[The Guardian] One in five vanilla ice-creams has no vanilla, cream or fresh milk
One in five vanilla ice-creams has no vanilla, cream or fresh milk
Britain’s longest heatwave since 1976 has seen vanilla ice-cream sales soar, but a survey has revealed that some brands are sold without vanilla, cream or fresh milk.
Vanilla has traditionally been Britain’s favourite flavour but a Which? investigation of supermarket and branded vanilla ice-cream found a number of them were lacking some key ingredients.
One in five of the ice-creams examined by the consumer watchdog had none of the three ingredients shoppers might reasonably expect to find in vanilla ice-cream. Only half of the 24 surveyed contained all three traditional ingredients.
In a number of the products Which? looked at, cream and milk were substituted with partially reconstituted dried skimmed milk, and in some cases, whey protein. Vanilla was often replaced with a general “flavouring”.
The price of vanilla soared earlier this year, making it more expensive than silver. It currently sells for around 440 a kilo.
Vanilla has become the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron, the harvesting of which is extremely labour-intensive.
Vanilla beans, which are part of the orchid family, are hand-pollinated on family farms. Each flower opens for only part of one day during the season. If it is not pollinated on that day, no pod is produced. Once picked, the curing process, which involves drying the beans in the sun by day and allowing them to sweat in a box at night, takes three to six months.
Vanilla is grown in tropical regions. More than 75% is produced in Madagascar, an island off the south-eastern coast of Africa. The region was struck by a powerful cyclone last month that damaged many plantations.
- vanilla:(n) [və’nɪlə] 香草, a substance used to give a special taste to ice cream, cakes etc, made from the beans of a tropical plant. back
- (a time/a place)has seen sth.: (某個時間或地點) 遭受了某事, 發生了某事 back
This year has seen a big increase in road accidents.
- soar:(v) [sɔː] 猛增, 驟升, to increase quickly to a high level. back
Her temperature soared. 她的体温骤然升高.
The price of petrol has soared in recent weeks. 最近几个星期汽油价格猛涨.
- favourite:(a) [‘feɪv(ə)rɪt] 最喜歡的, your favourite person or thing is the one that you like the most. back
What’s your favourite colour? 你最喜欢什么颜色？
- flavour:(n) [‘fleɪvə] 香味, the particular taste of a food or drink. back
a dry wine with flavours of honey and apricot. 带有蜂蜜和杏子口味的干葡萄酒.
- ingredient:(n) [ɪn’griːdɪənt] 食材, 成分(烹煮用的), one of the foods that you use to make a particular food or dish. back
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. 把所有食材都放在一个大碗里.
The food is home-cooked using fresh ingredients. 这种食物是用新鲜的食材在家里烹制的.
- watchdog:(n) [‘wɒtʃdɒg] 監察人, a person or group of people whose job is to protect the rights of people who buy things and to make sure companies do not do anything illegal or harmful. back
a consumer watchdog. 保护消费者权益的监督员.
- substituted:(a) [‘sʌbstɪtju:tɪd] 替代的, 取代的, If you substitute one thing for another, or if one thing substitutes for another, it takes the place or performs the function of the other thing. back
They were substituting violence for dialogue. 他们那时在以暴力代替对话
- reconstitute:(v) [riː’kɒnstɪtjuːt] 使復原, to change dried food back to its original form by adding water to it. back
reconstituted milk. 复原乳.
- 重新組成, to form an organization or a group again in a different way.
The committees will be reconstituted after the election. 委员会将在选举后改组.
dried herbs. 干药草
- skim:(v) [skɪm] 撇去…的浮物(液体表面的浮油或固体物质), to remove something from the surface of a liquid, especially floating fat, solids, or oil. back
After simmering the meat, skim the fat from the surface. 把肉用文火炖过后再撇去表面的油脂.
whey:(n) [weɪ] 乳清, the watery liquid that is left after the solid part has been removed from sour milk. back
protein:(n) [‘prəʊtiːn] 蛋白質, one of several natural substances that exist in food such as meat, eggs, and beans, and which your body needs in order to grow and remain strong and healthy. back
flavouring:(n) [‘fleivəriŋ] 香料, 調味料, a substance used to give something a particular flavour or increase its flavour. back
artificial flavourings. 人工调味品.
- spice:(n) [spaɪs] 香料, a type of powder or seed, taken from plants, that you put into food you are cooking to give it a special taste. back
herbs and spices. 香草和香料.
- (n)情趣, 趣味, interest or excitement that is added to something.
Travel adds spice to your life. 旅行为生活增添情趣.
saffron:(n) [‘sæfr(ə)n] 番紅花, a bright yellow spice that is used in cooking to give food a special taste and colour. It is sold as a powder or in thin pieces. back
harvesting:(v) [‘hɑːvɪstɪŋ] 收割, 收穫, The harvest is the gathering of a crop. back
labour-intensive:(a) 勞動密集型的 back
the labour-intensive industry.
labour:(n) [‘leɪbə] 勞動者, all the people who work for a company or in a country.
intensive:(a): [ɪn’tensɪv] 密集的, involving a lot of activity, effort, or careful attention in a short period of time.
energy-intensive: 能源密集型
knowledge-intensive: 知識密集型
orchid:(n) [‘ɔːkɪd] 蘭花, a plant that has flowers which are brightly coloured and usually shaped. back
hand-pollinated: 人工授粉 back
pollinate:(v) [‘pɒlɪneɪt] 授粉, to give a flower or plant pollen so that it can produce seeds.
flowers pollinated by bees. 由蜜蜂授粉的花
- pod:(n) [pɒd] 豆莢, a long narrow seed container that grows on various plants, especially peas and beans. back
a pea pod. 豌豆荚.
cure:(v) [kjʊə; kjɔː] 加工處理(醃, 曬, 燻等方法), 保藏(肉, 菸草, 獸皮等) back
sweat:(v) [swet] 使出汗, to have drops of salty liquid coming out through your skin because you are hot, ill, firghtened, or doing exercise. back
I was sweating a lot despite the air conditioning. 尽管开着空调，我仍是满头大汗.
- sweat heavily/profusely, sweat a lot, 出大汗，流很多汗
Within minutes she was sweating profusely. 不一会儿她就大汗淋漓了.
- sweat like a pig/ sweat buckets, 汗流浃背，浑身臭汗，大汗淋漓
basketball players sweating buckets. 汗如雨下的篮球运动员.
- tropical:(a) [‘trɒpɪk(ə)l] 熱帶的, coming from or existing in the hottest parts of the world. back
the tropical rain forests. 熱帶雨林.
- 濕熱的(天氣), weather that is tropical is very hot and wet.
a steamy tropical night. 一个闷热潮湿的夜晚
Madagascar:(n) [,mædə’ɡæskə] 马达加斯加岛. back
struck:() [strʌk] strike 的過去式; 打擊, 衝擊, to hit or fall against the surface of something. back
She fell heavily, striking her head against the side of the boat. 她重重地摔倒，头撞在船舷上.
cyclone:(n) [‘saɪkləʊn] 氣旋; 颶風; a very strong wind that moves very fast in a circle. back
plantation:(n) [plæn’teɪʃ(ə)n; plɑːn-] 種植園(熱帶), a large area of land in a hot country, where crops such as tea, cotton, and sugar are grown. back
a rubber plantation. 橡胶园.