雙語資訊 | 海南因優質巧克力聞名

China's tropical island province of Hainan has joined the ranks of celebrated places of origin for chocolate. World-class master chocolatier Pierre Marcolini played a big role in this transformation by debuting Grand Cru Hainan chocolates at his online flagship shops in June.

作為中國的熱帶島嶼省份，海南已躋身著名巧克力原産地行列。世界級巧克力大師皮爾·馬克裏尼（Pierre Marcolini）在這一轉變中發揮了重大作用。他已于6月在其網上旗艦店首次推出了Grand Cru海南巧克力。

Two researchers check and monitor the flowers on cacao trees in a tropical botanical garden in Wanning, Hainan province, in July. LI TIANPING/FOR CHINA DAILY7月，在海南省萬寧市的一個熱帶植物園裏，兩名研究人員正在檢查和監測可可花。李天平（音譯）/中國日報

"This is a fantastic Grand Cru. I feel a slight bitterness, very pleasant, without astringency, with notes of citrus, grapefruit. It is extraordinary," said Marcolini. The Belgian chocolate composer spoke via video about his latest bean-to-bar products made with beans grown in Hainan, a place he said he learned about by chance. Grand Cru, meaning"great growth" in French, was originally a classifier for fine wines.

馬克裏尼表示，“這是一款神奇的Grand Cru巧克力。味道有點苦，但口感絲滑，沒有澀味，有柑橘和葡萄柚果香。這款巧克力與眾不同。”這位比利時巧克力大師通過視頻介紹了他最新推出的巧克力，這款巧克力由産自海南的可可豆直接加工而成。而對於海南，他是偶然間得知的。Grand Cru在法語中含有“特級”之意，最初用於高級葡萄酒的分類。

Always on the hunt for new resources in his frequent and far-reaching travels, Marcolini learned about the island in 2017 in the International Journal of Food Properties, a magazine published in the United States. It said Chinese scientists had developed a new variety of cacao in Hainan, a place already known for tropical fruits and economically important plants such as black pepper, vanilla, coffee, pandan, jackfruit, breadfruit, mango, litchi and wax apple. Cacao is the plant that produces seeds from which cocoa and chocolate are made. The seeds are often called cocoa beans.

馬克裏尼頻繁出行，到處尋找新資源。2017年，他在美國出版的《國際食品屬性雜誌》上了解到海南。雜誌中提到，中國科學家在海南開發了一個新的可可品種，而且海南以黑胡椒、香草、咖啡、班蘭葉、鳳梨蜜、麵包果、芒果、荔枝和蓮霧等熱帶水果和經濟作物而聞名。可可是一種産種子植物，而其種子是製作可可粉和巧克力的原料。我們通常將可可的種子稱為“可可豆”。

Late in 2020, 500 kilograms of cocoa beans were shipped to Brussels, the world's premier city for chocolate, from the Xinglong area of Wanning on the eastern coast of Hainan. The humid island environment, which includes vibrant biodiversity, imparted special qualities to the cocoa beans, including fine quality and special textures and flavors. This captivated Marcolini, who asked his representatives in China to look into the bean.

2020年末，他從海南東部沿海的萬寧市興隆地區將500公斤可可豆運往世界巧克力聖地——布魯塞爾。海南所具有的濕潤且充滿活力的生物多樣性島嶼環境賦予了可可豆特殊品質。島上盛産的可可豆品質優良、質地特別，且風味獨特。了解到這些情況後，馬克裏尼便要求他在中國的代表進行調查。

"This is the first time China has exported its locally produced cocoa beans," said Qin Xiaowei, deputy director of the Spice and Beverage Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, or CATAS, and lead author of the article that introduced Hainan to Marcolini.

馬克裏尼查閱的介紹海南的文章的主要作者，即中國熱帶農業科學院香料飲料研究所副所長秦曉威表示，“這是中國首次出口本地生産的可可豆。”

"The deal showed that our cocoa quality and production standards have been recognized by the international community," Qin said.

秦曉威還提到，“這筆交易表明，我們的可可品質和生産標準已經得到國際社會的認可。”

Local reports said that Marcolini has placed two additional orders of Xinglong beans.

據當地報道，馬克裏尼又下了兩份興隆可可豆的訂單。

After learning that Hainan is building the world's largest free trade port and has enacted favorable tax-free policies on imports of raw materials and production equipment to encourage investment, Marcolini said he looked forward to visiting Hainan cacao plantations in person, understanding the local culture, and may consider opening a duty-free shop selling chocolates made with Hainan's quality cocoa beans, according to local reports.

