Why is rice so popular? - Carolyn Beans

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: SF Huang

If you were to place all the rice consumed each year on one side of a scale,

如果你把每年消費的稻米 放在天秤的一端，

and every person in the world on the other,

世界上的所有人放在另一端，

the scale would tip heavily towards rice's favor.

天秤會明顯傾向稻米的那一邊。

This beloved crop contributes over 20% of the calories consumed by humans each year.

人類每年消費的卡路里有超過 20% 來自這種受歡迎的作物。

Korean bibimbap, Nigerian jollof, Indian biryani, Spanish paella,

韓國的拌飯、奈及利亞的焗飯、

印度的沙拉、西班牙的燴飯，

and countless other culinary masterpieces all begin with rice.

和其他無數烹飪佳餚

都從稻米開始。

So how did this humble grain end up in so many cuisines?

這種不起眼的穀物，後來 是如何出現在這麼多菜餚中？

The roots of rice go back thousands of years to when early farmers

稻米的起源可以追溯到數千年前，

亞洲、非洲和南美洲早期的農民

in Asia, Africa, and South America each independently domesticated the crop.

分別都各自馴化了這種作物。

First came Asian rice,

首先出現的是亞洲稻米，

which many plant geneticists believe originated in what's now China.

許多植物遺傳學家認為 它起源於現在的中國。

Over 10,000 years ago, nomadic hunters in the region

一萬多年前，該地區的遊牧獵人

began gathering and eating seeds from a weedy grass.

開始收集和食用一種野草的種子。

Then, around 9,000 years ago, they started planting these seeds,

接著，約九千年前，

他們開始種植這些種子，

prompting nomadic hunters to settle into farming communities.

讓遊牧獵人在農業社會中安頓下來。

With each harvest, growers selected and replanted seeds

每次收穫時，

種植者會選出他們最喜歡的 稻米植物，重新種植其種子——

from the rice plants that pleased them most—

like those with bigger and more plentiful grains or aromatic flavors.

他們偏好比如米粒更大、 更豐富，或有芳香味道的植物。

Over millennia, thousands of varieties of Asian rice emerged.

數千年間，有數千種亞洲稻米出現。

A relative of the same weedy grass was also domesticated in Africa

同樣這種野草的親戚， 也在非洲被馴化，

around 3,000 years ago.

時間約為三千年前。

Today, its growth is mostly limited to West Africa.

現今，它主要生長在西非。

South American growers also domesticated rice around 4,000 years ago,

約四千年前，南美洲的 種植者也馴化了稻米，

though the crop was lost after the arrival of Europeans.

不過在歐洲人抵達之後， 這種作物就不見了。

Asian rice, however, spread widely,

然而，亞洲稻米傳播得很廣，

and is now a cornerstone of diet and culture in Asia and beyond.

現在，它已經是亞洲及其他地區 飲食與文化的基石。

In India and Nepal, many Hindus mark an infant's transition to solid foods

在印度和尼泊爾，

許多印度教教徒用一種 叫做 Annaprashan 的儀式

with a ceremony known as Annaprashan,

來代表嬰兒開始吃固態食物了，

where the baby tastes rice for the first time.

在儀式中，嬰兒初次嚐到稻米。

in Japan, rice is so central to diets that the word "gohan"

在日本，稻米對飲食非常重要， 因此「ご飯」這個詞

means both "cooked rice" and "meal."

意義既是「熟飯」也是「進餐」。

The global expansion of rice cultivation was only possible

稻米耕作之所以能擴展到全球，

because the plant can grow in many climates—

是因為這種植物在許多氣候下 都能生長——從熱帶到溫帶。

from tropical to temperate.

As a semi-aquatic plant, rice happily grows in submerged soils.

稻米是半水生植物， 喜歡在水下的土壤中生長。

Many other crops can't survive in standing water

許多其他作物無法在積水中生存，

because their root cells rely on air within soil to access oxygen.

