Why Italy’s “King of Chocolate” Is So Delicious為什么意大利的“巧克力之王”如此美味

西爾維婭·馬爾凱蒂　侯堯/譯

Theres chocolate， and then theres gianduiotto chocolate. An ancestor of Nutella1， the melt-in-the-mouth treat is as rare as it is delicious. Like most renowned Italian artisan chocolate， gianduiotto originates from Piedmont， Italy， where its considered the “king of Italian chocolate.”

世上有兩種巧克力：一種是普通巧克力，另一種是吉安杜奧提榛子巧克力。作為“能多益”榛子巧克力醬的原型，這種入口即化的珍品味美稀有。與大多數聞名遐邇的意式手工巧克力一樣，吉安杜奧提起源于意大利的皮埃蒙特——在那里，它被譽為“意大利巧克力之王”。

Made of a rich paste consisting of fine cocoa mixed with the premium hazelnuts that grow in Piedmonts Langhe region， its hugely popular with locals. Some have it with an espresso for breakfast， and/or after a meal， along with snacks and aperitifs.

這種巧克力由上等可可粉調制的濃郁糊狀物制成，可可粉中混合了生長在皮埃蒙特朗格地區的優質榛子，深受當地人歡迎。有些人早餐時將其與濃縮咖啡一起享用，或餐后用來配小吃和開胃酒。

Usually wrapped in a thin silver， golden or colored aluminum foil， the ingot shape treat has been produced by local chocolatiers here for centuries. Its birthplace is the regions capital， Turin， which has been known as Italys “chocolate capital” ever since ma?tre choc- olatiers began making their sweet artisan delicacies for the House of Savoy， the royal dynasty established in the Savoy region of Italy， here in the 1500s.

幾個世紀以來，當地的巧克力制造商一直在生產這種錠狀巧克力，通常用薄薄的銀色、金色或彩色鋁箔包裝。吉安杜奧提的發源地是皮埃蒙特的首府都靈。16世紀時，巧克力大師們就開始為建立于意大利薩伏依地區的王朝——薩伏依家族——制作香甜的手工美食，自此，都靈一直被稱為意大利的“巧克力之都”。

The name gianduiotto is thought to come from carnival figure Gianduja， a jolly wine-loving peasant， popular in the 1800s， who embodied the epicurean nature of locals. Initially called givù2 （or stubs，） gianduiotto became famous when the general public apparently got their first real taste as the treats were handed out during Turins 1865 carnival celebrations by an actor dressed as Gianduja.

人們認為，吉安杜奧提這個名字出自狂歡節上的人物吉安杜佳。吉安杜佳是19世紀一個深受人們喜愛的農民——他幽默風趣，酷愛葡萄酒，體現了當地人及時行樂的天性。這種巧克力最初被稱為“吉福”（或鉛筆頭），1865年都靈狂歡節慶祝活動期間，一位扮成吉安杜佳的演員將其分發給人們品嘗——很顯然，這是普通民眾第一次真切享受到這種美味，吉安杜奧提因此聞名。

Gianduiotto was originally born out of necessity—to overcome a cocoa shortage in mainland Europe. When Napoleon Bonaparte conquered northern Italy and declared war against Britain in 1806， he banned all English-imported goods， including cocoa beans. As a consequence， pastry makers in Turin decided to switch to something a little closer to home—the hazelnuts that grew in abundance in the surrounding lush hills. After mixing them with sugar and the very little cocoa they still had on their shelves， they were able to create a rich paste that was eventually refined and honed into gianduiotto. A century or so later， Pietro Ferrero， a confectioner from Piedmont， created Nutella based on that old recipe.

