苏俄伏特加最佳伴侣：鱼子酱野史(之一)
2016-11-14 12:29阅读：
Caviar has enjoyed lasting fame as the luxury treat in the
most upscale social circles. So what's the story behind the mystery
and mystique of this luxurious indulgence?
全国各地都在起风，冬天的气氛越来越正经。这个时候，食物成为了幸福感的保障。而今天的主角：鱼子酱，你在各种进口商品超市里都会有很大几率碰到。只是，你可能不知道，这种食品，并没有你想象中那么浮夸。
鱼子酱的起源（Origins of Caviar）
许多神话和传说都与鱼子酱有关。
根据古希腊哲学家亚里士多德的记录，早在公元前四世纪，鱼子酱和鲟鱼就出现在古希腊的喇叭和花卉宴会中。
Many myths and legends are associated with caviar. According to
records from the Greek philosopher Aristotle, caviar and sturgeon
were being heralded in to Greek banquets among trumpets and flowers
from as early as the fourth century BC.
然而，是古代波斯人谁发明了盐渍鲟鱼子（就是鱼子酱）。
传说，古波斯人认为认为鱼子酱有非凡的药力，鱼子酱英文单词Caviar来自波斯“khav-yar”直译是“充满力量的蛋糕”。
However it was ancient Persians who created salted caviar. Legend
has it that they widely believed it to have medicinal powers, and
thus the word caviar comes from the Persian 'khav-yar' meaning
'cake of power'.
另一个更广为人知的故事则说，虽然鱼子酱这个词源自古波斯语“khag-viar”，但其字面上翻译应该是“小黑蛋”的意思。
Another of the more popular stories suggests
that the word caviar is derived from the Persian 'khag-viar, which
literally translates to 'small black eggs'.
其实，无论Caviar这个词的起源是什么，一个基本的共识是，里海和伏尔加的渔民开始吃鱼子酱，并且在最初是渔民们的一种基本食物，而并非什么一种美味饕餮大餐。
一个可能的主要原因是，当时没有冷冻加工技术，收获的鱼子在微生物作用下会很快分解变质，恰恰是盐渍和些许的编织，使鱼子酱的味道如此独特，因此特别迷人，成为沙皇、贵族和将军们眼中的极致美食。
Whatever the origins of the word, what we
know for sure is that fishermen on the Caspian Sea and the Volga
began eating caviar, not as a delicacy, but as a basic food. The
main reason for this was that caviar quickly spoiled without
refrigeration, and it was precisely this perishability that made
caviar so exclusive, and therefore fascinating, to the Czars,
noblemen and aristocrats of the day.
中世纪时期，鲟鱼被列入欧洲上流社会菜单。
1324年，英国国王爱德华二世宣布鲟鱼成为“皇家鱼” (Royal Fish)，只有皇家法院的人才被允许食用这种鱼。
这个传统一直延续到今天，所有在英国发现的野生鲟鱼仍然是君主的法定财产。
By the Middle Ages, the majestic sturgeon had
become much more established among the higher echelons of European
society. In 1324, the English king Edward II declared sturgeon to
be a 'Royal Fish' and only people in the royal court were permitted
to eat it. This is a tradition which continues to this day - all
wild sturgeon found within the foreshore of the United Kingdom are
still decreed the property of the monarch.
2. 鲟鱼的生长区域 (Range)
里海是鲟鱼的主要栖息地，俄罗斯和伊朗的海岸拥有漫长的黑海海岸线。同时，在太平洋西北部、北大西洋北部地区以及欧洲的一些大湖和河流也有这种鱼。
在太平洋西北部的阿穆尔河（黑龙江）流域，甚至是长江都有不同种类的鲟鱼生长。
虽然鲟鱼是一种海水鱼，但它们在淡水河流中产卵。
Sturgeon is found mainly in the Caspian Sea, which laps the
shore of the two major caviar-producing countries in the world,
Russia and Iran, but is also found in the Black Sea, some parts of
the Pacific Northwest and South Atlantic regions of North America,
and is common in the big lakes and rivers in Europe.
In the Northwest Pacific Ocean, they are found in the Amur
River along the Russian-Chinese border, on Sakhalin Island, and in
the Yangtze and other rivers in northeast China.
Although it is a saltwater fish, it
spawns (lays eggs) in freshwater.
虽然鲟鱼的生长范围很广，但由于栖息地收到破坏、过度捕捞以及水质污染等因素，鲟鱼已经成为高度受威胁的濒危物种。尽管在乌拉圭，南非和其他地方尝试鲟鱼水产养殖，但赤道以南没有自然生长的物种。
Throughout this extensive range, almost
all species are highly threatened or vulnerable to extinction due
to a combination of habitat destruction, overfishing, and
pollution. No species are known to naturally occur south of the
equator, though attempts at sturgeon aquaculture are being made in
Uruguay, South Africa, and other places.
