Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher , we answer a question from Noura about how to describe food that is no longer safe to eat.
你好！本周，在“请教老师”节目中，我们回答了 Noura 提出的关于如何描述不再安全食用的食物的问题。
Dear Teacher,
亲爱的老师：
Would you please tell us the words we use to describe spoiled food? Now I use only one or two words for all of food types, such as " rotten" or "spoiled." However, in my native language we use different words for different categories like spoiled vegetables, bread, beverages, [and] meat-dishes. I wonder if it is the same in English too.
您能告诉我们用什么词来形容变质的食物吗？现在我只用一两个词来形容所有食物类型，例如“腐烂”或“变质”。然而，在我的母语中，我们对不同类别使用不同的单词，例如变质的蔬菜、面包、饮料和肉类菜肴。我想知道英语是否也一样。
Thank you for writing to us, Noura. I’m happy to answer this question.
感谢您给我们写信，努拉。我很高兴回答这个问题。
Let’s begin with the two words you mention, “rotten,” and “spoiled”. We can use both words to talk about food in general. So, we can say either of the following:
让我们从你提到的两个词开始：“烂”和“宠坏”。我们可以用这两个词来谈论一般的食物。因此，我们可以说以下任一内容：
That food is rotten.
那个食物已经腐烂了。
That food is spoiled.
那个食物变质了。
But for some foods, we use “rotten” much more than we use “spoiled.” For example, we can say rotten eggs, rotten tomatoes, rotten apples, rotten vegetables, rotten fruit, and so on. The most common usage of “rotten” is with eggs.
但对于某些食物，我们使用“腐烂”一词的次数远多于使用“变质”的次数。例如，我们可以说腐烂的鸡蛋、腐烂的西红柿、腐烂的苹果、腐烂的蔬菜、腐烂的水果等等。 “烂”最常见的用法是鸡蛋。
We use “spoiled” mostly when talking about meat or milk.
当谈论肉或牛奶时，我们大多使用“spoiled”。
Another general term for spoiled food or drink is the expression “gone bad”.
变质食物或饮料的另一个通用术语是“变质”。
Now let’s look at some other terms we use with certain foods and drinks.
现在让我们看看我们对某些食物和饮料使用的一些其他术语。
“Rancid” describes foods that contain fats that have started to go bad. These typically include nuts, seeds, and oils. Fish, meat, and poultry can also become rancid.
“酸败”是指含有已经开始变质的脂肪的食物。这些通常包括坚果、种子和油。鱼、肉和家禽也会变酸。
We use the word “stale” to describe bread that has become hard and difficult to eat. And “wilted” describes lettuce or other greens that are no longer fresh.
我们用“不新鲜”这个词来形容已经变硬、难以食用的面包。 “枯萎”指的是不再新鲜的生菜或其他蔬菜。
Mold is a kind of very small fungus. It makes food go bad and can be found on fruit, bread and cheese. The adjective we use for mold is “moldy.”
霉菌是一种非常小的真菌。它会使食物变质，常见于水果、面包和奶酪中。我们用来形容霉菌的形容词是“发霉的”。
We use the adjective “sour” or the expression “to go sour” to describe milk or cream that has started to spoil. Note that there is also a food called sour cream, which is safe to eat – and quite tasty!
我们使用形容词“酸”或“变酸”来形容已经开始变质的牛奶或奶油。请注意，还有一种叫做酸奶油的食物，可以安全食用，而且非常美味！
As you can see, a meal with rancid, stale, sour, wilted, moldy, rotten and spoiled food is one to avoid!
如您所见，应避免食用腐臭、不新鲜、酸、枯萎、发霉、腐烂和变质的食物！