評(píng)論
打印
Culture
文藝版塊
World in a dish
盤(pán)中世界
Beneath the (ap)peal
果皮（美味吸引力）之下
South Asia's long love affair with mangoes.
南亞與芒果的千年之戀。
“Hindustan is a country of few charms,” observed Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur, after conquering India in the 16th century.
“印度斯坦是一個(gè)沒(méi)有魅力的國(guó)家，”扎希爾丁·穆罕默德·巴布爾在16世紀(jì)征服印度后評(píng)價(jià)道。（注：印度斯坦是古代對(duì)整個(gè)印度半島的稱(chēng)呼。）
The founder of the Mughal empire was unimpressed by the handicrafts, horses, markets, people—and especially the fruit.
這位莫臥兒帝國(guó)的開(kāi)國(guó)者對(duì)印度的手工藝品、馬匹、市場(chǎng)、人民都沒(méi)有留下特別的印象，尤其認(rèn)為水果平平無(wú)奇。
He complained constantly about the lack of decent melons.
他不停地抱怨那里沒(méi)有像樣的瓜果。
But even grumpy Babur could not deny the pleasures of mangoes, which “when good, are very good”.
但即使是脾氣暴躁的巴布爾也無(wú)法否認(rèn)芒果的美味，“好吃的芒果味道非常好”。
The mango, he concluded, is “the best fruit of Hindustan”.
他總結(jié)道，芒果是“印度斯坦最好的水果”。
The people of the subcontinent would go further, declaring it the finest in the world.
印度次大陸的人民會(huì)更進(jìn)一步，宣稱(chēng)芒果是全世界最好的水果。（注：印度次大陸包括印度、巴基斯坦、孟加拉國(guó)。）
It is the national fruit of both India and Pakistan.
芒果是印度和巴基斯坦的國(guó)果。
Every region has a favourite variety, from the sublime Alphonso of western India to the sophisticated Dasheri of the north, sparking interminable arguments about which is best.
每個(gè)地區(qū)都有自己最?lèi)?ài)的品種，從印度西部風(fēng)味濃郁的阿方索芒果，到印度北部口感細(xì)膩的達(dá)謝里芒果，人們沒(méi)完沒(méi)了地爭(zhēng)論哪種芒果最好。
(There is no wrong answer.)
（沒(méi)有錯(cuò)誤答案。）
Mango is used as an ingredient in chutney, daal, ice-cream, juice, sherbets and more.
芒果被用作酸辣醬、扁豆湯、冰淇淋、果汁、冰糕等食物的原料。
But mostly it is eaten alone: ripe, golden, with its juices trickling down the arms.
但芒果主要還是單獨(dú)食用：成熟的金黃色芒果，（咬一口）汁液就順著手臂流淌下來(lái)。
The mango is a gift of love, a lubricant for dealmaking, a plausibly deniable bribe, a reward, an indulgence and a necessity.
芒果是表達(dá)愛(ài)的禮物，是交易的潤(rùn)滑劑，是可以合理抵賴(lài)的賄賂，是獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)，是享受，也是必需品。
It is part of the very essence of being Indian—or Pakistani.
這是印度人——或者巴基斯坦人的本質(zhì)的一部分。
That makes it a potent tool of diplomacy.
這使芒果成為一種強(qiáng)有力的外交工具。
Indian leaders have presented crates to American presidents, Pakistanis to Chairman Mao and the Indian prime minister.
印度領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人向美國(guó)總統(tǒng)贈(zèng)送過(guò)成箱的芒果，巴基斯坦人向毛主席和印度總理贈(zèng)送過(guò)。
Sheikh Hasina, who was recently driven from power in Bangladesh, once sent India 2,600 kg of mangoes as a “memento of friendship”.
孟加拉國(guó)總理謝赫·哈西娜最近被逼下臺(tái)，她曾經(jīng)給印度送去了2600公斤芒果作為“友誼的紀(jì)念品”。
Although trade between India and Pakistan is paltry, mangoes are permitted to cross the border.
雖然印度和巴基斯坦之間的貿(mào)易微乎其微，但芒果被允許跨越邊境。
However, most of South Asia’s mangoes stay at home.
然而，南亞的大部分芒果都留在了國(guó)內(nèi)。
India is the world’s biggest mango producer, with volumes greater than the next nine growers combined, according to Tridge, a data firm.
印度是世界上最大的芒果生產(chǎn)國(guó)，據(jù)數(shù)據(jù)公司Tridge稱(chēng)，其產(chǎn)量超過(guò)了后面九個(gè)種植國(guó)的總和。
Yet its share of the global export market by value is a meagre 7%.
然而，按價(jià)值計(jì)算，印度在全球芒果出口市場(chǎng)的份額僅為微不足道的7%。
Mexico , which produces a tenth as much as India, accounts for a quarter.
墨西哥的產(chǎn)量是印度的十分之一，出口份額卻占了四分之一。
The reasons are many, writes Sopan Joshi in “Mangifera Indica”, a new book about mangoes.
原因有很多，索潘·喬希在一本關(guān)于芒果的新書(shū)《杧果》中寫(xiě)道。（注：Mangifera Indica是芒果的拉丁學(xué)名。）
Chief among them are the delicate nature of the fruit, poor growing practices in India and strict standards in Western markets.
其中最主要的原因是芒果易受損、印度的不良種植方式以及西方市場(chǎng)的嚴(yán)格標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。
No one is sure how many mango varieties exist, but India probably has around 1,000.
沒(méi)有人確切知道存在多少種芒果品種，但印度可能有大約1000種。
This is the West’s loss.
這是西方的損失。
If Americans and Europeans are not besotted by mangoes, it is because they have tasted only the more mediocre produce of Mexico and Brazil.
如果美國(guó)人與歐洲人不癡迷于芒果，那是因?yàn)樗麄冎黄穱L過(guò)來(lái)自墨西哥和巴西的較為普通的芒果。
That may be starting to change: the volume of India’s official mango shipments to America in 2023 was up a fifth on the previous year, to over 2,000 tonnes.
這種情況可能開(kāi)始發(fā)生變化：2023年印度官方運(yùn)往美國(guó)的芒果數(shù)量比前一年增加了五分之一，數(shù)量為2000多噸。
America is also providing grading and sorting machines to Pakistan to boost exports.
美國(guó)還向巴基斯坦提供分級(jí)和分揀機(jī)器，以促進(jìn)出口。
The mango, as every South Asian knows, is as much about social bonds as about flavour.
正如每個(gè)南亞人所知，芒果不僅關(guān)乎味道，也關(guān)乎社會(huì)紐帶。
A fruit this fine demands to be shared.
如此美味的水果，值得與世人分享。
