葡萄是最受欢迎的夏季水果之一，或许你能说出很多吃过的葡萄品种，但是葡萄本身仍然有很多你不了解的“小秘密”。

Grapes are popular fresh, and people also love consuming them as wine, jam, juice, various dried varieties, jelly, vinegar, grape seed extract, and grape seed oil. It’s this versatile popularity, coupled with the many countries that harbor good growing conditions, that have crowned the grape as one of the world’s most economically important crops. Here are some fascinating facts about one of the most ubiquitous fruits.

葡萄是很受欢迎的生鲜水果，人们还喜欢把葡萄制成葡萄酒、果酱、果汁、蜜饯、果冻、果醋、葡萄籽提取物和葡萄籽油享用。葡萄的用处多多，而且许多国家都拥有种植葡萄的良好条件，这让葡萄成为世界上最重要的经济作物之一。一起来了解一下这种随处可见的水果。

1. Grapes are used to make synthetic leather.

葡萄可以制成人造皮革

In the quest to find cruelty-free and more environmentally friendly synthetic leather, Vegea, an Italian company founded in 2018, has made a fully recyclable and biodegradable product from the grape waste left over from winemaking.

为了制出环保又不残酷的人造皮革，创立于2018年的意大利Vegea公司用酿酒剩下的葡萄残渣开发出了一款可以完全回收降解的产品。

Grape leather is being used for a whole host of products, including vegan-friendly shoes, bags, and boxing gloves.

葡萄皮革被用来生产出大量产品，包括对纯素者友好的鞋子、包包，还有拳击手套。

2. Grapes can be deadly to your pet.

葡萄会危及宠物的生命

Grapes and their derivatives (raisins, wine, and grape juice) are toxic to dogs: They can cause kidney failure, which can ultimately be fatal. In 2021, vets at the ASPCA discovered that tartaric acid contained in the fruit is the culprit. Symptoms of grape poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive thirst.

葡萄和它的衍生物（葡萄干、葡萄酒和葡萄汁）对狗有毒，会导致狗的肾脏衰竭，并可能导致狗最后丧命。2021年，美国防止虐待动物协会的兽医发现，葡萄所含的酒石酸是罪魁祸首。葡萄中毒的症状包括呕吐、腹泻和极度口渴。

3. The grapes you eat are different from the ones used in winemaking.

你吃的葡萄和酿酒用的葡萄不是同一种

The qualities desired from the ones you eat fresh (table grapes) are quite different from those required for wine production (wine grapes). The seeds and thicker skins on wine grapes lend more flavor and color to the wine, while their greater sweetness aids the fermentation process. Table grapes tend to be larger and more palatable: juicy with firmer flesh and a less concentrated flavor, with a thinner skin and fewer seeds.

食用葡萄的品质要求和酿酒葡萄的品质要求差别很大。酿酒所用葡萄的籽和厚皮给葡萄酒增添更多风味和颜色，而更高的甜度加速了发酵进程。食用葡萄通常更大更美味，果肉紧实多汁，味道不是很浓，果皮更薄，籽更少。

4. China leads the way in table grape production and consumption.

中国在食用葡萄的生产和消费上都遥遥领先

Thanks to its favorable climate and growing conditions, China has been growing grapes for more than 2000 years. Consumption is expected to increase from 11.8 million metric tons in 2021–2022 to 12.4 million metric tons in 2022–2023, making China the world’s largest consumer.

多亏了有利的气候和生长条件，中国种植葡萄已有两千多年之久。中国人消费的葡萄从2021至2022年的1180万吨增长到2022至2023年的1240万吨，这让中国成为全世界葡萄消费量最大的国家。

China doesn’t just consume a lot of grapes. The country’s expected table grape production in 2022–2023 is 12.6 million tons—more than half of the world’s grape production—making it the world’s top grape producer as well.

中国不仅葡萄消费量大，2022至2023年的食用葡萄产量预期将达到1260吨，占到了全球葡萄总产量的一半还多，这让中国成为全球葡萄产量最高的国家。

5. Grapes were probably the first fruit domesticated by humans.

葡萄应该是人类最早驯化的水果

In 2023, researchers published genetic evidence that grapevines were domesticated around 11,000 years ago. By studying grape genome sequences, they found that the fruit was independently domesticated in two separate regions concurrently: the region in western Asia home to Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, and the region covered by modern-day Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. As the scientists remarked, “The grapevine was probably the first fruit crop domesticated by humans … It was one of the first globally traded goods.”

2023年，研究人员发布了大约11000年前人类驯化葡萄藤的基因证据。通过研究葡萄的基因组序列，他们发现同一时间有两个地区分别独立驯化葡萄。一个在西亚（黎巴嫩、约旦、巴勒斯坦、以色列所在地），一个在现代的阿塞拜疆、亚美尼亚、格鲁吉亚地区。科学家指出：“葡萄藤应该是人类最早驯化的水果……葡萄是最早在全球贸易的商品之一。”

6. The largest grape variety is the Kyoho.

个头最大的葡萄品种是巨峰

The Kyoho grape is a European-American hybrid that originated in Japan in 1937. Originally popular in Japan and China but now found worldwide. The Kyoho breeder named the result Kyoho, which translates to “great mountain peak,” in honour of Mount Fuji. The oblong grapes are 2–4 centimeters big. Their skin ranges from dark violet to almost black in color, and their green flesh is very sweet. The seeds and thick skins are bitter and often discarded. Fortunately, the Kyoho possesses a “slip-skin,” meaning the skin slides off easily, leaving the flesh intact.

巨峰葡萄是日本培育出的欧洲和美洲葡萄杂交品种。一开始在日本和中国很受欢迎，如今在世界各地都能见到。培育出巨峰葡萄的人将其命名为巨峰是为了纪念富士山。这种椭圆形的葡萄长度为2至4厘米。果皮深紫到紫黑，绿色的果肉很甜。籽和厚皮味苦，通常被抛弃。幸运的是，巨峰葡萄很好剥皮，果皮撕下后果肉完好无损。

英文来源：Mental Floss

翻译&编辑：丹妮

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