彭蒙惠英语:品尝橄榄油(2/2)
Savor a Sip of Olive Oil
品尝橄榄油(2/2)
Savor a Sip of Olive Oil
California’s olive presses yield bottles on par with the world’s best
There are strong links between wine and olive oil. Both crops thrive in similar climates and soils. It’s no accident the modern California olive oil industry took root in the wine country of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
Table olives had long been grown in California, but little premium was put on the oil until vintner Lila Jaeger began making oil from old trees growing at Rutherford Hill winery, says Vossen.
Bitter or sweet
Today, most growers follow the lead of Ridgley Evers, who fell in love with a Tuscan oil and planted trees on his Dry Creek Valley farm that were grown from cuttings propagated in Lucca, Italy. Tuscan-style oils tend to be more herbaceous, with a pungent, peppery kick, depending on how early the olives are harvested in the fall and how long the oils have been stored. Oils from more mellow varieties such as manzanilla and those that have been harvested when the fruit is riper are more likely to be softer and more buttery. Oils also begin to lose their sharp edges when they’re stored, so and oil from last year’s harvest will be less bitter than one that was just pressed.
The peppery notes of a lively Tuscan oil are ideal for saucing pasta, drizzling over a bean soup or anointing a piece of grilled fish or beef. Milder, fruity oils are best for delicate dishes. Evers encourages cooks to consider California’s artisan oils as a condiment rather than a cooking fat.
“What we tell people is to cook with the cheapest olive oil you can find,” he says, “then finish with the appropriate oil for the dish that you’re cooking.”
Specialized Terms
Vintner (n) 葡萄酒商 a person whose job it is to buy and sell wine
Herbaceous (adj) 草本的 characteristic of a non-woody herb
Note (n) 与众不同的特质 a distinguishing quality, usually of taste or smell
Vocabulary Focus
Take root (idiom) to become established
Propagate (v) to produce a new plant from a parent plant
Pungent (adj) describing a very strong smell or taste
Manzanilla (n) a pale, very dry Spanish sherry.
Anoint (v) apply oil or ointment to sb (esp. as a religious ceremony)
Condiment (n) a substance that is added to food to improve its taste
Discussion Question
What’s your favorite dish? Do you know how to cook it?
Extra Exercise
1. Translate the following sentence into Chinese, ‘It’s no accident the modern California olive oil industry took root in the wine country of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties.’
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