都說“民以食為天”。據中國烹飪協會統計，在剛剛過去的2017年，全國餐飲收入超過3.9萬億元，同比增長10.7%。數據顯示，過去一年，最受消費者喜愛的菜品種類前十位分別是：小龍蝦、牛排、烤鴨、壽司、酸菜魚、潮汕牛肉火鍋、米線、拉面、麻辣香鍋和炸雞。

China's favorite dish in 2017 was crayfish, said a food consumption report by the China Cuisine Association (CCA).
據中國烹飪協會發布的《2017年度美食消費報告》稱，小龍蝦是去年最受國人喜愛的美食。

The report said sales revenue in China's catering industry surpassed 3.9 trillion yuan ($607 billion) last year.
報告稱，2017年中國餐飲業銷售收入超過3.9萬億元。

It said savory flavors were most popular among Chinese consumers in 2017, as they were favored by 23.3 percent. The spicy food ranked second, with 17.2 percent.
咸鮮口味是中國消費者2017年最喜愛的菜品味道，受歡迎程度達23.3%。麻辣口味的美食占據第二，受到17.2%的消費者青睞。

Crayfish, or "little lobster" in Chinese, was the most popular dish, based on a list of the top 10 most-ordered dishes on Chinese consumer app Meituan-Dianping.
根據消費者點評應用美團點評選出的最具人氣十大菜品排行榜，小龍蝦成為最受歡迎的菜品種類。

Other popular dishes that also made the list include steak, roast duck, sushi, pickled fish, Chaoshan beef hot pot, rice noodles, ramen, Spicy Incense Pot and fried chicken.
其他上榜人氣菜肴包括：牛排、烤鴨、壽司、酸菜魚、潮汕牛肉火鍋、米線、拉面、麻辣香鍋和炸雞。

Crazy for China's crayfish
中國的“小龍蝦熱”

Crayfish were first brought to East China's Jiangsu province by a Japanese merchant in the 1920s. According to the Global Times, they appeared in the Jianghan Plain, where Qianjiang is located, about 30 years ago.
上世紀20年代，小龍蝦經一位日本商人首次引入中國東部省份江蘇省。據《環球時報》介紹，大約在30年前，小龍蝦出現在江漢平原。潛江市就坐落于此。

They weren't always a welcome addition to the ecosystem, especially for local farmers.
對于生態系統，特別是當地農民來說，小龍蝦這種外來物種起初并不受歡迎。

"They pinched off rice seedlings in the paddy fields, and made tunnels in ridges that caused water loss," said Liu Zhuquan from Baowan village in Qianjiang.
潛江市鮑灣村村民劉柱全（音譯）說：“它們把水稻田里的稻秧掐斷，在田壟里挖通道讓水分都流失了。”

In the beginning, crayfish were little more than a nuisance for the rice farmers of eastern and central China, but now the invasive species has become big business for one city.
起初，小龍蝦讓中東部地區的稻農很傷腦筋，但是現在這種外來物種已經成為這座城市的一大產業。

China is the world's largest producer of crayfish, with annual output accounting for over 70 percent of the world's total.
中國是全球小龍蝦產量最高的國家，年產量約占世界總產量的70%。

Around 80 percent of crayfish produced in Qianjiang were exported to Europe and the United States as pre-cooked food products.
潛江市生產的小龍蝦約有80%被制成熟食產品出口到歐美。

Oddly enough, one of the largest US consumer's of China's crayfish is the state of Louisiana where crayfish originally came from.
奇怪的是，中國小龍蝦在美國的最大客戶之一——路易斯安那州正是小龍蝦的原產地。

Crayfish same, same but different?
相同的小龍蝦，不同的吃法

The Acadians arrived in Louisiana after the Great Expulsion in 1755. Hailing from the Canadian Maritime provinces, seafood had already been a staple of their diet. Upon arriving in Louisiana, the Acadians settled along the bayous of New Orleans and neighboring communities, where crayfish were abundant in the slow-moving water.
1755年“阿卡迪亞大驅逐”后，阿卡迪亞人來到路易斯安那州。他們來自加拿大沿海省份，海鮮是他們餐桌上的常客。阿卡迪亞人到達路易斯安那后，在新奧爾良市的小海港及附近社區定居，這里緩緩流淌的水面下盛產小龍蝦。

According to the NewOrleans.me historical website, since the Acadians were familiar with lobster and had previous fishing experience, their contact with local Native Americans, led to the introduction of crayfish into the Acadian diet. And when the Acadians became the Cajuns, the tradition of eating crayfish continued, leading to the popular methods of consuming the crustaceans today.
據歷史網站NewOrleans.me稱，由于阿卡迪亞人對龍蝦十分熟悉，且此前有打漁經驗，融入當地后，小龍蝦就成了他們的食物。阿卡迪亞人成為卡津人后，食用小龍蝦的傳統被保存下來，才有了如今流行的小龍蝦吃法。

From late February to early June, one of New Orleans' most beloved native foods, crayfish, is in season, and abundant. With this comes the annual tradition of crayfish boils. This is when friends and family join together outdoors around newspaper-covered tables, peeling and eating crayfish.
小龍蝦是新奧爾良最受歡迎的當地美食，每年2月下旬至6月初正是小龍蝦上市的時節，產量豐富。這也是一年一度舉辦“小龍蝦節”的時候。親朋好友在戶外相聚，圍坐在鋪著報紙的桌前，剝小龍蝦吃。

美國人煮小龍蝦時，會選用一口直筒的大湯鍋，里面放上水和一大包卡疆粉，主要包括塔巴斯科辣椒、檸檬、胡椒、芹菜粉、月桂葉、姜粉、芫荽籽、芥末籽、洋蔥以及鹽。然后倒入滿滿一鍋小龍蝦，一邊熬煮一邊緩緩攪動，讓調料和小龍蝦充分的混合，期間放入一些蒜瓣提香，除了這些還可以加其它食物一起熬煮，比如玉米、紅土豆、蘑菇等。

小龍蝦煮熟后，很有儀式感的在長條桌上鋪滿報紙，把控干水的小龍蝦們“Duang”的一下傾倒出來，頓時辛辣香氣撲面而來。人們圍坐在桌旁大快朵頤，吃小龍蝦時還可以配上當地的玉米發糕。Cajunfood口味的小龍蝦和我們熟悉的“麻小”有些許相似，辣味也十分勁爆。

Even though the crayfish boil wasn't always as popular as it is today, eating crayfish in Louisiana dates all the way back to pre-colonial times, according to NewOrleans.me website.
據NewOrleans.me網站稱，雖然水煮小龍蝦從前并不像現在這么受歡迎，但在路易斯安那州，吃小龍蝦的傳統可以追溯到前殖民時代。

While crayfish dishes in China and New Orleans each manifest distinct local flavors, both are steeped in savory spices that are pleasing to palates around the world.
雖說中國和新奧爾良的小龍蝦美食各具獨特的地方風味，但都加入了喚醒全世界味蕾的香辣調料。

英文來源：CGTN
編譯：董靜
審校：yaning