日本燒烤的秘密 和歌山木炭是比較好的烹飪用炭

Wakayama Prefecture, a sparsely populated regionin Japan’s Kansai region, is renowned for its plumsand mandarin oranges. Less known is that itproduces what might be the world's finest cookingcharcoal.

和歌山區(qū)是一個(gè)位于日本關(guān)西地區(qū)人口稀少的地區(qū)，它因當(dāng)?shù)氐拿纷雍透涕俣劽Ｉ贋槿酥氖呛透枭揭采a(chǎn)一種用于烹飪的木炭，這種木炭可能是世界上最好的烹飪用炭。

No ordinary cooking agent, Kishu Binchotan has beenmarketed as everything from an air and waterpurifier to a mood enhancer. A white charcoal made from the indigenous ubame oak, itconsidered the world’s best fuel for grilling, especially Japanese dishes such as yakitori (grilledchicken skewers) and unagi (grilled eel), and chefs around the world swear that it imparts meatand seafood with a flavour unachievable using other charcoals.

作為一種非凡的蒸煮助劑，KishuBinchotan被貼上了很多標(biāo)簽，如空氣和水的凈化器和心境增強(qiáng)劑。KishuBinchotan是一種白色木炭，產(chǎn)自于當(dāng)?shù)氐囊环N名為ubame的橡樹，它被視為世界上最適合用于燒烤的木炭，尤其是一些日本菜品如yakitori(烤雞串)和unagi(烤鰻魚)。全世界的廚師們都發(fā)誓這一木炭給肉和海鮮添加了一種獨(dú)特的香味，這種味道是其他種類的木炭實(shí)現(xiàn)不了的。

In Wakayama City, I headed to the yakitori restaurant Mitsuboshi (4 Chome-70 Misonocho; 073-425-0666), and ordered five chicken skewers and a beer. When I asked the chef why theyuse Kishu Binchotan rather than a cheaper variety of charcoal, he listed the reasons in a well-practiced routine, emphasizing his points with the skewers as he turned them on the grill. Thewhite charcoal, he said, burns at a lower temperature, doesn't release smoke or odours intothe meat, and most incredibly, he claimed, it emits far infrared waves – which sounded far-fetched. But, I had to admit, the chicken started to taste better the more I let myself believe itall might be true.

在和歌山市，我去到y(tǒng)akitori餐館，在那里點(diǎn)了五份雞串和一份啤酒。我問廚師為什么要用Kishu Binchotan而不用其他更便宜一點(diǎn)的木炭，他熟練過地列舉出了理由，一邊將烤肉叉子在烤架上翻個(gè)面，一邊拿著這些叉子強(qiáng)調(diào)著他的理由。廚師說這種白色木炭在一個(gè)很低的溫度下燃燒，因此不會(huì)將煙或木炭的氣味釋放到肉上，更不可思議的是，它會(huì)發(fā)出一種遠(yuǎn)紅外波，這聽起來有點(diǎn)牽強(qiáng)附會(huì)。但我不得不承認(rèn)的是，當(dāng)我越讓自己相信這可能是真的時(shí)候，雞肉也開始變得更加美味。

I had to admit, the chicken started to taste better.

我不得不承認(rèn)，雞串的確變得越來越好吃。

The next morning I took a coastline train from Wakayama City to Minabe to meet andobserve one of the region’s finest Kishu Binchotan makers, Mitsuo Okazaki, at his workshop.This small coastal town of 14,000 – surrounded by mountains and bifurcated by a river thatbears its name – is the country’s main producer of Kishu Binchotan, thanks to forests full ofubame oak not found anywhere else in the world. It’s also the largest producer of ume,Japanese plums. I was lucky enough to arrive at first bloom and the mountainside orchardswere already white with flowers, their gentle fragrance carried on the breeze.

第二天早晨我搭乘海岸火車從和歌山市前往Minabe同這個(gè)地區(qū)最著名的Kishu Binchotan制作工匠岡崎光男見面。我們把見面的地點(diǎn)約在了他的工作室。Minabe是一個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)，人口只有14,000人，周圍山川環(huán)繞，一條同名的河流橫穿而過。由于該地森林中有著豐富的ubame橡樹，在這一點(diǎn)上世界上其他地方都無(wú)法匹及，這使得該小鎮(zhèn)成為了日本主要的KishuBinchotan的生產(chǎn)地。Minabe同樣也是日本梅子最大的生產(chǎn)地。我很幸運(yùn)能夠在第一期開花季的時(shí)候來到這里，山旁的果園里都開滿了白色的花朵，微風(fēng)中夾雜著花朵淡雅的芳香。

At Okazaki’s workshop, he and his assistant were busy making Kishu Binchotan, reaching intothe kiln with long metal rakes suspended from hooks. Ash floated in the air, creating a hazethat diffused the glow of the kiln, before settling on every surface it could find.

