around the papillae.

别淋湿了，待在你的荷叶上。

Stay dry on your lily pads.

快点。

Quick.

咱们看看味蕾给大脑发了啥消息。

Let's check the messages taste buds are sending to the brain.

甜。

Sweet.

太棒了。

Sweet.

真甜。

Sweet.

好甜啊。

Sweet.

甜到心坎里了。

Sweet.

我超爱橙子。

I love oranges.

哎呀，这儿沾了点橙皮。

Oh, I got a bit of peel over here.

橙子的味道其实是多种味道混合的，再加上香味，还有它在嘴里那种口感。

But the flavor of an orange comes from a mix of those tastes, plus its smell, and the texture or feel of it in our mouths.

就连橙子的颜色，也影响着它的味道。

Even the color of orange is part of its flavor.

太神奇了。

That's amazing.

居然能尝出颜色来。

It can kind of taste colors.

那辣味呢？

What about spicy?

辣其实不算味道，也不算风味。

Spiciness isn't really a taste or even a flavor.

严格来说，它是一种痛觉信号。

Technically, it's a pain signal.

诶，你闻到没？

Oh, can you smell that?

有股新气味飘过来了。

There's a new smell coming in.

闻起来像扁豆汤。

Smells like dal.

辣味的达利。

Spicy dal.

这辣得我眼泪都出来了。

It's making my eyes water.

这是我的达利吗？

Is that my dal?

像这种用辣椒做的达利，里面含有一种叫辣椒素的化学物质。

Food cooked with chilli, like this dal by the smell of it, has a chemical in it called capsaicin.

辣椒素？

Capsaicin?

对。

Yes.

就连这香味里都带着辣椒素分子。

Even the smell has capsaicin molecules in it.

我们一吸进这些分子，眼睛就会流泪，有时候还会痒嗓子、忍不住咳嗽。

And when we breathe those molecules in, it can make our eyes water and sometimes tickle our throat and make us cough.

如果沾到皮肤或眼睛里，也会觉得像火烧一样。

If it gets in our skin or in our eyes, it can feel like it's burning too.

哎呀，辣味豆子来了。

Oh, here comes the spicy doll.

你玩过‘地板是熔岩’这个游戏吗？

Have you ever played the floor is lava?

是的。

Yeah.

你得一直踩在高处，别碰地，哇哦。

You have to stay off the ground Woah.

因为熔岩会把你烫伤。

Because the lava will burn you.

准备好了吗？哇哦。

Get ready to Woah.

那

The

灰尘像熔岩一样灌进他们舌头的每一道纹路里。

dust pouring in like lava around all the grooves in their tongue.

是我感觉不对劲，还是这儿真有点热？

Is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?

对。

Yes.

危险。

Danger.

危险。

Danger.

早上好。

Morning.

早上好。

Morning.

那些消息说的是啥？

What are those messages?

野狗。

Dingo.

拜拜。

Bye.

什么时候

When

我们吃辣的时候，辣椒素分子会牢牢结合在舌头上的热感受器上。

we eat spicy food, the capsaicin molecules lock into the heat receptors on the tongue.

所以不是味蕾在向大脑传递信号，而是温度和痛觉传感器被激活了。

So it's not our taste buds that send messages to our brains, it's temperature and pain sensors that switch on.

所以当辣椒素——那个小小的辣味分子——碰到舌头时，它会激活热感受器，让大脑觉得又热又疼？

So when capsaicin, the tiny spicy molecule, goes on our tongue, it connects to a heat sensor that tells the brain that it's hot and it hurts?

对。

Yep.

这也太辣了。

This is too fiery.

咱们吐出来吧。

Let's spit it out.

我的小垫子都烫得不行了。

My little pad is getting hot.

是啊。

Yeah.

我这儿也是。

Mine too.

地板简直就是熔岩。

Floor really is lava.

快点。

Quick.

咱们跳到那颗牙上去。

Let's jump over to that tooth.

感觉我的雨靴都要化了。

Feels like my gumboots are gonna melt.

小心点。

Careful.