據當地報道，在了解到海南正在建設世界上最大的自由貿易港，而且為鼓勵投資，海南還對原材料和生産設備的進口頒布了優惠免稅政策，馬克裏尼表示，希望親自參觀海南可可種植園，了解當地文化，並可能考慮開設一家免稅店銷售使用海南優質可可豆製作的巧克力。

Mark Huestch, a descendent of an eminent family known for their chocolate business in the US, said he was also impressed by the superb quality of the local beans during a recent tour to inspect the planting and fermentation process in Hainan.

來自美國巧克力世家的馬克·韋斯特奇（Mark Huestch）表示，在其最近一次對海南的種植和發酵過程進行考察期間，當地可可豆的超高品質也給他留下了深刻印象。

"Hainan cocoa beans have a very unique flavor, with strong red fruit and nut flavors," Huestch said, adding that he would recommend his chocolate products made with Hainan beans to US consumers.

韋斯特奇提到，“海南可可豆風味獨特，具有濃郁的葡萄柚和堅果風味”。他還表示會向美國消費者推薦他用海南可可豆製作的巧克力産品。

"With a growing number of orders flowing in from food producers at home and abroad, Hainan's cocoa production simply cannot meet market demand," said Li Fupeng, director of the Cocoa Research Center of CATAS, located at the Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden, a base for the preservation of tropical and subtropical plants in China.

中國熱帶農業科學院香料飲料研究所可可研究中心主任李付鵬表示，“隨著國內外食品生産商的訂單越來越多，海南的可可産量根本無法滿足市場需求”。該中心位於中國熱帶和亞熱帶植物保護基地——興隆熱帶植物園。

While the known cultivation of cacao dates back thousands of years in Latin America, Hainan's cacao growing can be traced only to the 1950s, when returned overseas Chinese brought in seeds and grew them on farms and in the courtyards of their homes in Hainan.

儘管在拉丁美洲，已知的可可種植可以追溯到幾千年前，但海南的可可種植只能追溯到20世紀50年代。當時歸國華僑帶回可可種子，並在海南的農場和家中的院子裏種植。

The cacao cultivation area once reached some 667 hectares around 2004, following large-scale promotion efforts in the 1980s and 1990s. But the acreage dwindled to about 133 hectares mainly due to slack market demand and insufficient processing equipment and technologies, said Li.

李付鵬提到，在20世紀80年代和90年代的大規模推廣工作之後，可可種植面積在2004年左右曾經達到約667公頃。但由於市場需求疲軟，加工設備和技術不足，目前種植面積減少到約133公頃。

Over the past 60 years, researchers from the Spice and Beverage Research Institute have established a nursery for 500 varieties of cacao, making China an important base in the protection, evaluation and innovative utilization of cacao germplasm resources. A total of 21 new varieties have been developed through systematic breeding and artificial hybridization, boasting high yields, fat content and cold tolerance. The technology and standards for growing cacao in China have reached advanced levels, according to reports from CATAS.

在過去60年裏，香料飲料研究所的研究人員建立了一個擁有500個可可品種的苗圃，使中國成為可可種質資源保護、評估和創新利用的重要基地。研究人員通過系統育種和人工雜交技術，共開發了21個新品種。這些品種具有高産、高脂、耐寒等特點。根據中國熱帶農業科學院香料飲料研究所的報告，中國可可種植技術和標準已經達到先進水準。

"The annual yield of Reyin No 4, China's first cacao variety with independent intellectual property rights, has reached 1,600 kg per hectare, 3.5 times higher than the world average. It has a unique flavor, fine quality and is rich in polyphenols," Li said. Polyphenols are compounds that can have health benefits.

“熱引四號”是中國第一個具有自主智慧財産權的可可品種，其年産量已達每公頃1600公斤，是世界平均水準的3.5倍。李付鵬表示，“這些可可豆風味獨特，品質優良，富含多酚。”多酚是一種對健康有益的化合物。

He said, however, that with a limited planting area, Hainan is not in a good position to compete with big cacao growing countries in terms of its cocoa bean industry's output. Hainan should explore an industrial path that is"small in scale but beautiful and exquisite in quality".

