As Pakistan and India spar over basmati rice, some fear for its survival
International demand for basmati rice is forecast to double over the next few years. But farmers and connoisseurs say traditional varieties are disappearing.

隨著巴基斯坦和印度就巴斯馬蒂大米展開爭執(zhí)，一些人擔心它的生存前景。
預計未來幾年國際對巴斯馬蒂大米的需求將翻倍。但農民和鑒賞家表示，傳統(tǒng)品種正在消失。

Basmati rice — the region’s “scented pearl” — was probably once exported to the Roman Empire, historians say, and is today in growing demand in the United States and Europe. Yet its origins have never been more divisive or its future more uncertain.

巴基斯坦拉合爾——早在這片土地成為印度和巴基斯坦邊界之前，這里的農民就種植了一種珍貴的世界聞名的長粒大米。歷史學家稱，巴斯馬蒂大米——該地區(qū)的“香米珍珠”——可能曾出口到羅馬帝國，如今在美國和歐洲的需求不斷增長。然而，它的起源從未如此具有爭議性，未來也從未如此不確定。

Officials in New Delhi are pushing for basmati rice to be granted protected status in global markets as a uniquely Indian product. They have been met with vehement opposition from Pakistan, which claims the rice is part of a shared heritage between the two countries.

新德里的官員正推動巴斯馬蒂大米作為印度獨有的產品在全球市場獲得保護地位。他們遭到了巴基斯坦的強烈反對，巴基斯坦聲稱這種大米是兩國共同遺產的一部分。
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But in the world’s basmati heartlands, many fear the real threat is being ignored by leaders in both nations. As analysts predict international demand for basmati to double over the next few years — reaching an estimated $27 billion by 2032 — farmers and rice connoisseurs say the signature strain is on the brink of disappearing.

但在世界巴斯馬蒂大米的核心產區(qū)，許多人擔心真正的威脅被兩國領導人忽視了。隨著分析人士預測未來幾年國際對巴斯馬蒂大米的需求將翻倍——到2032年預計達到270億美元——農民和大米鑒賞家表示，這種標志性品種正瀕臨消失。

Basmati’s name is derived from an ancient Indo-Aryan word for “aromatic” and “fragrant,” and it is described by many here in almost religious terms.

巴斯馬蒂的名字源自一個古老的印度-雅利安語詞匯，意為“芳香”和“芬芳”，在這里，許多人用近乎宗教的語言描述它。
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“There’s this special moment when you lift the lid of your metal pot and the steam comes out,” said Muhammad Nawaz, 37, a Pakistani chef. “It’s an eruption inside your nose; it intoxicates you.”

“當你揭開金屬鍋蓋，蒸汽冒出來的那一刻，有一種特別的感受，”37歲的巴基斯坦廚師Muhammad Nawaz說。“它在你鼻子里爆發(fā)，讓你陶醉?！?/b>

Nobody can say with certainty when exactly that began to change. But all agree that’s not what most basmati rice here tastes like these days — even if it carries the label.

沒有人能確切地說出這種變化是從什么時候開始的。但所有人都同意，如今大多數(shù)巴斯馬蒂大米的味道已經不再如此——即使它仍然貼著這個標簽。

“Young farmers have lost the traditional knowledge of how to maintain genetic purity,” said Debal Deb, an ecologist who works with Indian farmers to conserve indigenous seeds. He called the debate over who owns basmati “a complete waste of energy on both sides.”

“年輕農民已經失去了如何保持基因純度的傳統(tǒng)知識，”與印度農民合作保護本土種子的生態(tài)學家Debal Deb說。他稱關于誰擁有巴斯馬蒂的爭論“完全是雙方在浪費精力”。

In the 1980s, Indian and Pakistani farmers seeking a market advantage began growing varieties that matured faster and produced higher yields but lacked basmati’s characteristic richness. As small farms gave way to large agribusiness over the following decades, quicker harvest cycles, processing shortcuts and soil degradation, partly caused by climate change, all contributed to a less fragrant rice.

20世紀80年代，印度和巴基斯坦的農民為了獲得市場優(yōu)勢，開始種植成熟更快、產量更高但缺乏巴斯馬蒂特有香味的品種。隨著小農場在接下來的幾十年里讓位于大型農業(yè)企業(yè)，更快的收獲周期、加工捷徑以及部分由氣候變化引起的土壤退化，都導致了大米的香味減弱。

But the new varieties are cheaper and easier to prepare at home. More important, according to exporters, most customers in the West can’t tell the difference.

