【精英翻譯】的部落格

Food Names:

Where Do They Come From? 美食背後的命名故事

—Andrew Crosthwaite

精英翻譯社轉自http://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0058/263543/web/

Some foods and drinks are so common today that we may not think much about them. However, interesting stories exist behind the origins and names of certain foods and drinks. Here are some stories to work up your appetite.

現今有些食物和飲料十分常見，以致於我們對它們可能不會多想。然而，某些食物和飲料的起源和名字背後存在著有趣的故事。這裡有一些能讓你增進食慾的故事。

The sandwich has been around for centuries, but it got its name in the mid-1700s in England. It was named after John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich. The earl liked to play cards, and he hated to be interrupted by meals. Therefore, while he played, he dined on meat stuck between slices of bread. This eating method got rid of the need to use forks and knives. Soon, this food gained popularity and came to be called the "sandwich."

三明治已經存在好幾個世紀了，但它是在十八世紀中葉英格蘭得名的。它是以三明治伯爵約翰．蒙塔古的名字來命名的。這位伯爵喜歡玩紙牌，他討厭因用餐而被打斷。因此他在玩牌時就吃麵包片夾肉。這種吃法不需要使用刀叉。很快地，這種食物愈來愈流行，漸漸地就被稱作「三明治」。

Decades later, another earl gave his title and name to a popular drink─Earl Grey tea. According to one story, Earl Charles Grey, Britain's prime minister from 1830 to 1834, was given a package of orange-scented tea leaves. Grey later gave the tea recipe to a London tea company, which marketed the tea to the public with great success.

幾十年後，另一位伯爵把他的頭銜和名字給了一種熱門的飲料——伯爵茶。根據一個故事，有人送了一包有柳橙香味的茶葉給查爾斯．葛雷伯爵，他在一八三○到一八三四年間擔任英國首相。葛雷伯爵之後將這種茶的做法交給了倫敦的一間茶公司，那間公司向大眾行銷這種茶而大獲成功。