但是，李付鵬提到，由於種植面積有限，海南在可可豆産業的産量方面不具備與可可豆種植大國競爭的條件。海南應探索出一條“規模小而美、品質精”的工業道路。

Hainan is promoting cultivation of shade tolerant cacao trees in forests of rubber, coconut and areca palm trees, a practice known as"an economy under the trees".

海南目前正在推廣在橡膠林、椰林和檳榔園中種植耐陰的可可樹，這種做法被稱為“樹下經濟”。

"While increasing the output per unit of land, we have found that planting cacao trees in coconut forests can play a role in protecting the growth of coconut tree roots, a practice that is not only conducive to building a complex agroforestry ecosystem and maintaining soil fertility but also helpful to farmers in generating more income in one place as well," Li said.

李付鵬表示，“在提高單位土地産量的同時，我們發現在椰林中種植可可樹可以起到保護椰樹根系生長的作用，這種做法不僅有利於建立複雜的農林生態系統，保持土壤肥力，而且也有助於農民在一個地方獲得更多收入。”

Cultivation of high-quality cacao varieties will create favorable conditions for Hainan to build a superb origin and international brand of high-quality cocoa beans, he added.

他補充説，優質可可品種的培育將為海南打造優質可可豆超級産地和國際品牌創造有利條件。

Pods on a cacao tree ripen in Wanning. LI FUPENG/FOR CHINA DAILY

萬寧市可可樹上成熟的可可果。李付鵬/中國日報

Hainan has established a primary cocoa processing production line and a quality and safety control traceability system. It also has developed key processing technologies such as low-temperature drying and baking, ultrafine grinding, scientific fixation of aroma and flavor enhancement, local government officials said.

海南已經建立了初級可可加工生産線和品質安全控制追溯體系。據當地政府官員表示，海南還開發了低溫乾燥和烘烤、超細研磨、科學固香和風味提升等關鍵加工技術。

With the special features and quality of Hainan cocoa beans gaining more recognition, more domestic and foreign enterprises are looking to do business with the island province, said Liao Zirong, director of the Hainan tropical agriculture international technology transfer center of CATAS. An increasing number of local farmers are turning to the center, asking for technical guidance in cultivating new varieties of cacao trees, Liao said.

中國熱帶農業科學院香料飲料研究所海南熱帶農業國際技術轉移中心主任廖子榮表示，隨著海南可可豆的特點和品質獲得更多認可，更多國內外企業希望與海南省開展業務。廖子榮還提到，越來越多的當地農民向該中心求助，要求在種植可可樹新品種方面提供技術指導。

The Spice and Beverage Research Institute has reached agreements with international organizations and institutions such as the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center, or CATIE, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and Ghent University of Belgium to boost future collaboration and exchanges in scientific and technological innovation, talent training, technical upgrades and brand development, said Qin.

秦曉威表示，香料飲料研究所已經與熱帶農業研究和高等教育中心（CATIE）、國際生物多樣性中心（Bioversity International）和國際熱帶農業中心（CIAT）聯盟以及比利時根特大學等國際組織和機構達成協定，旨在促進未來在科技創新、人才培訓、技術升級和品牌發展方面的合作和交流。

Qin added that they will work together to promote the high-quality development of the cocoa industry in Hainan.

秦曉威補充説，這些國際組織和機構將共同促進海南可可産業的高品質發展。

Cocoa beans are rich in ingredients such as cocoa butter, the vasodilator theobromine and flavonoids, which are good for the heart, kidney and intestines. Experts have suggested that Hainan tap their potential health value and develop products with local features that can be marketed to tourists as gifts.

可可豆富含可可脂、可可鹼和類黃酮等物質，對心臟、腎臟和腸道皆有益處。專家們建議海南挖掘可可豆的潛在健康價值，開發具有地方特色産品，並以此作為禮品向遊客推銷。

Cacao trees and their fruits are a special attraction for tourists, especially those from northern regions, as the fruit changes from green to yellow, pink and red as they become ripe.

由於可可果成熟後會從綠色逐漸變成黃色、粉紅色和紅色，因此可可樹及其果實對遊客特別具有吸引力，尤其是北方遊客。

In Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden, the attractive fruit, or pods, growing on the trunks and branches of the leafy trees－instead of only on the branches as with most other fruit trees－attract crowds of photo-snapping tourists. The pods contain seeds which are the cocoa beans. The DIY chocolate center also lures many to enjoy making chocolate themselves with cocoa beans harvested from the garden.