因為它們的根細胞要仰賴 土壤中的空氣才能取得氧氣。

But rice plants have air channels in their roots that allow oxygen to travel

但稻米植物的根部有氣道，

讓氧氣能從樹葉和莖部 傳送到水下的組織中。

from the leaves and stems to the submerged tissues.

Traditionally, growers plant rice in paddy fields—

傳統上，種植者會在水田中種稻——

flat land submerged under as much as 10 centimeters of water

水田是平坦的土地，在生長季 上面約會有十公分深的水。

throughout the growing season.

This practice returns high yields since many competing weeds

這種做法會帶來很高的產量， 因為許多競爭的野草

can't hack it in the aquatic environment.

無法在水生環境中生存。

But the technique is also water intensive.

但該技術需要大量的水。

Rice covers 11% of global cropland,

全球的農田有 11% 是種稻米，

but uses over a third of the world's irrigation water.

但用水佔全世界 灌溉水的至少三分之一。

This form of rice production also pumps out

這種形式的稻米生產還會 排放大量的溫室氣體。

a surprising amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

Flooded fields are the perfect breeding grounds for microorganisms

淹水的田地則非常適合 甲烷菌這種微生物繁殖。

known as methanogens.

These microscopic lifeforms thrive in environments lacking oxygen,

這些微小的生命在缺乏氧氣的 環境中能夠茁壯成長，

because they evolved when the Earth contained little of this gas.

因為它們是在地球沒什麼 氧氣的時候演化出來的。

Methanogens are the only organisms known to produce methane—

已知的生物中，只有 甲烷菌會產生甲烷——

a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide

就把熱量困在大氣中的 能力而言，這種溫室氣體

at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

是二氧化碳的二十五倍。

Cows, for example, are infamous for burping out methane

比如，乳牛就因為打嗝 排放甲烷而惡名昭彰，

due to methanogens in their stomachs.

原因是因為牠們的胃中有甲烷菌。

In a flooded paddy field, methanogens set to work eating away at organic material

在淹水的水田中，甲烷菌會開始 啃食水下土壤中的有機物質，

in the submerged soil and multiplying rapidly,

並快速繁殖，

all the while releasing copious amounts of methane.

同時釋放出大量的甲烷。

The result: rice cultivation contributes around 12%

结果：每年由人類 造成的甲烷排放中，

of human-caused methane emissions each year.

有 12% 來自稻米耕種。

But there's good news.

但有好消息。

Rice doesn't actually need to grow in continuously flooded paddies.

稻米的生長環境其實並不見得 要是持續淹水的水田。

Researchers and growers are exploring water management strategies

研究人員和種植者 正在研究水管理策略，

that can cut the methane while keeping the yield.

盼能減少甲烷，並維持產量。

One promising technique is known as alternate wetting and drying.

一項前景看好的技術是乾濕交替。

Growers periodically let the water level drop,

種植者會定期讓水位下降，

which keeps methanogen growth in check.

來控制甲烷菌的生長。

Alternate wetting and drying can cut water use by 30%

乾濕交替能讓用水量減少三成，

and methane emissions by 30 to 70% without impacting yield.

甲烷排放減少三成至七成， 且不影響產量。

Greenhouse gases come from many— sometimes unexpected— places.

溫室氣體來自許多—— 有時未預期的——地方。

Making rice growing more sustainable is just one of the many challenges

因此，要避免災難性的暖化發生，

讓稻米生長更永續只是我們 要面對的許多挑戰之一。

we'll need to face to avoid catastrophic warming.

Today, many rice growers still flood fields all season long.

現今，許多稻米種植者仍然 讓水田在整個生長季都有水。

Changing millennia-old practices requires a major mindset shift.

要改變有數千年歷史的做法， 需要很大的心態轉變。

But going against the grain could be just what we need

但也許我們需要的 正是與潮流背道而馳，

to keep our planet healthy and our bowls full.

來確保地球的健康及我們的溫飽。