I was born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, and through a combination of accidents and cosmic justice, became a chef in the US.
我在塞内加尔的达喀尔(塞内加尔首都) 出生和长大, 经过了许多意外与宇宙正义, 我在美国成了一名主厨。
(Laughter)
(笑声)
When I first arrived in New York, I began working in these restaurants -- different types of restaurants -- from French bistro to Italian, global ethnic to modern American. At the time, New York was already well-established as a food capital of the world. However ... with the exception of a few West African and Ethiopian mom-and-pop eateries, there was no such thing as African cuisine in the entire city.
当我初次抵达纽约时, 我开始在一些餐厅工作, 从法国小酒馆到意大利餐馆, 从全球民族餐厅到现代美式餐厅。 那时, 纽约已经成为了世界的食物首都。 然而, 除了少数西非和埃塞俄比亚 的小型饭馆之外, 在整个城市中并没有所谓的非洲菜。
Early in my life, I was influenced by Senegal's first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor, nicknamed, "the poet president," who talked about a new humanism, a universal civilization, in which all cultures would come together around a communal table as equals, each bringing its own beautiful contribution to share. He called it "the rendezvous of giving and receiving." That concept resonated with me, and it has guided my career path.
在我人生的前期, 我深受塞内加尔第一任总统 利奥波德·塞达尔·桑戈尔的影响, 他的绰号叫“诗人总统”, 他谈到了新人文主义, 一种普适文明, 在这种文明中,所有文化能围绕着 一张共有的桌子平等而坐, 每个文化分享着它自己的美丽贡献。 他称之为 “给与得的聚会”。 这一概念让我产生了共鸣, 一直引导着我职业生涯的道路。
After years of working in restaurants, I yearned for my work to have a deeper impact that would go beyond the last meal I had served. I wanted to give back, both to New York -- the city that allowed me the opportunity to follow my calling -- but also to my origins and ancestors in Senegal. I wanted to contribute to that universal civilization Senghor had described. But I didn't know how to make a measurable impact as a cook and writer.
在餐厅工作多年之后, 我很渴望能做具有 更深刻影响力的工作, 影响力能超越我端过的上一道菜。 我想要回馈纽约—— 这个帮助我追随使命的城市, 也要回馈我在塞内加尔的祖先。 我想要为桑戈尔所描述的全体文明 贡献自己的力量。 但我不知道身为厨师及作家, 要如何做出可评估的影响。
While I was writing my first cookbook, I often traveled to different regions of Senegal for research. During one of those trips, in the remote, southeast region of Kédougou I rediscovered an ancient grain called fonio that had all but disappeared from the urban Senegalese diet. It turns out that fonio had been cultivated for more than five thousand years and is probably the oldest cultivated cereal in Africa. Once a popular grain on much of the continent, fonio was grown all the way to ancient Egypt, where archaeologists found grains inside pyramids' burial grounds. Today it is mostly cultivated in the western part of the Sahel region, from Senegal to Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Nigeria. The Sahel region is that semiarid area south of the Sahara desert that extends from the Atlantic in the west to the Red Sea in the east. I became more interested in this grain that was deemed worth taking to the afterlife by early Egyptians.
当我在撰写我的第一本食谱时, 我常前往塞内加尔的 不同地区去做研究。 有一次, 我前往了凯杜古 东南方的偏远地区, 重新发现了一种古代谷物, 叫做非洲全小米(fonio), 它几乎从塞内加尔 城市居民的饮食中消失了。 事实上,非洲全小米已经被播种了 超过五千年, 可能是非洲最古老的农耕谷类植物。 它曾经是这块大陆上 大部分地方的热门谷物, 曾经被一路种植到古埃及, 考古学家在古埃及的金字塔中 发现有谷物被埋在地下。 现今,它大多被种植在 萨赫勒地区的西部, 从塞内加尔到马里, 布基纳法索, 多哥,再到尼日利亚。 萨赫勒地区是半干旱的区域, 位于撒哈拉沙漠以南, 从西边的太西洋延伸到东边的红海。 我对这种谷物变得更感兴趣了, 古埃及人认为它是值得带到来世的。
As I continued my research, I found out that fonio was actually -- wherever it was cultivated -- there was always some myth, or some superstition connected to it. The Dogon, another great culture in Mali, called it "po," or, "the seed of the universe." In that ancient culture's mythology, the entire universe sprouted from a seed of fonio.
