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原文标题：World in a dishI melt with youHow the chocolate fondant became a ubiquitous indulgence盘中世界 与你共融 巧克力甜点是如何成为大众美食的？The dessert can be found in Michelin-starred restaurants and supermarkets alike在米其林星级餐厅和超市都有这种甜点 [Paragraph 1]SOME DISHES are unequivocallyhigh-end: a perfectly clear consommé, for instance. Others are less so—a cheeseburger-crust pizza, say. 有些菜肴无疑是高端的：如透明的清炖肉汤。其他菜肴则没那么高端——如芝士汉堡披萨。Still others defy the distinction, served in restaurants of all calibresto diners of all tastes. 还有一些菜肴不分贵贱，在各种档次的餐厅都有，适合各种口味的食客。The chocolate fondant is one such dish. Its success is a reminder that, in the end, pleasure is still a universal pursuit.巧克力甜点就是这样美食。它的成功提醒我们，归根结底，快乐仍然是一种普遍追求。

[Paragraph 2]Two glitzy French cuisiniers claim to have invented the chocolate fondant. 两位著名的法国美食家都声称他们是巧克力甜点的发明者。The first is Michel Bras, a Michelin-starred chef, who created the coulant au chocolat (runny chocolate) in 1981 to evoke the memory of sipping hot chocolate to warm up after a family skiing trip. 第一个是米其林星级厨师米歇尔-布拉斯，他于 1981 年发明了 coulant au chocolat（流质巧克力），以唤起人们在家庭滑雪旅行后喝热巧克力取暖的记忆。The second is Jean-Georges Vongerichten, another starry Gallic gourmet. 第二位是让-乔治-冯格里希顿，他是一位明星级的高卢（法国）美食家。In New York in 1987 he pulled hundreds of miniaturechocolate cakes out of the oven before they were cooked. 在1987 年的纽约，他从烤箱中取出了数百个尚未烤熟的微型巧克力蛋糕。The centres were molten but there was no time to correct the mistake. Despite the error, the diners loved them. He has served them ever since. 蛋糕中心是熔化的，但没有时间纠错了。尽管出了错，但食客们还是很喜欢这些蛋糕。从那时起，他就开始供应这些蛋糕。

