介绍:
科普丨生日吃蛋糕的原因，竟然和神有关？
Hint: It has to do with the Ancient Greeks!
小提示：这和古希腊有关!
“Let them eat cake!”
“给他们吃蛋糕吧!”
White, marble, chocolate, German chocolate, ice cream: There are hundreds of types of birthday cake in the world, each beautiful in its own sugary way.
白色蛋糕、大理石蛋糕、巧克力蛋糕、德国巧克力蛋糕、冰淇淋蛋糕：世界上有数百种生日蛋糕，每一种都有其独特的美味。
marble [ˈmɑːrbl] n. 大理石;(玻璃)弹子;弹子游戏；v.使…显得斑驳;使…染上大理石花纹
sugary [ˈʃʊɡəri] adj. 含糖的;甜的;(态度等)甜腻腻的，媚人的;甜言蜜语的
Odds are, you’ve indulged in one during at least one (hopefully all) of your birthday parties.
很可能你至少在某个（希望是每一个）生日派对上曾沉醉于蛋糕。
odd [ɑːd] adj. 奇怪的;怪异的;反常的;(某方面)怪异的;偶然出现的;偶尔发生的;不规律的
indulge in 沉迷于
But in between delicious bites of cake and frosting, have you ever stopped and wondered, “Why am I eating this? What makes this dessert fit to commemorate the day of my birth?”
但流连于美味的蛋糕和糖霜之间，你有没有停下来想过：“我为什么要吃这个？为什么这个甜点适合纪念我出生的日子呢？”
frost [frɔːst] n. 严寒天气;霜冻;冰点以下的温度;霜；v. (使)蒙上霜，结霜;给(糕饼)覆上糖霜
commemorate [kəˈmeməreɪt] v. (用…)纪念;作为…的纪念
It’s because you are as important and beloved as the gods.
这是因为你和神一样重要，一样为人所爱。
A delicious history
一段美味的历史
The ancient Egyptians are credited with “inventing” the celebration of birthdays.
人们认为古埃及人“发明”了庆祝生日。
credit [ˈkredɪt] v. (给银行账户)存入金额;把…记入贷方;贷记(银行账户);认为是…的功劳;把…归于;认为…有(良好的品质或特点)
They believed when pharaohs were crowned, they became gods, so their coronation day was a pretty big deal.
古埃及人认为，法老加冕后就变成了神，所以他们的加冕日是非常重要的。
coronation [ˌkɔːrəˈneɪʃn] n. 加冕;加冕典礼
That was their “birth” as a god.
这就是法老们作为神的“生日”。
Ancient Greeks borrowed the tradition but realized that a dessert would make the celebration all the more meaningful.
古希腊人借鉴了这一传统，也意识到甜点会让庆祝活动更有意义。
So they baked moon-shaped cakes to offer up to Artemis, goddess of the moon, as a tribute.
于是他们烤了月亮形状的蛋糕，作为贡品献给月亮女神阿尔忒弥斯。
tribute [ˈtrɪbjuːt] n. 悼念;致哀;吊唁礼物;(良好效果或影响的)体现，显示;(尤指旧时一国向他国交纳的)贡品，贡金
They decorated them with lit candles to make the cakes shine like the moon.
他们用燃烧的蜡烛装饰蛋糕，让蛋糕像月亮一样发光。
Hence, the reason we light our birthday cakes on fire.
这就是我们“点燃”生日蛋糕的原因。
The life of the party
派对的起源
Modern birthday parties are said to get their roots from the 18th-century German celebration “Kinderfeste.”
据说，现代的生日派对起源于18世纪德国的庆祝活动“Kinderfeste”。
On the morning of a child’s birthday, he or she would receive a cake with lighted candles that added up to the kid’s age, plus one.
在孩子生日的早上，他会收到一个蛋糕，上面点着蜡烛，表示孩子长大了一岁。
This extra candle was called the “light of life,” representing the hope of another full year lived.
这支额外的蜡烛被称为“生命之光”，代表着对新一岁的希望。
represent [ˌreprɪˈzent] v. 代表;作为…的代言人;维护…的利益;等于;相当于;意味着
And then, torture—because no one could eat the cake until after dinner.
然后，“酷刑”就来了：晚饭后才能吃蛋糕。
torture [ˈtɔːrtʃər] n. 拷打;拷问;酷刑;(精神上或肉体上的)折磨，痛苦;折磨人的事物
The family replaced the candles as they burned out throughout the day.
如果蜡烛在一天中燃尽，家人们就会换掉它。
Finally, when the moment came, the birthday child would make a wish, try to blow out all the candles in one breath, and dig in.
最后，当那一刻来临，过生日的孩子会许愿，试着一口气吹灭所有蜡烛，然后开挖蛋糕。
blow out 吹灭;熄灭
Like modern tradition, the birthday girl or boy wouldn’t tell anyone the wish so it would come true.
像现代传统一样，寿星不会告诉任何人自己的愿望，希望这样就能实现心愿。
Since the ingredients to make cakes were pretty expensive, this birthday custom didn’t become popular until the Industrial Revolution.
由于制作蛋糕的原料非常昂贵，这个生日习俗直到工业革命时期才流行起来。
ingredient [ɪnˈɡriːdiənt] n. 成分;(尤指烹饪)原料;(成功的)因素，要素
industrial [ɪnˈdʌstriəl] adj. 工业的;产业的;用于工业的;有很多产业的;工业发达的
More ingredients were available, which made them cheaper, and bakeries even started selling pre-baked cakes.
原料供应量加大，因此变得更加便宜，面包店甚至开始销售预先烤好的蛋糕。
available [əˈveɪləbl] adj. 可获得的;可购得的;可找到的;有空的
Now we enjoy cakes on nearly any occasion, celebration-worthy or not.
不过现在，无论是否值得庆祝，我们几乎在任何场合都喜欢吃蛋糕。
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