慢点，别急。

Easy does it.

真漂亮。

Pretty

太神奇了，辣椒素会骗你的身体，让它觉得热。

amazing, The capsaicin chemical tricks your body into feeling hot.

所以人吃辣的时候会出汗。

That's why people might sweat when they eat spicy food.

鼻子会流鼻涕、眼睛会流泪，因为身体想把这玩意儿冲走。

Your nose can run and your eyes can water because your body is trying to wash it away.

感觉有点刺痒，太辣了，就像在火里一样。

It feels kind of scratchy because it's so spy so fiery that it's like you're in fire.

吃辣还让我想像狒狒一样乱蹦乱跳，有时候还拍胸口。

It also makes me feel like I'm gonna jump around like a baboon, and then sometimes I bang my chest.

这儿还是热得不行。

It is still really hot in here.

嘴辣了怎么办？

What can help if your mouth is feeling hot from spice?

要不干脆在地上打个滚儿。

Maybe just roll around on

地板上。

the floor.

喝水。

Drink water.

多喝点水，越多越好。

Lots and lots of water.

直接跳进泳池里，把嘴冲一冲。

You can jump into a pool and wash your mouth.

嘴里有辣椒素的时候，喝水根本没用。

Water doesn't really help when there's capsaicin in your mouth.

这化学物质有点像防水的。

It's a bit like the chemical is waterproof.

怎么个情况？

What's happening?

该吃甜点啦。

Time for dessert.

那是冰淇淋吗？

Is that ice cream?

感觉到了吗？

Can you feel that?

凉快多了。

It's cooling down.

对。

Yes.

科学家觉得，牛奶、酸奶，或者像这种美味的冰淇淋，都能管用。

Scientists think that milk, yogurt, or even yummy ice cream like this can do the trick.

你瞧。

Look.

它在化。

It's melting.

冰淇淋对辣椒素有什么作用？

What's the ice cream doing to the capsaicin?

牛奶里有不错的脂肪和蛋白质，能包裹住辣椒素分子，帮它冲走。

Cow's milk has nice fats and protein in it that can wrap around the capsaicin molecule and help wash it away.

啊，这下舒服多了。

Oh, that's better.

海瑟，为什么人们喜欢辣的食物？

Heather, why do people like spicy food?

嗯，这有点像

Well, it's a bit of

一个谜。

a mystery.

人类是地球上少数几种似乎喜欢辣椒素的哺乳动物之一。

Humans are one of the only mammals on the planet who seem to like capsaicin.

有些科学家认为，以前没冰箱的时候，人们往食物里加辣是为了杀菌、延长保存时间。

Some scientists think adding spice to food was used to help kill germs and make food last longer before we invented fridges.

这挺有意思的。

That's cool.

所以人们一开始吃辣是为了让食物保鲜，后来就真爱上这味道了。

So people would have been eating spice to keep their food fresh, and then they started to like it.

还有人觉得，吃辣起源于炎热地区，是为了帮身体降温。

Other people think spicy food originated in hot countries to help cool us down.

因为‘chilli’里头有‘chill’这个词嘛。

Because chilli has the word chill in it.

所以它才能让人凉快。

That's why it cools you down.

说得好。

Good one.

别闹了。

Come on.

咱们回市场把午饭吃完吧。

Let's get back to the market and finish our lunch.

我超爱辣的食物。

I love spicy food.

我妈也爱吃。

My mom likes it.

我爸啥都往上面加辣椒酱。

Dad puts chili sauce on lots of things.

我觉得他味觉都麻了。

I think his taste buds are dead.

我们吃多了某种东西，身体就会习惯那个味道。

If we eat something a lot, our bodies get used to the taste.

吃辣吃多了，反而会爱上那种火辣辣的感觉。

People who eat a lot of spice start to enjoy the heat.

是啊。

Yeah.

我现在有点习惯了，因为老爸一直逼我吃。

I'm kinda used to it now because dad's been forcing me to eat it.

