葡萄是最受歡迎的夏季水果之一，或許你能說出很多吃過的葡萄品種，但是葡萄本身仍然有很多你不了解的“小秘密”。

Grapes are popular fresh, and people also love consuming them as wine, jam, juice, various dried varieties, jelly, vinegar, grape seed extract, and grape seed oil. It’s this versatile popularity, coupled with the many countries that harbor good growing conditions, that have crowned the grape as one of the world’s most economically important crops. Here are some fascinating facts about one of the most ubiquitous fruits.

葡萄是很受歡迎的生鮮水果，人們還喜歡把葡萄制成葡萄酒、果醬、果汁、蜜餞、果凍、果醋、葡萄籽提取物和葡萄籽油享用。葡萄的用處多多，而且許多國家都擁有種植葡萄的良好條件，這讓葡萄成為世界上最重要的經濟作物之一。一起來了解一下這種隨處可見的水果。

1. Grapes are used to make synthetic leather.

葡萄可以制成人造皮革

In the quest to find cruelty-free and more environmentally friendly synthetic leather, Vegea, an Italian company founded in 2018, has made a fully recyclable and biodegradable product from the grape waste left over from winemaking.

為了制出環(huán)保又不殘酷的人造皮革，創(chuàng)立于2018年的意大利Vegea公司用釀酒剩下的葡萄殘渣開發(fā)出了一款可以完全回收降解的產品。

Grape leather is being used for a whole host of products, including vegan-friendly shoes, bags, and boxing gloves.

葡萄皮革被用來生產出大量產品，包括對純素者友好的鞋子、包包，還有拳擊手套。

2. Grapes can be deadly to your pet.

葡萄會危及寵物的生命

Grapes and their derivatives (raisins, wine, and grape juice) are toxic to dogs: They can cause kidney failure, which can ultimately be fatal. In 2021, vets at the ASPCA discovered that tartaric acid contained in the fruit is the culprit. Symptoms of grape poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive thirst.

葡萄和它的衍生物（葡萄干、葡萄酒和葡萄汁）對狗有毒，會導致狗的腎臟衰竭，并可能導致狗最后喪命。2021年，美國防止虐待動物協(xié)會的獸醫(yī)發(fā)現(xiàn)，葡萄所含的酒石酸是罪魁禍首。葡萄中毒的癥狀包括嘔吐、腹瀉和極度口渴。

3. The grapes you eat are different from the ones used in winemaking.

你吃的葡萄和釀酒用的葡萄不是同一種

The qualities desired from the ones you eat fresh (table grapes) are quite different from those required for wine production (wine grapes). The seeds and thicker skins on wine grapes lend more flavor and color to the wine, while their greater sweetness aids the fermentation process. Table grapes tend to be larger and more palatable: juicy with firmer flesh and a less concentrated flavor, with a thinner skin and fewer seeds.

食用葡萄的品質要求和釀酒葡萄的品質要求差別很大。釀酒所用葡萄的籽和厚皮給葡萄酒增添更多風味和顏色，而更高的甜度加速了發(fā)酵進程。食用葡萄通常更大更美味，果肉緊實多汁，味道不是很濃，果皮更薄，籽更少。

4. China leads the way in table grape production and consumption.

中國在食用葡萄的生產和消費上都遙遙領先

Thanks to its favorable climate and growing conditions, China has been growing grapes for more than 2000 years. Consumption is expected to increase from 11.8 million metric tons in 2021–2022 to 12.4 million metric tons in 2022–2023, making China the world’s largest consumer.

多虧了有利的氣候和生長條件，中國種植葡萄已有兩千多年之久。中國人消費的葡萄從2021至2022年的1180萬噸增長到2022至2023年的1240萬噸，這讓中國成為全世界葡萄消費量最大的國家。

China doesn’t just consume a lot of grapes. The country’s expected table grape production in 2022–2023 is 12.6 million tons—more than half of the world’s grape production—making it the world’s top grape producer as well.

中國不僅葡萄消費量大，2022至2023年的食用葡萄產量預期將達到1260噸，占到了全球葡萄總產量的一半還多，這讓中國成為全球葡萄產量最高的國家。

5. Grapes were probably the first fruit domesticated by humans.

葡萄應該是人類最早馴化的水果

In 2023, researchers published genetic evidence that grapevines were domesticated around 11,000 years ago. By studying grape genome sequences, they found that the fruit was independently domesticated in two separate regions concurrently: the region in western Asia home to Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, and the region covered by modern-day Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. As the scientists remarked, “The grapevine was probably the first fruit crop domesticated by humans … It was one of the first globally traded goods.”

2023年，研究人員發(fā)布了大約11000年前人類馴化葡萄藤的基因證據。通過研究葡萄的基因組序列，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)同一時間有兩個地區(qū)分別獨立馴化葡萄。一個在西亞（黎巴嫩、約旦、巴勒斯坦、以色列所在地），一個在現(xiàn)代的阿塞拜疆、亞美尼亞、格魯吉亞地區(qū)?？茖W家指出：“葡萄藤應該是人類最早馴化的水果……葡萄是最早在全球貿易的商品之一?！?/p>

6. The largest grape variety is the Kyoho.

個頭最大的葡萄品種是巨峰

The Kyoho grape is a European-American hybrid that originated in Japan in 1937. Originally popular in Japan and China but now found worldwide. The Kyoho breeder named the result Kyoho, which translates to “great mountain peak,” in honour of Mount Fuji. The oblong grapes are 2–4 centimeters big. Their skin ranges from dark violet to almost black in color, and their green flesh is very sweet. The seeds and thick skins are bitter and often discarded. Fortunately, the Kyoho possesses a “slip-skin,” meaning the skin slides off easily, leaving the flesh intact.

巨峰葡萄是日本培育出的歐洲和美洲葡萄雜交品種。一開始在日本和中國很受歡迎，如今在世界各地都能見到。培育出巨峰葡萄的人將其命名為巨峰是為了紀念富士山。這種橢圓形的葡萄長度為2至4厘米。果皮深紫到紫黑，綠色的果肉很甜。籽和厚皮味苦，通常被拋棄。幸運的是，巨峰葡萄很好剝皮，果皮撕下后果肉完好無損。

英文來源：Mental Floss

翻譯&編輯：丹妮