但新品種更便宜，也更容易在家烹飪。更重要的是，根據(jù)出口商的說法，西方的大多數(shù)顧客無法分辨其中的區(qū)別。

In Lahore, and across this agricultural belt of South Asia, many feel that true basmati rice is quietly dying out. “We have compromised on the definition,” said Faisal Hassan, whose father became a national hero in Pakistan when he helped create a popular variety of basmati rice in the 1960s.

在拉合爾以及南亞的這片農業(yè)帶，許多人感到真正的巴斯馬蒂大米正在悄然消失。“我們在定義上妥協(xié)了，”Faisal Hassan說，他的父親在20世紀60年代幫助培育了一種受歡迎的巴斯馬蒂大米品種，成為巴基斯坦的民族英雄。

“This is suicidal,” he said.

“這是自殺行為，”他說。

Basmati’s global boom

巴斯馬蒂的全球繁榮
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Basmati rice is deeply rooted in the Punjab region, which today comprises a state in India and an adjacent Pakistani province. Early forms may have been cultivated here as long as 2,000 years ago, archaeologists have found; written references to the rice appear as early as the 16th century, when the Mughal Empire ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent.

巴斯馬蒂大米深深植根于旁遮普地區(qū)，該地區(qū)如今包括印度的一個邦和巴基斯坦的一個相鄰省份?？脊艑W家發(fā)現(xiàn)，早在2000年前，這里可能就已經種植了早期形式的巴斯馬蒂大米；書面記載最早出現(xiàn)在16世紀，當時莫臥兒帝國統(tǒng)治著印度次大陸的大部分地區(qū)。

“It was the food of emperors and kings,” said Raja Arslan Ullah Khan, a Pakistani rice exporter.

“它是皇帝和國王的食物，”巴基斯坦大米出口商Raja Arslan Ullah Khan說。

In the 1930s, Britain’s colonial government in India officially recognized the first standardized variety of basmati, which had been researched in a part of what would become the Pakistani Punjab province when British India was partitioned in 1947.

20世紀30年代，英國殖民政府在印度正式承認了第一個標準化的巴斯馬蒂品種，該品種在1947年英屬印度分治后成為巴基斯坦旁遮普省的一部分進行了研究。

Basmati rice wasn’t an immediate international success. Initial importers were mostly in the Middle East, which had a growing affinity for biryani, and among South Asian diasporas in Europe and the United States.

巴斯馬蒂大米并未立即在國際上取得成功。最初的進口商主要集中在中東地區(qū)，那里對印度香飯的喜愛日益增長，以及歐洲和美國的南亞僑民。

From the start, India and Pakistan quarreled over who had the best basmati, and who had rightful claim to the name. In the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war, Pakistani farmers accused Indian soldiers of stealing their seeds; India subsequently accused its neighbor of copying its most prized varieties.

從一開始，印度和巴基斯坦就爭論誰的巴斯馬蒂最好，誰有權使用這個名字。在1965年的印巴戰(zhàn)爭中，巴基斯坦農民指責印度士兵偷走了他們的種子；印度隨后指責其鄰國復制了其最珍貴的品種。

“Our rice was far better in quality compared to that of India,” said Chaudhry Arshad Mahmood, a 55-year-old Pakistani farmer whose family has grown rice in the region for decades.

“我們的大米質量遠優(yōu)于印度，”55歲的巴基斯坦農民Chaudhry Arshad Mahmood說，他的家族在該地區(qū)種植大米已有數(shù)十年。

Ganesh Hingmire, an Indian professor who specializes in intellectual property disputes, couldn’t disagree more: “If you have an inferior quality, you have no right to claim it’s yours,” he said.

專門研究知識產權糾紛的印度教授Ganesh Hingmire則完全不同意：“如果你的質量較差，你就沒有權利聲稱它是你的?！?/b>

In recent decades, India has undeniably gained the upper hand in the race to global basmati dominance. Its increasingly successful marketing strategies and export policies have outpaced those of Pakistan, which is “l(fā)ate to the party,” said Saboor Ahmed, a rice supplier in Lahore.

近幾十年來，印度無疑在全球巴斯馬蒂主導權的競爭中占據(jù)了上風。其日益成功的營銷策略和出口政策已經超越了巴基斯坦，拉合爾的大米供應商Saboor Ahmed說，巴基斯坦“來得太晚了”。
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The country is looking for opportunities to seize more market share, as it did after 2018, when Indian exports to Europe were affected by new E.U. pesticide limits.

