Some people love the taste of spicy food and some don't.
有的人喜欢辣味食物,有的人不喜欢。
I love it but Squeaks doesn't.
我喜欢吃辣,但吱吱不喜欢。
If you've ever taken a bite of spicy food, whether accidentally or on purpose,
如果你曾吃过一点儿辛辣食物,不管是偶然还是刻意,
you know that it can make your mouth and tongue feel like they're on fire.
就会知道它会让你的嘴和舌头感觉像着火了一样。
But that burning feeling on your tongue doesn't have anything to do with how hot or cold the food really is.
但这种灼烧的感觉与食物本身的冷热无关。
Even if you take a spicy pepper right out of the refrigerator and it feels cold to your fingers,
即使辣椒是你刚从冰箱里拿出来的,手指还能感觉到凉意,
when you bite into it, it'll taste spicy and hot.
但吃起来仍是麻辣味。
It all has to do with that special muscle in our mouth that helps us enjoy food.
这一切与我们嘴里的特殊肌肉有关,它能帮助我们享受食物。
Right, Squeeks. Our tongue.
吱吱,你说对了,它是我们的舌头。
Now you might already know that the reason we can taste different flavors,
你可能已经知道了我们可以品尝不同口味的原因,
like whether a food is sweet or sour
不管食物是甜的,还是酸的,
is because of special parts on our tongue called taste buds.
在于我们舌头上叫做味蕾的特殊部分。
Taste buds are so small that you can't even see them.
味蕾非常小,你看不到。
But they're made of parts that are even tinier.
但它们由更微小的部件构成。
And the most important tiny parts of our taste buds are called receptors.
味蕾中最重要的小部件叫做感受器。
Receptors help our bodies sense things that happen in the world around us.
感受器能帮助身体感知周围世界发生的事。
In our taste buds, their job is to help a sense of flavors in our food.
在我们的味蕾里,它们的工作是帮助感知食物的味道。
Whenever you put something in your mouth,
你无论何时吃东西,
your taste receptors send a signal to your brain that helps you figure out what it tastes like,
味觉感受器都会向大脑发送信号,帮你确定它的味道,
so if you take a bite of cookie let's say,
比如你吃一点儿饼干,
the taste receptors on your tongue tell your brain "hey, that's sweet."
舌头上的味觉感受器就会告诉你的大脑“嘿,这是甜的。”
Your taste receptors can sense five different flavors: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and a savory meaty taste called umami.
味觉感受器可以感知5种不同的味道:甜味、咸味、酸味、苦味和“鲜味”(umami),即一种美味可口的肉味。
That's true, Squeaks.
吱吱,这是真的。
Spicy isn't on the list of flavors we can sense with our taste receptors,
辣味不在味觉感受器感知的味道清单内,
but I can still tell when I'm eating something that's spicy.
但我在吃辛辣食物时仍能辨别出它。
My tongue is definitely sensing it in the food I'm eating.
我的舌头绝对能在食物中感知到辣味。
That's because there are other kinds of receptors on our tongues, not just the ones that taste flavor.
这是因为我们的舌头上还有其他种类的感受器,不只味觉感受器一种。
Some receptors sense things like heat and pain.
一些感受器能够感知热度和疼痛。
They help keep us safe, because they stop us from eating foods right out of the oven,
这能保护我们的安全,因为它阻止我们吃刚从烤箱里拿出来的食物,
that are too hot and might hurt the insides of our mouths.
那些食物太热了,可能伤害口腔。
But spicy foods can trick these receptors.
但辛辣食物能欺骗这些感受器。
There's something in foods like peppers and mustard that turns on the receptors that normally tell you when your food is too hot.
辣椒和芥末中的某些物质能够开启感受器,但正常情况下它们是在食物太热时才开启的。
When these receptors touch something spicy, they think it's hot, even though it isn't,
当这些感受器接触辛辣食物时,它们认为它是热的,即使它不是,
and they send a signal to your brain that says we're eating something hot.
然后它们会向大脑发送信号说我们正在吃热食。
So you feel like your tongue is burning,
所以你会感觉舌头正在灼烧,
even if the food you're eating is spicy salsa that just came out of the refrigerator.
即使你吃的只是刚从冰箱里拿出来的洋葱做的辣调味汁。
Spicy foods don't burn your tongue at all,
辛辣食物根本不会灼烧你的舌头,
they're just tricking their receptors into telling your brain that it's hot inside your mouth.
它们只是欺骗感受器,让它告诉大脑你的嘴里很热。
Whether you're the type of person who likes spicy food can depend on lots of different things,
你是不是喜辣的人取决于不同的因素,
like how often you eat them or how old you are.
比如你吃辣的次数和年龄。
If you eat spicy food a lot, you might like it more.
如果你经常吃辣,你可能会更喜欢它。
Because your tongue can get used to the burning feeling.
因为你的舌头可能适应了灼烧的感觉。
And if you're younger, you might not like spicy foods as much as an older adult.
如果你年轻,你可能不如年长者那么喜欢辛辣食物。
Because your tongue is more sensitive, which makes things taste stronger.
因为你的舌头更敏感,使得尝到的味道更强烈。
But whether you like your food spicy hot or not,
但不管你喜不喜欢吃辣,
you can thank the receptors on your tongue for helping you sense the spice in your food.
你都要感谢舌头的感受器帮你感知食物中的辣味。
Thanks for joining us, if you want to keep learning and having fun with Squeaks and me,
欢迎收看本期节目,如果你想继续学习,与我和吱吱共度美好时光,
hit the subscribe button and we'll see you next time, here at the Fort.
就点击订阅键吧。我们下期见,沃斯堡等你哦!