吉安杜奧提問世最初是為解決歐洲大陸的可可豆短缺問題。1806年，拿破侖·波拿巴征服意大利北部并向英國宣戰時，他禁止了包括可可豆在內的所有英國進口商品。因此，都靈的糕點師決定改變配方，采用家鄉附近出產的食材——周圍郁郁蔥蔥的山丘上大量生長的榛子。通過將榛子、糖及僅有的極少量可可粉存貨混合調配，他們制作出了一種口味豐富的糊狀物，并最終提煉開發出吉安杜奧提。大約一個世紀后，皮埃蒙特的糖果制造商彼得羅·費列羅根據這個古老的配方制作出了“能多益”榛子巧克力醬。

Back in the 1800s， hazelnuts were very affordable， but things are very different now. Not only are they far more expensive， but the “tonda gentile”3 hazelnuts produced in Langhe have Protected Geographical Indication status， a European designation aimed at protecting regional foods. Rich in aromatic oil， they blend perfectly with， and exalt the flavor of the cocoa butter， creating a tender， voluptuous and creamy concoction.

19世紀時榛子非常便宜，但現在情況大不相同了。榛子不僅貴多了，而且朗格出產的“圓形貴族”榛子屬于“地理標志保護”（歐洲專門保護區域食品權益的稱號）產品。這些榛子富含芳香油，可與可可脂完美融合并提升其風味，從而創制出一種柔軟、豐潤且具有奶油口感的巧克力。

Gianduiotto is now a specific chocolate type alongside dark， white， and milk chocolate. The most savory artisan gianduiotti are those with the highest percentage， usually between 25 and 40%， of hazelnuts.

吉安杜奧提如今已成為一種經典的巧克力品類，與黑巧克力、白巧克力和牛奶巧克力比肩。最美味的手工吉安杜奧提榛子含量最多，通常在25%到40%之間。

Castagna uses a sophisticated mechanical procedure called “extrusion，” where semi-solid tidbits of gianduia paste are squeezed onto a tray into the form of gianduiotti. In the old days， making gianduiotti was something of a ritual. The process involved repeatedly battering the hazelnut paste to give it consistency and then kneading it as though it were pizza flour. Women， known as “gianduiere，” would sit in pairs around a table with the gianduia paste positioned in the middle. Theyd then scoop it up with two long spatulas， roll it over several times， and cut off tiny morsels with a butter knife， dropping them onto a tray to solidify.

卡斯塔尼亞使用了一種稱為“擠壓”的精細機械手法制作吉安杜奧提，即將半固態的糊狀物擠到一個托盤上定型。過去，制作吉安杜奧提在某種程度上是一種儀式。制作過程中，師傅們會反復敲打榛子醬，使其變得粘稠，然后以揉披薩粉的方法揉捏它。被稱為“吉安杜耶爾”的女師傅會成對圍坐在一張桌子周圍，將榛子醬放在中間。然后，她們用兩把長抹刀將其鏟起，翻動幾次，再用黃油刀切成小塊，最后放在托盤上凝固。

Up until the 1960s， Turin was dotted with hundreds of artisan boutiques. But as labor costs rose and mass production kicked in， they began to disappear. Now theres just one left—the A. Giordano boutique. Only a handful of gianduiere remain at the historic chocolate lab， which was founded in 1897.

直到20世紀60年代，都靈還遍布數百家手工精品店。但隨著勞動力成本的上升和大規模生產的出現，它們便開始消失了。現在只有A.焦爾達諾精品店仍在營業。這家巧克力工坊成立于1897年，歷史悠久，目前也只剩下屈指可數的幾位吉安杜耶爾了。

“We are the only ones who still hand make gianduiotti. Its very expensive to employ such skilled labor，” says owner Laura Faletti. To create gianduiotti， they press the gianduia mix into lasagne-like sheets. These sheets are then shredded and beaten into a paste on an old granite basin， just like those used in the past， says Faletti.