在岡崎光男的工作室，他和他的助理正忙著制作Kishu Binchotan。他們拿著掛在鉤子上的長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的金屬耙子，將它們夠到燒窯里頭?；覡a在空氣中飄著，制造出了一種朦朧感，黯淡了燒窯發(fā)出的火光，直到附著到任何它能夠找到的物體表面上。

I introduced myself as Okazaki wiped his face with a towel and grabbed a bottle of water from ahuge supply behind the piles of oak. In winter, he said, the warmth of the kiln makes workrather pleasant, but during the humid Wakayama summers, the intensity of the heat becomesalmost unbearable. As he waited for the batch of charcoal to finish its first burn, he explainedthe basics of the Kishu Binchotan process.

我向?qū)楣饽羞M(jìn)行了自我介紹，當(dāng)時(shí)他正在用一塊毛巾擦著臉，從橡木堆后的一個(gè)巨大的儲(chǔ)水池里舀了一大杯水。他說在冬天，燒窯的熱度使得工作變得非常愉悅，但是在和歌山潮濕的夏季，超高的熱度就變得異常難熬。當(dāng)岡崎先生正在等著那一批木炭完成第一輪燒制的時(shí)候，他向我介紹了有關(guān) KishuBinchotan 制作過程的一些基礎(chǔ)知識(shí)。

First, ubame oak is baked at low temperatures in the handmade clay kiln. The temperature isthen rapidly increased before the embers are starved of oxygen by shutting the opening to thefirebox, thereby protecting the carbon in the wood. It’s that last step that differs most fromtypical charcoal making.

首先，ubame橡樹要在手工制作的陶制燒窯里用低溫進(jìn)行烤制。之后要關(guān)閉燃燒室的門以保護(hù)木頭里的炭，在余燼還沒燃盡氧氣之前溫度會(huì)迅速升高。正是這最后一步使得Kishu Binchotan的制作過程不同于一般木炭的制作。

Okazaki explained that he knows the wood has reached the right temperature when it turns alemon yellow. The men then use the rakes to drag the glowing links of wood from the ovenand shift them toward the piles of ash. Okazaki demonstrated, sending sparks into the air.Once buried, plumes of dust puffed from the embers below, making the grey smoldering pileseem alive. The ash gradually cools the Kishu Binchotan and gives the wood its distinctivewhite appearance.

岡崎先生解釋說當(dāng)木頭的顏色變成了檸檬黃之后他就知道木頭的已經(jīng)達(dá)到了合適的溫度。這時(shí)候就要使用耙子把發(fā)著火光的木頭從爐子里撈出來，將它們進(jìn)行轉(zhuǎn)向，讓它們面向灰燼堆。岡崎先生展示了這一過程，過程中不斷地有火星冒出。那些本被埋上的灰塵從下面的余燼那里噴散開來，使得灰色的陰然堆仿佛有了生命?；覡a漸漸冷卻了KishuBinchotan，賦予了木頭獨(dú)特的白色外貌。

I was transfixed by the process. The combination of warmth and light lulled me into quietobservation. I felt the primal appeal of this work and understood why family Kishu Binchotanoperations have continued in this way for hundreds of years.

我被這個(gè)過程吸引住了。這里的溫暖和光亮讓我的觀察顯得格外平靜。我感受到了這份工作的魅力所在，并且理解了為什么KishuBinchotan 的這種家庭式的制作工坊會(huì)延續(xù)幾百年的時(shí)間。

I was transfixed by the process.

我被這一個(gè)過程深深地迷住了。

But Kishu Binchotan’s recent popularity as a household and health panacea – it’s thought toabsorb harmful chemicals better than other charcoals – has increased demand to unsustainablelevels, straining artisans like Okazaki who rely on the limited supply of native ubame oak.Kishu Binchotan is the active ingredient in many cosmetics, shampoos and toothpastes; theunburned charcoal is put in closets and refrigerators to improve the air quality and absorbodours; and, most dubiously, it’s thought to be a mood-enhancer, due to the minus ions thatare constantly released from the activated carbon and thought to increase serotonin levels inthe brain.

