宜誠鼎峰社區

“Ever tasted a pea-flower or beetroot sprout?” said Didier Pil, a chubby French vegetable farmer in overalls whose annual harvest of 120 different varieties largely winds up in the kitchens of the country's top chefs. Butchers, dairy-farmers, fruit-growers and fishermen -- star chef Alain Ducasse recently gathered together the creme de la creme of the country's producers for a show held in one of Paris' most exclusive hotels, decked out for the occasion with walls of lettuce.

「嘗過豌豆花或甜菜芽嗎？」身穿連身工作服的胖乎乎法國菜農皮爾說，每年收成的120個不同品種的菜蔬，大半送到法國頂級名廚的廚房。明星廚師杜卡斯，日前聚集法國首屈一指的食材生產者，包括屠夫、酪農、果農和漁夫，在巴黎最高檔的酒店舉辦一場生鮮農特產品展示會，會場牆上掛滿萵苣。

“The quality of a dish,” said Ducasse, who runs an empire of gourmet kitchens the world over, “is 80 percent produce, 15 percent technique and five percent talent.”

在全球各地建立美食王國的杜卡斯說，「決定一盤菜是否好吃，80%靠食材，15%靠技術，5%靠天分。」

“Excellence is the only thing that counts,” said Ducasse. At the press lunch in the Alain Ducasse restaurant, amid a rarefied atmosphere of white linen, silver cloches and clouds of exploded crystal chandeliers, the talk is all food.

「追求卓越，是唯一最重要的事。」杜卡斯說。在艾倫杜卡斯餐廳招待記者的午餐會中，一片白色亞麻布營造出高雅的氣氛，銀色鐘形玻璃罩和如雲朵爆開的水晶吊燈下，談話焦點除了食物還是食物。

From their farm in the Loire valley, Pil and his wife Sandrine supply the likes of Ducasse, Joel Robuchon or Pierre Gagnaire with starflowers, violets and pansies for the plate, as well as humdrum leeks and artichokes, or rare curly mustard and red cabbage sprouts. “We farm as naturally as possible to ensure our produce keeps its original taste,” Pil said. “Try a radish sprout!” he added.

從他們位於盧瓦爾河谷的農場，皮爾和他妻子桑德琳供應杜卡斯、侯布匈或加涅爾等三星級名廚，裝飾餐盤的星狀花植物、紫羅蘭和三色蓳，以及常見的韭菜青蔥和朝鮮薊，或較罕見的捲曲芥菜和紫色包心菜芽。「我們農場盡可能自然地耕作，以確保我們的產品保持原味。」皮爾說：「請試試蘿蔔嬰！」他補充說。

Japanese super-cook Keiko Nagae, the pastry chef at Gagnaire's three-star eatery, buys her yuzu -- a prized Japanese citrus fruit hard to find in France -- from a southern citrus and olive farm run by Benedicte and Michel Baches. “They're the only ones who do it,” she said.

日本超級名廚長江桂子，是加涅爾三星級餐廳糕點廚師。她為了買柚子，這種在法國很難找到的日本柑橘類水果，特地向法國南部貝內蒂特和麥可．巴凱斯夫婦經營的柑橘和橄欖農場進貨。「只此一家，別無分號。」她說。

In Paris, the couple displayed an amazing 50 varieties of oranges, lemons and grapefruits grown on their farm. Yet Benedicte Baches said they currently have 800 different citrus varieties -- including Buddha's Hand, or Fingered citron, the big tentacular-looking fragrant yellow citrus fruit from Asia. “We only supply 150 varieties to the restaurants,” she said. “But we enjoy working with top chefs because they explain how they use the different varieties, what they need.”

在巴黎，這對夫婦展示他們農場生產的50種不同品種的柑橘、檸檬和葡萄柚，觀者無不嘖嘖稱奇。但貝內蒂特．巴凱斯說，目前他們總共生產800種不同的柑橘，包括佛手柑，這種來自亞洲宛如有大觸手的黃色柑橘類水果。「我們只供應餐館其中150種。」她說：「但我們很高興能和頂級名廚合作，因為他們會解釋他們如何使用不同品種的水果入菜，以及他們需要什麼。」

Upcoming dairy farmer Pascal Beillevaire, busy slapping seaweed and truffle butter on bits of bread, has built an empire in 20 years making butter from raw milk drawn from cows on his own farm. “We use hot unpasteurised milk 10 minutes after the cows are milked,” said Beillevaire, who has 13 shops in Paris, three in the provinces, is about to open a store in London, and supplies five-star palaces such as the Meurice.

正嶄露頭角的酪農貝耶韋爾，正忙著在麵包上塗抹海帶和松露奶油。他花了20年，從取自自己牧場母牛的生牛奶製成的奶油，建立了一個王國。「在擠出牛奶10分鐘後，我們使用未消毒的熱牛奶製造，」貝耶韋爾說。他在巴黎有13家店面，還有3家在首都以外地區，另外將在倫敦開一家分店，還打算供應乳製品給莫里斯等五星級豪華酒店。

With restaurants across the globe, Alain Ducasse （picture） is the only chef to be awarded three stars in the Michelin Red Guide in three cities. The classically trained French chef now heads the Plaza Athenee restaurant in Paris, the Louis XV restaurant in Monaco, a restaurant bearing his name at the Dorchester in London and two restaurants in New York, among others. Ducasse has also developed cooking classes for non-professionals, championing his belief that a chef's palette can be acquired. “Everybody in this planet has the same chance to be a great chef,” he said. “It's not a privilege.”

餐廳遍布全球的艾倫．杜卡斯（見圖，法新社）是唯一在三個城市被授予三星級米其林紅色指南的名廚。這位接受正統訓練的法國頂尖名廚現在是巴黎雅典娜廣場飯店，摩納哥路易十五餐廳，以及倫敦多切斯特艾倫杜卡斯餐廳和紐約兩家餐廳等名店的負責人。杜卡斯還為非專業人士開烹飪班，以鼓吹他的信念：一個廚師的味蕾可以後天養成。「這個星球上每個人都有相同的機會成為偉大的廚師。」他說：「這並非什麼特權。」

The genius-chef-to-be grew up on a farm in southwestern France. He remembers a yard full of animals and a garden full of vegetables. “I remember one of my first dish are a mix of vegetable!” he said. “I have country house with a big garden. At home, I prepare very, very simple food from the garden or from the farm, with skinned fish, with a beautiful salad. Or, I put on the plant vegetable directly from the garden to the plate.”

這位天才廚師在法國西南部一個農場長大。他記得有個養了各種動物的院子，和一個種滿蔬菜的菜園。「我還記得我煮的第一道菜混合了不同的蔬菜！」他說：「我的鄉間別墅有個大院子。在家裡，我只烹調極簡單的食物，食材多半來自院子裡或農場，去皮的魚，一盤漂亮的沙拉。或者，我直接把園裡的時蔬放到盤子裡。」