研究顯示：中國人從五千年前就開始喝啤酒

US and Chinese researchers say they found traces of barley, millet, grain, and tubers used in fermentation.

美國和中國的研究人員表示，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一些線索，可以證明大麥、小米、谷物和塊莖曾被發(fā)酵。

It was found on pottery discovered in Shaanxi province in northern China during an archaeological dig 10 years ago.

十年前，陜西的一場考古發(fā)掘曾發(fā)現(xiàn)了一些陶器。而此次的這些發(fā)現(xiàn)正是從這些陶器中得出的。

It would be the earliest known instance of beer-making in China and suggest a sophisticated approach.

這將是中國已知最早的啤酒釀造實(shí)例，并且釀造的工藝還十分先進(jìn)。

Published in the US Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study also suggested that barley may have been used for booze before being used for food.

這份研究結(jié)果出版在《美國科學(xué)院院報(bào)》，它表明大麥也許先是被作為釀酒作物，隨后才被當(dāng)做食物的。

The pottery fragments were originally found in an archaeological dig in 2004-2006, but only had their residue analysed by Stanford University researchers in late 2015, confirming earlier speculation by Chinese scholars that they might have been used for brewing.

在2004年至2006年間的一場考古發(fā)掘中，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)了這批陶器碎片，但是直到2015年底斯坦福大學(xué)的研究人員才對陶器上的殘?jiān)?進(jìn)行的分析。他們的分析證實(shí)了中國學(xué)者們早先的猜測，認(rèn)為這些器具是用來釀酒的。

The find included pots and pottery funnels, covered with a residue of broomcorn millet, barley, a chewy grain known as Job’s tears, and tubers.

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)在陶罐和陶質(zhì)漏斗表面覆蓋有一層殘?jiān)?，殘?jiān)某煞职ㄊ颉⒋篼?、薏米和塊莖。

It also included stoves that could have been used to heat and mash grains, as well as underground spaces that would have kept the brew at a cool, consistent fermentation temperature - and helped stop it going off quickly once it was made.

研究人員還發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個火爐，可以被用來加熱、煮熟谷物。他們還發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個地下空間，可以用來存放啤酒，使其保持一個涼爽、恒定的發(fā)酵溫度;在啤酒釀造完成后，這個空間還能夠延長其保質(zhì)的時(shí)間。

"The discovery of barley is a surprise," lead author Jiajing Wang of Stanford University told the BBC in an email, as it was previously thought the grain arrived in China 1,000 years later.

斯坦福大學(xué)項(xiàng)目負(fù)責(zé)人、作家王家井(音)在一封郵件中告訴BBC，說：“大麥的發(fā)現(xiàn)很令人驚訝。”因?yàn)榇饲皩W(xué)界一直認(rèn)為大麥傳入中國的時(shí)間還要再晚1000年。

"This beer recipe indicates a mix of Chinese and Western traditions - barley from the West; millet, Job’s tears and tubers from China."

“這份啤酒配方是一個中西傳統(tǒng)相結(jié)合的結(jié)果--大麥來自于西方;而小米、薏米和塊莖則來自于中國。

The latest find would suggest that drinkers in China first began to develop a taste for beer around the same time as people in ancient Egypt and Iran - from where the barley may have come.

這份最新研究表明，中國的飲酒者們第一次品嘗到啤酒的年代和古埃及、伊朗的人是差不多的(大麥從伊朗傳入中國)。

The exact taste of the ancient brew will remain a mystery however, as while the scientists say they know what ingredients were used, they don’t know the quantities.

但是，五千年前啤酒的滋味也許將永遠(yuǎn)是一個謎，盡管科學(xué)家們表示他們知道使用了那些原料，但是他們并不知道每種原料的具體用量。