如果你第一次尝试辣味这种新食物，可能一开始不喜欢，但我觉得尝试新东西挺好的。

If it's your first time trying a new food like something spicy, you might not like it straight away, but I think it's a good idea to try new things.

你不试的话，怎么知道会不会喜欢呢。

If you don't try them, maybe one of the ones you will like them.

这挺好的，因为世界上有好多美味的食物，有些看着让人没胃口，但一尝才发现超好吃。

It's good because there are lots of great foods out in the world and some of them may look like you don't want to eat them, but actually when you try it, it's like really delicious.

先尝一小口，觉得不错，再尝一点。

You taste it a little bit and you like it and then you try another bit.

然后你就想试试别的了。

And you want to try other foods.

所以如果你喜欢，就可以多吃点，要是健康的话，还能让你更强壮？

So if you like it, you can have it more often and if it's healthy, it can make you stronger?

我要是尝了，说不定会喜欢。

If I tried it, I might have liked it.

你们真棒。

You guys are great.

咱们现在就干吧。

Let's do it now.

咱们每人挑一样从来没吃过的吧。

Let's all pick something we've never tried before.

我要买莎莎酱。

I'm gonna get salsa.

那些玉米片。

Those chips.

玉米片？

Chips?

我从来没吃过菠萝蜜，那东西我觉得有点像菠萝，但没叶子。

I've never tried jackfruit, which is, I think, sort of like a pineapple but with no leaves.

我觉得味道可能会偏甜，也可能有点咸。

I think it would taste sweet, maybe salty.

真好吃。

Yum.

听起来太诱人了。

That sounds delicious.

如果你能慢慢变成敢尝新东西的吃货，其实就是在锻炼自己勇于尝试，这能让你在很多其他方面也变得更勇敢。

If you get good at being adventurous eaters, you're getting practice at trying new things, and that can lead to being brave in lots of other ways.

我要来个发酵鳗鱼脑，配一盘羊眼球。

I'm gonna get the fermented eel brain with a side of a sheep's eyeballs.

也许我没那么大胆。

Maybe I'm not that brave.

还有，Jamie，我们吃东西的时候，身体会把舌头尝到的各种味道混合起来。

So, and Jamie, when we eat, our bodies mix tastes from our tongues

酸的。

Sour.

咸的。

Salty.

甜的。

Sweet.

苦的。

Bitter.

哎呀，妈妈。

Oh, mommy.

加上

With

还有鼻子闻到的成千上万种气味传给大脑，这才形成了味道。

thousands of possible smells from our noses to send messages to our brains, which creates flavor.

真香。

Yummy.

辣的食物有点不一样。

Spicy food is a little bit different.

辣椒里有一种叫辣椒素的化学物质

Chili has chemical in it called capsaicin

危险！

Danger.

危险！

Danger.

这会让我们的身体误以为在发热，有时候还会觉得疼。

That tricks our bodies into feeling heat and sometimes pain.

危险！

Danger.

火辣辣的。

Burner.

这些信号会让身体出汗，舌头感觉又热又刺痛。

These messages can make our bodies sweat and our tongues feel hot and burny.

好辣啊。

So spicy.

喝水其实没啥用，但酸奶、牛奶这类乳制品能缓解辣味。

Water doesn't really help, but dairy foods like yogurt and milk can help cool the burn.

不是每个人一直都爱吃辣的。

Not everyone likes spicy food all the time.

是的。

Yeah.

我喜欢吃辣。

I like spicy food.

我不行。

Not me.

我就不喜欢。

I didn't like it.

不过尝试新食物是挺好的锻炼。

But it is good practice to try new foods.

勇敢一点挺好的。

It's good to be brave.

谁知道呢？

And who knows?

你最爱的食物，说不定就是你以前根本没想到过的那种。

Your new favorite food could be something you never even imagined.

这是ABC儿童播客。

This is an ABC Kids podcast.

想听更多精彩故事？去ABC Listen应用的儿童专区搜搜你最爱的播客，或者发现点新的吧。

For more awesome stories, search for your favorite podcast or find something new in the kids tab of the ABC listen app.