穆萨卡如何跻身希腊美食的万神殿

经济学人：

Patriotism revolutionised a classic dish

爱国主义彻底改变了一道经典菜肴

IN 1821 GREEK revolutionaries rose up against the Ottomans, setting off years of bloodshed that culminated in the creation of a free state in 1829. On March 25th each year Greeks celebrate Independence Day with parades and abundant feasts of bakaliaros skordalia, delicately battered cod with garlic dip.

1821 年，希腊革命者起义反对奥斯曼帝国，引发了多年的流血事件，最终在 1829 年建立了一个自由国家。每年的 3 月 25 日，希腊人都会举行游行和丰盛的 bakaliaros skordalia 盛宴来庆祝独立日，这是一种精致的鳕鱼配大蒜蘸酱。

And yet it is moussaka—sloppy squares of richly flavoured mince, oil-slicked aubergines and indulgent béchamel sauce—that many consider Greece’s national dish. Its entry into the pantheon of Greek gastronomy came about a century after Greek independence. The country’s embrace of the dish is a lesson in how traditions are forged and how a nation’s cuisine evolves.

然而，许多人认为希腊的国菜是穆萨卡（moussaka）——由味道浓郁的肉末、油榨的茄子和放纵的贝沙梅尔酱组成的邋遢方块。它进入希腊美食的万神殿是在希腊独立大约一个世纪后。这个国家对这道菜的接受是一个教训，说明传统是如何形成的，以及一个国家的美食是如何演变的。

Nikolaos Tselementes is considered the godfather of Greek moussaka. In the 1920s he published the first complete Greek cookbook, “Odigos Mageirikis” (“Cooking Guide”), which included six recipes for moussaka. His creations contained none of the pungent flavours hitherto used by Greek cooks, such as bay leaf and cinnamon. These were “contamination” from nearly four centuries of Ottoman rule, Tselementes wrote. He hated garlic and—unusually for a Greek—olive oil. The chefs of antiquity had not tossed cumin or other “eastern” spices into their pots, he said.

尼古拉斯 · 茨特里特斯（Nikolaos Tselementes）被认为是希腊穆萨卡的教父。在 1920 年代，他出版了第一本完整的希腊食谱 “Odigos Mageirikis”（“烹饪指南”），其中包括六种穆萨卡食谱。他的作品不包含迄今为止希腊厨师使用的辛辣口味，例如月桂叶和肉桂。这些都是来自近四个世纪的奥斯曼帝国统治的“污染”，Tselementes 写道。他讨厌大蒜，也讨厌橄榄油——对希腊人来说是不寻常的。他说，古代的厨师没有把孜然或其他“东方” 香料扔进锅里。

His efforts to bake politics into food were successful. “Odigos Mageirikis” became a staple of wealthy urban kitchens and the word “tselementes” synonymous with a recipe book for a while. By tapping into patriotism and Hellenising the hearth, Tselementes revolutionised Greek cuisine.

他将政治融入食物的努力取得了成功。“Odigos Mageirikis” 成为富裕城市厨房的主食，“tselementes” 这个词一度成为食谱书的代名词。通过利用爱国主义和希腊化炉膛，Tselementes 彻底改变了希腊美食。

Not all foreign influences were anathema. Like many culinary contemporaries, Tselementes was besotted with French gastronomy. This may have been what inspired him to coat his moussakas in velvety béchamel. His Gallic-Greek creations also featured aubergine, as well as fried courgette and, in winter, artichoke. The French gratin—a vegetable casserole enveloped in white sauce and breadcrumbs—was a more likely source of inspiration than versions of moussakas cooked in the Middle East, says Aglaia Kremezi, a food writer.

并非所有的外国影响都是诅咒。像许多同时代的烹饪家一样，Tselementes 对法国美食着迷。这可能就是他用天鹅绒般的贝沙梅尔涂上他的 moussakas 的原因。他的高卢 - 希腊创作还包括茄子、油炸西葫芦和冬季的朝鲜蓟。美食作家阿格莱亚 · 克雷梅齐（Aglaia Kremezi）说，法式焗烤——一种用白酱和面包屑包裹的蔬菜砂锅——比中东烹制的穆萨卡（moussakas）更有可能获得灵感。

As chefs and food historians seek to revive lost recipes and resurrect culinary traditions, moussaka proves that authenticity is an elusive concept in food. Cultures have long borrowed from one another, and gastronomy is all the richer for it.

当厨师和食品历史学家试图重振失落的食谱并恢复烹饪传统时，穆萨卡证明了真实性是食物中一个难以捉摸的概念。长期以来，文化相互借鉴，美食也因此而更加丰富。

A dish ripe for reinvention is also more likely to endure. Tselementes’s moussaka is still served in tavernas around the world. Nowadays there is no single way to prepare it. A restaurant in eastern Corfu bakes crayfish between layers. In Britain cooks might chuck in roast goose: lo and behold the “goussaka”. As for the béchamel, it is best kept light by whipping tangy yogurt with olive oil. If he knew, Tselementes would be whipped into a frenzy. ■

一道成熟的菜肴也更有可能经久不衰。Tselementes 的 moussaka 仍然在世界各地的小酒馆供应。如今，没有单一的方法来准备它。科孚岛东部的一家餐馆在分层之间烘烤小龙虾。在英国，厨师们可能会吃烤鹅：瞧瞧，“goussaka”。至于贝沙梅尔，最好用橄榄油搅打浓郁的酸奶来保持清淡。如果他知道，Tselementes 会被鞭打成狂热。