爲什麼印度食物如此美味

With their intoxicating spices and complex flavours, Indian curries are enjoyed the world over.

印度咖喱因其美味的香料以及多樣的風味風靡全球。

Now, in a study of more than 2,000 recipes, scientists have discovered the secret behind curry's popularity on a molecular level.

現在,通過對2000多種食譜的研究,科學家從分子水平上發現了咖喱風靡全球背後的祕密。

They claim that unlike Western dishes that tend to pair similar flavours together - such as beer and bee f - Indian dishes use at least seven ingredients that do not contain overlapping flavours.

他們解釋道，並不像喜歡把味道相近的東西在一起的西方的吃法(例如牛肉加啤酒),印度菜中一股要用至少七種不同風味的食材。

Researchers at the Indian Institute for Technology in Delhi looked at how often overlapping flavour comp ounds were used in a dish's ingredients.

位於德里(印度城市)的印度研究所的研究人員着重研究了菜餚中具有相同風味的化合物出現的頻率。

They reviewed of recipes on , studying the subtle molecular-level differences that distinguish the cuisine, according to a report in the Washington Post.

根據華盛頓郵報中的一篇報道,研究人員們研究了TarlaDalal網站上的食譜,他們從分子的水平上細微的差別來區別不同的菜餚。

'We found that average flavour sharing in Indian cuisine was significantly lesser than expected,' researchers wrote.

研究人員寫道"我們發現,印度菜餚中出現相同風味的化合物的概率比預料中要低得多。"

The study found that ingredients such as garam masala and bell peppers are usually teamed up with other ingredients that have no chemical similarity.

這項研究發現,像是辛香料和青椒這些材料一般都和那些與它們化學成分不同的材料搭配。

This is in contrast to Western dishes that share like flavours. Chefs, for instance claim that seemingly incongruous ingredients, such as chocolate and blue cheese, can taste good together because they share similar compounds.

這與西方的習慣是不一樣的.例如,廚師們會說,看起來搭配不協調的東西吃起來會很好,像是巧克力加藍奶酪,他們搭配起來味道很好是因爲它們的化學成分相似。

An example is acetal, which can be found in whiskey, apple juice, orange juice and raw beets. Strawberries, meanwhile, have flavour compounds that match white wine.

乙縮醛就是一個例子,威士忌,蘋果汁,橘汁和原料甜菜都含有這種物質.並且,草莓跟白酒也很搭。

In Indian dishes, the more overlap two ingredients have in flavour, the less likely they are to appear in the same Indian dish, the scientists said.

科學家說,在印度,兩種食材的風味越是接近,它們就越不可能出現在同一道菜中。

Researchers believe this makes the dish more tasty as the ingredients each bring their own unique flavour to the dish, rather than simply blending in.

研究者相信這會使食物更加可口,因爲菜中每一種材料都散發着自己獨特的風味,而不是簡單的混合在一塊。

Out of the 381 cooking ingredients in the world, the research team from that Indian food uses 200 in their cuisine.

在世界上的381種烹飪原料中,研究團隊發現印度菜餚中出現了其中的兩百種。

'Each of the spices is uniquely placed in its recipe to shape the flavour sharing pattern with rest of the ingredients,' the researchers said.

"每一種香料都被唯一的使用在了適合它的菜餚中,這樣能使它的味道與其他食材相得益彰."研究人員說到。

Previous research has found curry could actually be good for you, easing arthritis and even protecting people from Alzheimer's.

之前的研究發現,咖喱能有助於人們的健康.它可以緩解關節炎甚至還能預防老年癡呆。

Most curries contain turmeric, cumin, allspice, cardamon, ginger, garlic and capsicum - spices with stro ng anti-bacterial properties.

大多數咖喱含有姜,孜然多香果粉（一種香料），豆蔻，生薑,大蒜和辣椒,具有較強的抗菌性能。

This is largely why they're found in dishes from hot countries, where meat needs to be preserved.

所以在熱帶國家菜餚中，我們會經常看到他們添加這類東西,因爲那裏的肉類需要保存。

Separate studies have found that garlic, cinnamon and cumin can destroy up to 80 per cent of meat-borne bacteria, while ginger can slow bacterial growth by 25 per cent.

一項獨立研究發現,大蒜,肉桂,小茴香能夠殺死80%的以肉爲宿主的細菌,而姜可以使細菌的生長速度減慢25%。

COULD CURRY BE USED TO BANISH BAD MEMORIES?

咖喱可以用來消除不好的記憶嗎？

A spice commonly used in curry could help erase bad memories, according to a study.

根據一項研究表明咖喱中常用的香料可以幫助消除不好的記憶。

Curcumin, a bright-yellow compound found in the root of the Indian spice turmeric, prevented new fear memories being stored in the brain, and also removed pre-existing fear memories, researchers found.

薑黃素，一個明亮的黃色化合物，在印度香料薑黃根粉末之中被發現，研究人員發現它可以阻止了新產生的恐懼記憶儲存於大腦之中，並且可以刪除原有的恐懼記憶。

It is hoped that the findings will help develop treatments for people suffering with psychological disorders.

希望該發現將有助於幫助心理障礙患者的治療。

Psychologists from The City University of New York trained rats to become scared when they heard a particular sound. Scientists assumed the creatures were frightened when they froze.

紐約城市大學的心理學家訓練老鼠當他們聽到一個特別的聲音的時候變得恐懼（條件反射）。科學家認爲當動物恐懼時就會呆住。

Hours later, when the same sound was played to the rats, those who had been given ordinary food froze.

幾個小時後，當相同的聲音響起時老鼠（普通飼料飼養的老鼠）全部呆住了。

Yet the rats fed the curcumin-rich diet didn't freeze, suggesting their fearful memories had been erased.

然而，使用豐富薑黃素飲食的老鼠並沒有呆住，這表明他們的恐懼記憶已經被抹去了。