該國正在尋找機會搶占更多市場份額，就像2018年印度對歐洲的出口受到歐盟新農藥限制影響后所做的那樣。

But “l(fā)et’s be honest: Their variety is similar to ours,” said Yograjdeep Singh, a basmati rice business strategist in India. “Why are we fighting about this?”

但“說實話：他們的品種與我們的相似，”印度的巴斯馬蒂大米商業(yè)策略師Yograjdeep Singh說?！拔覀?yōu)槭裁匆獮榇藸幊常俊?/b>

New Delhi’s global efforts to enshrine its ownership of basmati have largely stalled. While an Indian case in the European unx is pending, Australia and New Zealand have rejected similar legal claims.

新德里在全球范圍內確立其對巴斯馬蒂所有權的努力大多停滯不前。盡管印度在歐盟的訴訟仍在進行中，但澳大利亞和新西蘭已經拒絕了類似的法律主張。
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A legacy in doubt

遺產的存疑

There are no exact figures for how much traditional basmati is still grown in Pakistan, but exporters and experts agree that the majority of rice produced here is now of the newer, high-yield varieties. On the other side of the border, Pusa Basmati 1121, or PB 1121, a newer strain, accounted for around 70 percent of all basmati cultivated in India’s Punjab state in 2019.

巴基斯坦目前種植的傳統(tǒng)巴斯馬蒂大米數(shù)量沒有確切數(shù)據(jù)，但出口商和專家一致認為，這里生產的大米大部分已經是新的高產品種。在邊境的另一邊，Pusa Basmati 1121（或PB 1121）這一新品種占2019年印度旁遮普邦所有巴斯馬蒂大米種植量的約70%。

It’s a trend that is unlikely to be reversed. According to one study, farmers netted an average of $1,400 per hectare of PB 1121, more than double the $650 they earned from older varieties.

這一趨勢不太可能逆轉。根據(jù)一項研究，農民種植PB 1121每公頃平均凈賺1400美元，是種植老品種650美元的兩倍多。

Deb, the Indian ecologist, maintains his own rice seed bank, part of a small but growing grassroots movement to conserve traditional basmati. “We maintain genetic purity of each variety,” he said, “and then distribute them to farmers for free.” He added that more extensive efforts are needed across the region if the original taste and smell of indigenous varieties are to endure.

印度生態(tài)學家Deb維護著自己的大米種子庫，這是保護傳統(tǒng)巴斯馬蒂的小規(guī)模但不斷增長的基層運動的一部分?！拔覀儽３置總€品種的基因純度，”他說，“然后免費分發(fā)給農民?！彼a充說，如果本土品種的原始味道和香氣要得以延續(xù)，整個地區(qū)需要更廣泛的努力

In Pakistan, people say basmati will always have a place at their tables, even if it’s not what it once was.

在巴基斯坦，人們說巴斯馬蒂將永遠在他們的餐桌上占有一席之地，即使它已不再是過去的樣子。

Faqir Hussain, a Lahore-based restaurant owner, switched to serving his customers a cheaper long-grain alternative years ago. “People will probably forget that traditional basmati rice ever existed,” he said.

拉合爾的餐館老板Faqir Hussain幾年前就開始為顧客提供一種更便宜的長粒大米替代品?！叭藗兛赡軙泜鹘y(tǒng)巴斯馬蒂大米曾經存在過，”他說。

Hussain and other businessmen in Pakistan are focused on catering to younger generations — the country’s median age is around 20 — who often lack the emotional connection to traditional basmati and the means to afford it.

Hussain和巴基斯坦的其他商人正專注于迎合年輕一代——該國的中位年齡約為20歲——他們往往對傳統(tǒng)巴斯馬蒂缺乏情感聯(lián)系，也沒有能力負擔它。

Lahore-based waiter Saqib Ur Rahaman, 52, said he understands why many are moving on; dishes at his restaurant would double in price if the old varieties were still used.

52歲的拉合爾服務員Saqib Ur Rahaman說，他理解為什么許多人轉向新品種；如果仍然使用老品種，他餐廳的菜品價格將翻倍。

For Rahaman, though, there’s no substitute for the original. He still receives the precious grains at affordable prices from his wife’s relatives, who live nearby in the rice-growing heartlands.

但對Rahaman來說，沒有什么能替代原版。他仍然以實惠的價格從他妻子的親戚那里獲得這些珍貴的米粒，他們住在附近的大米種植核心區(qū)。
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“As long as my in-laws are alive, I’ll be okay,” he said.

“只要我的岳父母還活著，我就沒問題，”他說。