店主勞拉·法萊蒂說：“我們是唯一一家仍在手工制作吉安杜奧提的巧克力店。雇傭這樣手藝精湛的工人非常昂貴。”為了制作吉安杜奧提，他們將榛子醬壓成類似千層面的薄片。法萊蒂說，一如舊日制法，這些薄片會被切碎，然后在一個古老的花崗巖盆上被打成糊狀物。

Gianduiera Ambra Nobili， 32， has been making A. Giordanos gianduiotti ever since she graduated from a local pastry academy. The secret of the craft， says Nobili， lies in the firm and rapid movement of the wrists and hands to scoop up the paste before it solidifies， smooth it over with spatulas and give it final cut with a butter knife to achieve the prism-like shape. “If the cut isnt perfect， the gianduiotto will be too tall， or too short， and will not fit into the golden aluminum wrap， which is tailored to a specific size，” she explains. “I also hand wrap each single one of them.”

現年32歲的安布拉·諾比利是一名吉安杜耶爾，她從當地一家糕點學校畢業后就一直在A.焦爾達諾制作吉安杜奧提。諾比利說，這種工藝的竅門在于手腕和雙手穩定快速地移動，在糊狀物凝固之前將其鏟起，然后用抹刀將其抹平，最后用黃油刀切成棱柱狀。她解釋說：“如果切得不好，吉安杜奧提可能會太高或太矮，就無法放入金色鋁紙包裝中——包裝紙是根據特定尺寸定制的。每一個我都會親手包裝。”

Gianduiotto isnt available all year round. Artisan boutiques halt production when spring is near to avoid selling melted chocolates， which is actually another gourmet delicacy made with the gianduia hazelnut paste. For those who prefer their chocolate in a Nutella-style spread， gianduiotto has its own version， “crema spalmabile di Gianduja，” with a slightly granular texture that tastes wonderful on bread.

吉安杜奧提并不是一年四季都供應。手工精品店會在春天臨近時停止生產，以免售出融化的巧克力。其實融化的巧克力是用吉安杜佳榛子醬制作的另一種美食。對于喜歡“能多益”式巧克力的人來說，吉安杜奧提也有自己的變種，即“吉安杜佳奶油”，略帶顆粒感的質地，搭配面包味道極佳。

Castagna has reinvented gianduiotto by creating a highly refined， roundish take called Giuinott （meaning “young lad” in local dialect） with premium Venezuelan cacao and sugar cane instead of sugar and 40% hazelnuts. A six-time gold medal winner at the International Chocolate Awards， an independent competition recognizing excellence in fine chocolate making， Giuinott comes in a glossy copper-colored wrap. Castagna often holds wine tastings， pairing Giuinott with Piedmonts Vermouth wines and other sweet alcoholic drinks like passito， which he believes complements the chocolate tasting experience.

卡斯塔尼亞用優質的委內瑞拉可可豆、甘蔗（代替糖）和40%的榛子，在原有基礎上重新創制出一種極其精致、圓潤的巧克力，稱為朱諾特（當地方言義為“年輕小伙子”）。朱諾特有著銅色光澤的包裝，曾六次獲得國際巧克力獎金獎，這是一項獨立的賽事，旨在表彰優秀的高級巧克力制作。卡斯塔尼亞經常舉辦品酒會，將朱諾特與皮埃蒙特的苦艾酒和其他甜味酒精飲料（如帕西托酒）搭配在一起品嘗，他認為這可以豐富巧克力的品味。

Other chocolatiers have also experimented with new gianduiotto blends， and sizes. You can even get orange-flavored gianduiotti， as well as huge ones weighing between 250 grams and 1.2 kilograms. But the pocket-size treats are still the most popular. But as Italians say， “one chocolate calls for another，” and when it comes to gianduiotto chocolate， its hard to resist the temptation to eat the whole lot， no matter what size they are.

其他巧克力制造商也嘗試制作了新配方和新尺寸的吉安杜奧提。你甚至可以嘗到橘子味的吉安杜奧提，以及重量在250克到1.2千克之間的大塊吉安杜奧提。不過小塊巧克力仍然是最受歡迎的。但正如意大利人所說，“一塊巧克力會召喚另一塊巧克力”，只要是吉安杜奧提巧克力，無論大塊小塊，人們都難以抵抗它的誘惑，只想整塊吃掉。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）