随着我继续进行研究, 我发现非洲全小米—— 不论它被种植在哪里—— 总是与某种神话或是迷信有所关联。 多贡, 马里的另一个伟大文化, 称它为 “po” , 意思是 “宇宙的种子”。 在古文化的神话中, 整个宇宙是从一颗 非洲全小米种子萌生出来的。
Aside from its purported mystical properties, fonio is a miracle grain in many aspects. It is nutritious, particularly rich in methionine and cysteine, two amino acids that are deficient in most other major grains: barley, rice or wheat to name a few. In addition, fonio cultivation is great for the environment. It tolerates poor soil and needs very little water, surviving where nothing else will grow.
除了传说的神奇特性之外, 非洲全小米在许多层面上 也是一种奇迹般的谷物。 它很有营养, 富含甲硫胺酸与半胱胺酸, 而大部份的主要谷物 都缺少这两种胺基酸, 比如大麦、米、小麦。 此外, 耕种非洲全小米对环境有益。 它能在贫脊的土壤中生长, 需要的水也非常少, 能在其他植物 无法存活的地方生存。
As a chef, what first struck me was its delicate taste and its versatility. Similar to couscous, fonio has a delicious, nutty and earthy flavor. It can be turned into salad, served as noodles, used in baking or simply as a substitute for any other grains in your favorite recipes. I am happy to share some of my fonio sushi and sweet potato sushi with some of you right now.
身为一名主厨, 首先引起我注意的是 它的细致口味以及多样性。 和非洲古斯米类似, 非洲全小米的味道很可口、 有坚果味及土壤味。 它可以用来做沙拉, 做面条, 用来烘焙, 或是很单纯地用来取代 你最爱的食谱中的其他谷物。 我很高兴现在能与各位分享 我的一些非洲全小米寿司 以及甘薯寿司。
(Audience) Oh!
(观众)哇!
(Applause)
(掌声)
And okra.
还有秋葵。
(Audience murmurs)
(观众低语)
In Kédougou it is also nicknamed "ñamu buur," which means "food for royalty," and it's served for guests of honor.
在凯杜古, 它还有个昵称叫 “ñamu buur”, 意思是 “皇室食物”, 它是为贵宾所准备的。
Located at the border with Guinea and Mali, Kédougou first strikes visitors with its stunning vistas and views of the Fouta Djallon Mountains. Sadly, it is also one of the poorest regions of Senegal. Because of desertification and lack of job prospects, much of Kédougou's young population has left. They chose the deadly path of migration in search of "better" opportunities. Often, they risk their lives trying to reach Europe. Some leave by crossing the Sahara desert. Others end up on inadequate wooden canoes in desperate attempts to reach Spain. According to a recent "Guardian" article, by 2020 more that 60 million people from sub-Saharan Africa are expected to migrate due to desertification. This is the biggest global wave of migration since the Second World War, and it's only set to grow. So far this year, more that 2,100 migrants have lost their lives on their way to Europe. This is the reality of Kédougou and of much of the Sahel today. Scary future, scarce food and no opportunities to change their situation.
凯杜古位于几内亚和马里的边界, 它给访客的第一印象是绝色美景 以及富塔贾隆山脉的景观。 令人难过的是,它也是 塞内加尔最贫穷的地区之一。 因为沙漠化以及缺乏就业前景, 凯杜古大部份的年轻人都离开了。 他们选择踏上这条死亡之路, 为了寻求“更好”的机会。 通常, 他们冒着生命危险试图前往欧洲。 有些人穿越撒哈拉沙漠离开, 其他人则乘着危险的独木舟, 孤注一掷试图前往西班牙。 根据近期 《卫报》的一篇文章, 到 2020 年,撒哈拉以南的 非洲预期会有六千万人 因为沙漠化 而举家迁移。 这是第二次世界大战之后 最大一波的全球迁涉, 且它的规模只增不减。 今年,目前为止, 已经有超过 2100 名迁涉者 在前往欧洲的路上丧命。 这就是凯杜古的现实, 萨赫勒大部分地区 如今情况也不容乐观。 令人害怕的未来, 短缺的食物, 且没有机会能改变他们的状况。
If life in your village weren't so precarious, if there was a way to having enough food to get by, or having a paying job -- if you and your sisters didn't have to spend 30 percent of their waking hours fetching water, if conditions were just a little more hospitable ... could the solution be right here in our soil? Could bringing fonio to the rest of the world be the answer?
如果你村子中的生活是这么不安稳, 如果有方法可以得到 足够生存下去的食物, 或是找到一份有报酬的工作── 如果你和你的姐妹 不需要把 30% 醒着的时间 花在取水上, 如果条件只要能稍微好一点点…… 有没有可能解决方案 就在我们的土壤中? 有没有可能把非洲全小米 带给全世界, 就是我们在找的答案?