在興隆熱帶植物園，誘人的果實吸引著大批攝影愛好者遊客前來。這些果實長在枝繁葉茂的樹榦上，而不是像其他大多數果樹那樣只長在樹枝上。豆莢中含有種子，也就是可可豆。DIY巧克力中心也吸引了許多遊客。遊客可在其間享受用果園裏收穫的可可豆自己製作巧克力的樂趣。

Xinglong garden, a famous tourist destination with more than 800,000 visitors annually, is home to more than 3,000 kinds of tropical plants, such as tropical spices, beverages, fruits, ornamental and medicinal trees and other plants as well as palms and tropical aquatic plants.

興隆熱帶植物園是著名的旅遊勝地，每年接待80多萬遊客。這裡擁有3000多種熱帶植物，如熱帶香料、飲料、水果、觀賞和藥用樹木等植物，以及棕櫚和熱帶水生植物。

"It was very pleasing to see the wonderful and colorful fruits hanging on the cacao tree trunks. And it was even more exciting to have time to indulge in making sweet chocolates myself in Hainan," said Lao Ding, a tourist from Shandong province who took a day trip to the botanical garden, which also serves as a national environment science promotion and education center.

興隆熱帶植物園是國家環境科學推廣和教育中心。參加植物園一日遊活動的山東遊客老丁表示，“看到挂在可可樹榦上的奇妙而多彩的果實，令人非常高興。而在海南親手製作甜美的巧克力，更讓人興奮。”

"Cacao trees and their beans definitely will make Hainan more attractive, along with its popular sea views, soft beaches, tropical landscapes and the traditional food hospitality," said Wang Bin, a frequent visitor to Hainan in his 50s from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province.

來自四川省省會成都的50多歲的海南常客王斌（音譯）表示，“除了令人神往的海景、柔軟的海灘、熱帶風景和傳統美食外，可可樹及可可豆肯定會使海南更有吸引力。”

"The experience of DIY chocolates here was very entertaining and impressive. I believe people will be happy to see a small shop giving people a place to enjoy making chocolates themselves in my home city," said Wang, adding that he may open a bakery to make chocolates and sweet cakes with cocoa from Hainan.

王斌提到，“在這裡體驗DIY巧克力非常有趣，讓人印象深刻。我相信，在我的家鄉，有一家能夠讓人們享受自己製作巧克力樂趣的小店，人們一定非常高興”，他表示會開一家麵包店，並使用海南的可可製作巧克力和香甜的蛋糕。

Wang's idea is in line with a new boutique business model involving cocoa that is becoming popular in some big cities at home and abroad.

王斌的想法涉及一種新的可可精品商業模式。現在這種商業模式在國內外一些大城市很流行。

At present, China's annual per capita consumption of chocolate is less than 0.1 kg, less than 10 percent of that in Western countries. But the trend is growing at 15 to 20 percent annually, experts said. Imports of cocoa products－including beans, powder and cocoa butter－grew from 75,000 metric tons in 2010 to 108,000 tons in 2019, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

目前，中國年每人平均巧克力消費量不到0.1公斤，不到西方國家的10%。但專家表示，這一趨勢正以每年15%至20%的速度增長。根據聯合國糧食及農業組織的數據，可可産品（包括可可豆、可可粉和可可脂）的進口量從2010年的75,000噸增長到2019年的108,000噸。

"With small chocolate-making machinery becoming more budget-friendly, anyone can become a chocolate maker at home," said Huang Dantong, a bakery owner in downtown Haikou, capital of Hainan. He said he thinks more consumers want to buy high-quality cocoa beans and process them in their own way to create unique flavors, especially as COVID-19 keeps more people at home.

“海南省省會城市海口市中心的一家麵包店老闆黃誕桐（音譯）表示，“隨著小型巧克力機變得更加經濟實惠，任何人都可以在家裏製作巧克力。”他提到，他認為更多的消費者希望購買高品質可可豆，並以自己的方式進行加工，創造出獨特的口味，特別是在新冠肺炎疫情期間，更多人留在家裏的情況下。

"So Hainan's cocoa industry has good prospects in exploring its added value to bring in greater economic benefits, better serve the tourism sector and enhance its role in helping to build a more sound natural environment," said Liao, director of the technology transfer center of CATAS.

中國熱帶農業科學院香料飲料研究所海南熱帶農業國際技術轉移中心主任廖子榮表示，“因此，海南的可可産業在探索其附加值以帶來更大的經濟效益，更好地服務於旅遊業，並增強其在幫助建立更健全的自然環境方面具有良好前景。”