[Paragraph 3]Their techniques are different, but between them Messrs Bras and Vongerichten created a sophisticated confection. 他们的技术不同，但布拉斯和冯格里希顿发明了一种精致的甜点。It became a phenomenon, served in the toniestestablishments on either side of the Atlantic. 它成了一种现象级美食，在大西洋两岸顶级餐厅里供应。In America it had the all-important aroma of French refinement and élégance. 在美国，最重要的是它具有法国精致优雅的香味。[Paragraph 4]The flavour is straightforward (one-note would be a less charitable description) but getting the dish exactly right is tricky. 味道很简单（一种口味的描述显得不那么仁慈），但是要把这道美食做到刚刚好是很难的。There are no outward clues to indicate the point at which it is perfectly cooked. 没有任何外在的线索显示它已经完全熟透了。The moment of incisionprovides the thrill of drama. Will the dessert ooze or will it prove to be a dry disappointment?切开的瞬间有一种戏剧性的快感。甜点是会渗出还是干巴巴地令人失望呢？[Paragraph 5]In 1991 Alain Ducasse, a multi-Michelin-starred chef, told the New York Times that the fondant had reached a point where restaurants “were practically obligedto make it”. 1991 年，米其林星级主厨阿兰·杜卡斯告诉《纽约时报》，巧克力甜点已经到了餐厅"几乎不得不做 "的地步。It was one of the defining desserts of that decade. But then the tide began to turn. 这是那十年的标志性甜点之一。但随后潮流开始转向。Mr Vongerichten was churning out so many at one point that Mark Bittman, an American food writer, dubbed it “the Big Mac of desserts”. 冯格里希顿一次制作出如此多的甜点，以至于美国美食作家马克·比特曼将其称为“甜点中的巨无霸”。[Paragraph 6]The name evolved. In many places it became a “molten chocolate cake” or a “chocolate lava cake”. 名称也在不断变化。在许多地方，叫做“熔融巧克力蛋糕”或“巧克力熔岩蛋糕”。It travelled from hushed dining rooms to the restaurants of Disney World. 它从安静的餐厅走到了迪斯尼世界的餐厅。Chain restaurants began serving them; takeaway joints can deliver fondants along with your pizza. 连锁餐厅也开始供应；外卖店也把巧克力蛋糕和披萨放在一起送餐。Supermarkets include the dessert in their Valentine’s Day ready-meal deals. Aldi, Costco, Lidl and Walmart all flog iterationsof it. 超市将这种甜点纳入情人节即食食品中。阿尔迪、好市多、利德和沃尔玛都有售卖。In “Chef”, a film of 2014, a critic seethesthat he would rather the cook “sit on my face after a brisk walk on a warm day than suffer through that fucking lava cake again.” 在2014年的电影《落魄大厨》中，一位评论家怒火中烧，他宁愿厨师“在热天快走后坐我脸上，也不愿再忍受那该死的熔岩蛋糕了。” The dish has become déclassé or, worse, a bit naff. 这道美食已不上档次，更糟糕的是，还有点低劣。[Paragraph 7]And yet like crème brûlée and tiramisu—also wildly popular in the 1990s—its ubiquity seems to have inflicted little damage. 然而，就像焦糖布丁和提拉米苏一样——同样在 1990 年代广受欢迎——它的流行似乎没有造成什么损害。It exists comfortably on both planes, the blowoutand the budget. Any version of it is fundamentally an extravagance. That overcomes any food snobbery. 它舒适地存在于两个平行世界里，盛宴和小酌中都有。不管哪一种，从根本上来说都是一种奢侈。这克服了任何食物的虚荣与势利。A recent study suggests that people living in “high-indulgence” cultures (as opposed to cultures of restraint) report higher levels of well-being. 最近的一项研究表明，生活在“高度放纵”文化（相对于克制文化）中的人幸福感更高。It turns out a little of what you fancy does, in fact, do you good.事实证明，你喜欢的东西实际上对你有好处。（恭喜读完，本篇英语词汇量536左右）原文出自：2023年4月22日《The Economist》Culture版块

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本文翻译整理: Irene

本文编辑校对: Irene仅供个人英语学习交流使用。

【补充资料】（来自于网络）巧克力熔岩蛋糕（Chocolate Lava Cake）是一种经典的甜点，也被称为巧克力心太软蛋糕。它的外层酥脆，内部柔软松散，中心藏有一颗浓稠的巧克力熔岩，切开时会流出诱人的巧克力汁液。制作巧克力熔岩蛋糕需要用到高品质的巧克力、奶油、鸡蛋和面粉等原料，口感丰富浓郁，是许多人喜爱的甜点之一。《落魄大厨》（Chef）是一部2014年上映的美国喜剧电影，由乔恩·费儒执导、编剧和主演。影片讲述了一名厨师卡尔（乔恩·费儒饰），因为与老板发生争执而失业后，开始经营一辆食品卡车，在旅途中重新发现自己对美食的热爱，并与前妻和儿子重修关系的故事。电影以美食为主题，展现了各种令人垂涎欲滴的美食制作过程，同时也呈现了主角在追求自我价值和家庭关系中的成长历程。影片因其温暖幽默的故事情节、精彩的表演和绝佳的音乐选曲而备受好评，成为了一部颇具影响力的美食电影。【重点句子】（3个）The chocolate fondant is one such dish. Its success is a reminder that, in the end, pleasure is still a universal pursuit.巧克力甜点就是这样美食。它的成功提醒我们，归根结底，快乐仍然是一种普遍追求。The name evolved. In many places it became a “molten chocolate cake” or a “chocolate lava cake”. 名称也在不断变化。在许多地方，叫做“熔融巧克力蛋糕”或“巧克力熔岩蛋糕”。A recent study suggests that people living in “high-indulgence” cultures (as opposed to cultures of restraint) report higher levels of well-being. 最近的一项研究表明，生活在“高度放纵”文化（相对于克制文化）中的人幸福感更高。