Salt / 盐

Salt has played a major role in British cooking since the Stone Age. Salt adds flavour to food and has been used since ancient times to stop food from going bad.

盐自石器时代以来就在英国烹饪中起着重要作用。盐能为食物增味，自古以来就被用来防止食物变坏。

Originally, the people of Britain obtained salt by boiling sea water in clay pots over a fire. In later times, certain towns in the counties of Cheshire and Worcestershire became famous for inland salt production by boiling brine. These towns often had names ending in -wich, such as Northwich, Middlewich and Nantwich. ‘Wich’ is Old English term for a place that produced or traded salt. Later still, salt was extracted from underground. The Winsford Rock Salt Mine, for example, has been operating continuously since 1640 and the tunnels created by the rock salt mining operations covers the area of hundreds of football pitches.

最初，英国人通过在火上用黏土锅煮海水来获取盐。后来，柴郡和伍斯特郡的一些城镇因为通过煮海水进行内陆盐生产而闻名。这些城镇的名字通常以 ”-wich”结尾，比如诺斯维奇、中威奇和南特维奇。”WichW是古英语中指生产或交易盐的地方的词。再后来，人们从地下提取盐。例如，温斯福德岩盐矿自1640年以来一直在连续运营，而岩盐开采产生的隧道面积相当于数百个足球场。

During the Roman invasion of Britain, the roman soldiers were given an allowance in order to buy salt. This allowance was called a ‘salarium’ and this word eventually transformed into the modern English word of ‘salary’.

在罗马入侵不列颠期间，罗马兵员会领取一笔津贴来购买盐。这笔津贴叫做 ”salarium”，后来这个词逐渐演变成现代英语里的 ”salary”。

In the past, salt was expensive. In medieval dining halls, the salt cellar would be placed in the centre of their long dining tables. The host and important guests would sit ‘above the salt’ whereas diners of lower social status would sit ‘ below the salt’.

过去，盐很贵。在中世纪的餐厅里，盐罐通常放在长餐桌的中央。主人和重要客人会坐在《上盐》位置，而低社会地位的食客则坐在《下盐》位置。

There are 4 types of salt used in British cooking.

英国烹饪中使用的盐有四种：

The first is ‘table salt’. This is a fine-grained salt which often contains anti-caking agents, and sometimes added iodine. This type of salt is added to water to either add flavour to boiled food items or to add moisture to meat before cooking i.e. brining. It is also the salt you will find in salt cellars on dining tables.

第一种是“食盐”。这是一种细颗粒的盐，通常含有抗结块，有时还会加入碘。这种盐可以加到水里，用来给煮熟的食物调味，或者在烹饪前给肉加水分，也就是腌制。它也是你在餐桌上的盐罐里会看到的那种盐。

The second type of salt used by the British is ‘sea salt’. This can be fine or course grained and can be used in a variety of ways. It is prized for its mineral-rich flavour. Sometimes additional smoked or herb flavours are added to the salt.

英国人使用的第二种盐是《海盐》。这种盐可以是细的也可以是粗的，用途多样。它因富含矿物质而备受推崇。有时还会加入烟熏或者草本植物的味道。

The third type is ‘flake salt’. The most famous example of this type of salt is Maldon Salt which from the county of Essex. ‘Flake salt’ has a flat, hollow, three-dimensional form. It is used as a finishing touch to give a salty ‘hit’ to dishes such as roast meats, fish and baked goods.

第三种类型是《片盐》。这种盐最著名的例子是来自埃塞克斯郡的马尔登盐。《片盐》呈扁平、空心的立体维形状。它通常用作点缀，为烤肉、鱼类和烘焙食品等菜肴增添咸味亮点。

The forth type of salt is ‘rock salt’. This type of salt can be used in two different ways. It can be used as a bed on which to cook food. This method distributes the heat evenly into the food and also the salt will absorb any excess fat or water released by the food. Alternatively, rock salt can be mixed with egg whites and then moulded around the food before cooking. This mixture forms a hard crust during cooking and thus locks moisture into the food.

第四种盐是“岩盐”。这种盐可以有两种不同的用法。它可以用作烹饪食物的底床。这样可以让热量均匀传入食物，同时盐还能吸收食物释放的多余脂肪或水分。另一种方法是把岩盐和蛋清混合，然后在烹饪前把混合物包裹在食物周围。烹饪过程中，这种混合物会形成硬壳，从而锁住食物中的水分。