你爱吃薯条或蔬菜沙拉等常配有蘸料的食物吗？在英国，蘸料已经形成了一个价值数百万英镑的产业，并且成为了不少人餐桌或聚会上的宠儿。配有蘸料的小吃虽然口味独特、易于分享，但也有着不利于健康的一面。本文介绍为什么蘸料备受人们的喜爱，以及它对健康的潜在影响。

词汇：food 食物

Think about the crunch of celery, mixed with a smooth, creamy tzatziki or the tang of a spicy salsa piled on top of a crispy corn tortilla chip. Is anything more satisfying to eat than a dip?

Dips have become big business. In 2022, over £263 million pounds were spent on dips, just in the UK. Why is it that we like them so much? Food writer Ben Paynter cites studies showing that modern restaurants use cooking techniques that can leave food seeming dry, but that sauces and dips can replace the lost moisture. Some studies have even suggested, that the liquid nature of dips and sauces brings flavours into contact with more of our taste buds, intensifying them.

Our love for dips could be driven by positive associations. Dips are designed to be shared and eaten without cutlery, they can feel more communal and informal. Diners may associate them with happy social occasions. British food writer Clare Finney points out that when dips first became popular in the UK, people may have related them to popular holiday destinations.

Communal shared eating may be good for our mental health, but what do dips do to our physical health? Dieticians have raised different arguments. One considers that dips encourage people to include more vegetables in their diet. The opposing argument is that dips can be high in saturated fat, calories, and salt. Many dips have small recommended portion sizes, but that doesn't mean that people follow this guidance. One US study found that 48% of those surveyed admitted to finishing an entire container in one sitting. Djin Gie Liem, a sensory science professor, points out that people are less likely to become accustomed to the taste of healthy food if they only eat it covered in sauce.

Dips can bring good social times to mind and give us intense flavours. Maybe we just need to pay a little bit more attention to the suggested portion sizes.

词汇表

crunch 嘎吱嘎吱的声音
creamy 像奶油般细腻的
tang 强烈的味道
spicy 辛辣的
crispy 松脆的
satisfying 令人满足的
moisture 水分
liquid nature 液态的性质
flavour （食物的）味道
taste buds 味蕾
positive association 正相关，指两件事有相互促进的作用
to be shared 被分享
cutlery 餐具
communal 共享的
informal 非正式的
dietician 营养学家
saturated fat 饱和脂肪，一种容易生成胆固醇的脂肪
calorie 卡路里，食物的热量单位
recommended portion size 推荐的份量大小
sensory science 感官科学

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How much money did people in the UK spend on dips in 2022?

2. What can be an effect of modern restaurant cooking techniques?

3. How can dips and sauces intensify flavours?

4. What argument has been made in favour of dips by dieticians?

5. Why don't recommended portion sizes always help people stay healthy?

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. I love the _______ you get from raw carrots.

creamy crunch crispy cutlery

2. Lemon and chilli are good ways to add a _______ to a recipe.

spicy taste buds creamy tang

3. Mexican food is often very _______.

liquid nature spicy tang flavour

4. If you only eat snacks with your hands, you don't have to wash any _______ afterwards.

calories taste buds informal cutlery

5. Sauces can replace the _______ lost during cooking.

creamy moisture spicy cutlery

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How much money did people in the UK spend on dips in 2022?

People in the UK spent over £263 million pounds on dips in 2022.

2. What can be an effect of modern restaurant cooking techniques?

Modern restaurant cooking techniques can leave food seeming dry.

3. How can dips and sauces intensify flavours?

Because dips and sauces are liquids, they can bring more flavours into contact with people's taste buds.

4. What argument has been made in favour of dips by dieticians?

Some dieticians have said that dips can help people bring more vegetables into their diet.

5. Why don't recommended portion sizes always help people stay healthy?

Recommended portion sizes don't always help people stay healthy because many people do not follow the guidance.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. I love the crunch you get from raw carrots.

2. Lemon and chilli are good ways to add a tang to a recipe.

3. Mexican food is often very spicy.

4. If you only eat snacks with your hands, you don't have to wash any cutlery afterwards.

5. Sauces can replace the moisture lost during cooking.