Ancient grains are getting more popular, and sales of gluten-free items are growing in the US -- 16.4 percent since 2013, making it a 23.3-billion-dollar industry. How could fonio partake in this market share?
古老的谷物越来越热门, 无麸质的东西在美国越卖越好── 2013 年的销售额占市场的 16.4%, 让它成为了一个 233 亿美元的产业。 非洲全小米要如何参与这个市场?
There are many challenges in turning fonio into food. Traditional processing is laborious and time-consuming, especially when compared to other grains. Well, thankfully, technology has evolved. And there are now machines that can process fonio in a more efficient way. And as a matter of fact, a few years ago, Sanoussi Diakité, a Senegalese engineer, won a Rolex prize for his invention of the first mechanized fonio processor. Today, such machines are making life much easier for producers around the whole Sahel region.
要把非洲全小米转为 食物,有许多挑战。 传统加工要耗很多人力和时间, 相较于其他谷物更是劣势。 谢天谢地,科技进化了。 现在有机器 可以用更高率方式 来做非洲全小米加工。 事实上, 几年前, 山诺西·迪亚基泰, 一位塞内加尔的工程师, 赢得了劳力士奖, 得奖作品是他发明的第一台 机械化非洲全小米加工机。 现今,这类机器让整个 塞内加尔地区的生产者 轻松了许多。
Another challenge is the colonial mentality that what comes from the west is best. This tendency to look down on our own products and to see crops like fonio as simply "country peoples' food," therefore substandard, explains why even though we don't produce wheat in Senegal traditionally, it is far easier to find baguettes or croissants in the streets of Dakar than it is to find any fonio products. This same mindset popularized the overprocessed, leftover rice debris known as "broken rice," which was imported to Senegal from Indochina and introduced by the colonial French. Soon, broken rice became a key ingredient in our national dish, thiéboudienne, replacing our own traditional, more nutritious African rice, Oryza glaberrima. Ironically, the same African rice despised at home was hailed abroad. Indeed, during the Atlantic slave trade, this rice became a major crop in the Americas ... particularly in the Carolinas where it was nicknamed, "Carolina gold."
另一个挑战是殖民心理, 觉得来自西方的才是最好的。 这种看轻我们自己产品的倾向, 只将非洲全小米这类作物 视为“乡下人的食物”, 觉得它不够格的倾向, 说明了为什么虽然 塞内加尔传统不产小麦, 在达喀尔街头,要找到法式面包 或可颂,远比找到任何 非洲全小米产品要容易许多。 同样的心态导致过度加工剩余的 稻米残碎变得很普遍, 这些残渣被称为“坏掉的稻米”。 它们是由法国人从中南半岛 进口到塞内加尔的。 没多久,坏掉的稻米就成了 我们国家菜肴 “鱼肉炖饭”的主要成份, 取代了我们自己传统的 营养非洲稻米, 非洲稻。 讽刺的是,在家乡 被鄙视的非洲稻米, 却在国外受到欢迎。 的确,在跨大西洋奴隶贸易时, 这种稻米变成了美洲的主要作物, 特别是在卡罗莱纳州, 在那里,它的昵称是 “卡罗莱纳黄金”。
But let's return to fonio. How can we turn its current status of "country-people food" into a world-class crop? Last year, a business partner and I secured a commitment from Whole Foods Market, the US's largest natural food store chain, to carry fonio. And we got a large American ingredient importer interested enough to send a team of executives to West Africa with us to explore the supply chain's viability. We found ourselves observing manual operations in remote locations with few controls over quality. So we started focusing on processing issues. We drew up a vision with a beneficial and commercially sustainable supply chain for fonio, and we connected ourselves with organizations that can help us achieve it.
回到非洲全小米。 我们要如何把它目前 “乡下人的食物”的身份, 转变成世界级的作物? 去年, 我和一个商业伙伴得到了 美国最大的天然食物连锁店 全食(Whole Foods)超市 的承诺,它们会销售 非洲全小米。 我们也吸引了一家 大型美国原料进口商, 愿意派一个主管团队与我们 一起到西非, 来评估供应链的可行性。 我们在偏远地区看到的是 落后的人工作业, 和严重缺乏的产品监管。 所以我们开始把焦点放在 加工处理的议题上。 我们拟了一个想法, 内容包括了一个有利可图, 且有商业永续性的非洲全小米供应链, 我们与能协助我们达成这个 想法的组织建立了联系。
Walking backwards from the market, here is what it looks like. Imagine that fonio is consumed all across the globe as other popular ancient grains. Fonio touted on the levels of cereals, breads, nutrition bars, cookies, pastas, snacks -- why not? It's easier to say than quinoa.
