人們認爲印加果會是下一代超級食物,但嚐起來有點像魚

Welcome to the era of superfoods, when eating just one won’t do. We’re always on the lookout for more, even though “superfood” is just a buzzword with no technical definition.

歡迎來到超級食物時代，在這個時代中，只吃一種食物是遠遠不夠的。我們總是在尋找更多的食物，儘管“超級食物”只是一個流行詞，並沒有專門定義。

Let us introduce you to sacha inchi, a seed that’s eaten like a nut and might very well be the next big superfood. This is what it looks like:

現在，我們向各位介紹印加果，這是一種種子，吃起來像是堅果，很有可能是下一代超級食物，它長成這種樣子（如圖）。

At first crunch, it tastes mostly like a nut, but after about 10 seconds, there’s a ... unique ... finishing flavor. Some say it has a buttery finish, but others (all of us here at HuffPost who’ve tasted them) would say it’s a distinctly fishy flavor.

第一口吃下去像是堅果，但10秒鐘後，有一種奇特的餘味縈繞在舌尖。有人說這種殘留的餘味像黃油味，但是還有些人（郝芬頓郵報的所有員工都嘗過了）則認爲肯定是魚肉的味道。

Sacha inchi ― also known as sacha peanut or mountain peanut ― is native to South America and Southeast Asia, and it is infiltrating our Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s supermarkets. When all’s said and done, one seed is about the size of a large peanut. But before it gets that way, the nutrient-dense seed grows in geometric pods like this:

印加果——也叫做印加花生或山花生——是南美洲和東南亞土生土長的特產，現在Whole Foods和Trader Joe超市也有的賣。一切都塵埃落定後，一個種子的大小就像一個大花生。但在它長成這樣之前，這種富含營養的種子是在幾何豆莢中生長的。

And the pod looks like this when cut in half:

將豆莢切半是這樣的（如圖）。

So why are we cultivating this fruit for its seeds? Because it has the highest levels of plant-based omega-3s out there. That makes it a great way for vegans and vegetarians to load up on their fatty acids. Imlak’esh Organics, which makes sacha inchi for Trader Joe’s, claims sacha inchi contains 17 times the omega-3 oil content of salmon, as well as all eight essential amino acids.

所以我們爲什麼要培育這種水果來得到它的種子呢？因爲它的植物歐米茄3脂肪酸含量最高。對於素食者來說，這是儲藏脂肪酸的很好方法。Imlak’esh Organics爲Trader Joe生產印加果，聲稱印加果含有的歐米茄3油是三文魚的17倍，其必要氨基酸是三文魚的8倍。

Also, one ounce of these seeds contains about 8 grams of protein, which is more than almonds. And, before they’re cracked open to get the seed, they look beautiful like this:

同時，一盎司的印加果種子含有8克蛋白質，比杏仁含有的蛋白質還多。在你撬開印加果獲得種子前，它們長這樣：

Sacha inchi are being marketed stateside as a nut ― some salted and some flavored. They can be tossed on top of salads, used in trail mixes and even eaten as is. What do you think about this superfood? Would you try it?

在美國，人們推銷印加果時，說它是一種堅果——有些鹹、有些則別有風味。印加果可以放在沙拉上，也可以加到果仁盤中，甚至可以直接吃。你覺得這個超級食物如何？想要吃吃看嗎？