但是 KishuBinchotan最近作為一種家用的健康萬(wàn)能藥火了一把，它被認(rèn)為具有比其他種類木炭更強(qiáng)的吸收有害化學(xué)物質(zhì)的功能。這使得 KishuBinchotan的需求量達(dá)到了一種不可持續(xù)的水平，給像岡崎先生這樣的工匠帶來了困擾，因?yàn)樗麄兊纳a(chǎn)原料僅來自于當(dāng)?shù)赜邢薜膗bame橡樹資源。Kishu Binchotan也是很多化妝品、洗發(fā)水以及牙膏的主要原料;人們將未經(jīng)燃燒的木炭放入衣柜和冰箱，來達(dá)到提高空氣質(zhì)量和吸收異味的效果;此外，更加令人疑惑的是，Kishu Binchotan還被認(rèn)為具有改善心境的作用，因?yàn)闀?huì)有負(fù)離子不斷地從活性炭中釋放出來，這種負(fù)離子被認(rèn)為能夠提升大腦中的血清素水平。

When the men finished their next batch of charcoal, I asked Okazaki what he thought aboutthese claims. He shrugged and said Kishu Binchotan should really be used for its originalpurpose: cooking. As to which foods benefit most from Kishu Binchotan, Okazaki rattled off alist including wagyu beef, lamb and yakitori, but landed on saba shioyakai (salted mackerel) asthe dish he thinks best reveals the subtle aroma of wood. The smell of fish cooking on KishuBinchotan reminds him of winter meals as a child.

當(dāng)工作室里的工匠們完成了他們的下一批木炭后，我問岡崎先生他對(duì)這些說法怎么看。他聳了聳肩，說KishuBinchotan真應(yīng)該只用于它原本的目的：烹飪。至于哪一種食物最能夠從這種木炭中獲益，岡崎先生說出了一長(zhǎng)串食物的名字，包括神戶牛肉、羔羊肉以及日式燒雞。最后停在了sabashioyakai(椒鹽鯖魚)上，他認(rèn)為這樣菜最好地展現(xiàn)了木頭的微妙香味。用Kishu Binchotan燒制的魚肉的味道讓他回想起了小時(shí)候冬季的餐桌。

According to Okasaki, the next generation will keep producing Kishu Binchotan, but not in thesame way. It’s too labour intensive and there are industrial ovens that can now be used. But healso believes these ovens burn the life out of the wood, noting that each bundle of branches isdifferent from the next. It takes a human touch to recognize those differences, to cut only thebranches that are ready, adjust the burn time and transform ubame from simple hardwood tocharcoal without destroying that life force. The basics of making Kishu Binchotan can be learnedin a year or so, but perfecting the consistency of the charcoal is an instinct that takes decadesto develop.

根據(jù)岡崎先生的說法，下一代人會(huì)繼續(xù)生產(chǎn)Kishu Binchotan，但是會(huì)是用另外一種方式。現(xiàn)在的生產(chǎn)方式對(duì)勞動(dòng)力的需求過高，而且現(xiàn)在也有了可以使用的工業(yè)化的燒制爐子。但是岡崎先生還是認(rèn)為這些工業(yè)化的爐子會(huì)剝奪木頭的生命力，他說每一捆樹枝都彼此不一樣。這些區(qū)別需要通過人的碰觸才能感受出來，需要通過人的辨別才能判斷哪些樹枝是已經(jīng)可以切除的了，需要人去調(diào)整燒制的時(shí)間，在不破壞橡木生命力的前提下將ubame橡木從簡(jiǎn)單的硬木狀態(tài)變?yōu)槟咎?。制作Kishu Binchotan的基本功可以在一年左右的時(shí)間里學(xué)會(huì)，但是對(duì)木炭一致性的完善是一種需要經(jīng)過數(shù)十年培養(yǎng)的本能直覺。

The white charcoal makers of Wakayama are more than traditional artisans. They are stewardsof the ubame forests, carefully selecting branches to maintain the health of the trees andworking collectively to prevent ubame from being exploited beyond its limits. Okazaki and hisfellow makers care deeply about creating a sustainable, high-quality product, and aboutpassing those ways on to the next generation. And it’s that commitment to the entire life cyclethat leads to some fantastic tasting meat.

這些來自和歌山的白色木炭制作者們，他們的身份意義超越了傳統(tǒng)的工匠。他們是這片ubame森林的管理者，精心挑選樹枝以保證樹木的健康，齊心協(xié)力一起防止ubame橡樹遭到過渡的開采砍伐。岡崎先生和他的同事們專注于創(chuàng)造一種可持續(xù)性的高質(zhì)量產(chǎn)品，以及將這一生產(chǎn)方式傳遞給下一代。正是這樣一種對(duì)生命輪回的使命感帶來了具有驚世美味的烤肉。