从市场走回来, 看起来是这个样子的。 想象非洲全小米在全球 都像其他热门 古老谷物一样地被消费。 非洲全小米被贩售的层级提高到 如谷类加工食品、面包、 营养棒、 饼干、意大利面、 零食——为什么不呢? 这比藜麦还容易发音。
(Laughter)
(笑声)
(Applause)
(掌声)
To get there, fonio needs to be readily available at a consistent quality for commercial users, such as food manufacturers and restaurant chains. That's the part we're missing. To make fonio available at a consistent quality for commercial use, you need a commercial-scale fonio mill that adheres to international quality standards. Currently, there is no such mill in the whole world, so in our vision, there is an African-owned and operated fonio mill that processes efficiently and in compliance with the requirements of multinational food companies. It is very difficult for the fonio producers today to sell and use fonio unless they devote a huge amount of time and energy in threshing, winnowing and husking it. In our vision, the mill will take on those tasks, allowing the producers to focus on farming rather than processing.
为了实现这个目的, 非洲全小米需要准备好能够以 一致的品质供应给商业使用者, 比如食品制造商、连锁餐厅。 那是我们缺少的部份。 要让非洲全小米能够以一致的品质 供商业使用, 你就需要一个商业规模的 非洲全小米磨坊, 它要能遵守国际品质标准。 目前,全世界并没有这样的磨坊。 所以,在我们的愿景中, 有一间非洲自有并经营的 非洲全小米磨坊, 能高效地加工, 并且符合多国食物公司的要求。 现今,非洲全小米制造商很难去 销售和使用非洲全小米, 除非他们投入大量的时间和精力, 去打谷、簸选、除去外壳。 在我们的愿景中, 磨坊会接手这些工作, 让制造商能专注在 种植而非加工环节。
There is untapped agricultural capacity in the Sahel, and all it takes is changing market conditions to activate that capacity. By relieving fonio producers of manual operations, the mill will free up their time and remove the production bottleneck that limits their output. And there are other benefits as well in using Sahel land for agriculture. More benefits, higher employment, climate change mitigation by reversing desertification and greater food security. Nice vision, right? Well, we are working towards getting it done. Last month we introduced fonio to shoppers in New York City and online, in a package that makes it attractive and desirable and accessible.
萨赫勒还有未被 开发利用的农业能力, 需要做的只是改变市场条件, 来启动那种能力。 透过把非洲全小米制造商 从人工作业中解放出来, 磨坊能将这部分时间节省出来, 也能除去限制他们产出的瓶颈。 用萨赫勒的土地来进行农业生产 还有其他的益处。 更多的福利, 更高的就业率, 透过逆转沙漠化来缓和气候变迁, 食物安全也更有保障。 很好的愿景,对吧? 我们正在努力实现它。 上个月,我们向纽约市的 顾客介绍了非洲全小米, 在线上, 我们设计的包装让它 更有吸引力、更容易取得。
(Applause)
(掌声)
We are talking with operators and investors in West Africa about building a fonio mill. And most importantly, we have teamed with an NGO called SOS SAHEL to recruit, train and equip smallholders in the Sahel to increase their fonio production.
我们正在和西非 的从业者和投资者洽谈, 希望能建立非洲全小米磨坊。 最重要的是, 我们与非政府组织 SOS SAHEL 合作, 来征召、训练萨赫勒的小农 并提供装备给他们, 来增加他们的非洲全小米产量。
Hunger levels are higher in sub-Saharan Africa than any other place in the world. The Sahel population is set to grow from 135 million to 340 million people. However, in that drought- and famine-prone region, fonio grows freely. This tiny grain may provide big answers, reasserting its Dogon name, "po," the seed of the universe, and taking us one step closer to the universal civilization.
在撒哈拉以南非洲,饥饿的问题 比世界其他地方都严重。 预期萨赫勒的人口还会增加, 从 1 亿 3 千 5 百万人 增长到 3 亿 4 千万人。 然而,在有干旱及 饥荒倾向的地区, 非洲全小米能自由生长。 这微小的谷物可能 可以提供巨大的答案, 再次证明它的多贡名称: “po”,宇宙的种子, 让我们向着宇宙文明 更前进一点。
Thank you.
谢谢。
(Applause)
(掌声)