時差N小時:發(fā)霉的奶酪

Usually when we think of moldy foods, we picture amonth-old loaf of bread forgotten in the back of arefrigerator. But some moldy foods can be quitedelicious. For instance, many cheeses owe their sharpflavor to molds. The making of any cheese isessentially a process of limited, controlledspoilage.

通常，我們一想到發(fā)霉的食物時，腦海中會浮現(xiàn)出一條遺忘在冰箱后面一個月的面包的畫面。然而有些發(fā)霉的食物是相當(dāng)美味的。例如，許多奶酪發(fā)霉之后就有一種獨(dú)特的風(fēng)味。任何奶酪的制作工藝實(shí)際就是一種有限的，可控制的發(fā)酵過程。

In effect, a mold partly digests, or rots the cheese. The molds used to ripen cheese are not themolds that would naturally develop on the cheese over time, but are specially-produced molds.During the process of aging any mold-ripened cheese, fats and proteins are broken down intostrong smelling molecules. These molecules give mold-ripened cheese its particularly strongodor and taste. A bluish-green mold helps ripen blue cheese, giving it its name, aroma andcolor.

實(shí)際上，霉菌會一定程度上吞噬或者腐蝕著奶酪。把奶酪催熟的霉菌并不是奶酪自然生長一段時間所產(chǎn)生的，而是一種特制的霉菌。在霉菌催熟奶酪的過程中，脂肪和蛋白質(zhì)經(jīng)分解釋放強(qiáng)烈氣味的分子。這些分子使催熟的奶酪具有特殊而又強(qiáng)烈的氣味與芬芳，而藍(lán)青色的斑點(diǎn)霉菌則從外觀上給予藍(lán)色熟奶酪以顏色，氣味和名稱。

In order to age blue cheese, a cheese maker injects the mold into the cheese. Cheeses like bluecheese that are ripened from within are frequently washed or brushed to remove undesirablemicroorganisms which might interfere with the activity of the ripening mold inside. While bluecheese is mold-ripened from the inside, soft, pungent cheeses like Camembert and Brie areripened from the outside with a coat of a white mold whose enzymes slowly penetrate thecheese and transform it from a chalky, bland solid, into the custard-like, creamy treat cheesefanciers love.

為催熟藍(lán)色奶酪，奶酪專家會向奶酪里添加催熟霉菌。藍(lán)色奶酪等催熟奶酪則通過頻繁洗刷，去除干擾催熟霉菌活動的多余微生物。與藍(lán)色奶酪從里向外催熟的原理不同，向來以柔軟、芳香著稱的法國卡曼波特奶酪和布里白奶酪都是由外及里催熟的，表面的一層白霉菌會慢慢的將其中的化學(xué)酶滲入奶酪，并把白色無味的固體轉(zhuǎn)變成人們喜愛的蛋糊乳狀。

Of course, eating most moldy foods is not a good idea, but eating cheese that has ripened dueto a special molding process can be a delectable experience.

當(dāng)然，吃很多發(fā)霉的食物不是什么好事，但是吃那些在特殊霉變過程中變熟的奶酪會是一個很享受的體驗(yàn)。