辣椒與湘味

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對湖南人來說，吃辣的習俗不僅存在于市井煙火間，更在文化和基因里得到了傳承。人們常說吃辣有三重境界：第一重是不怕辣；第二重是辣不怕；第三重是怕不辣，也是吃辣的最高境界。在湖南，幾乎家家戶戶都會腌辣椒、醬辣椒、曬辣椒，日常飲食中也是“無辣不成菜”。在別的地方，人們把辣椒當佐料，而湖南人則把辣椒當菜。

For people from Hunan Province — known by its abbreviationas Xiang，eating spicy food is embedded in their kitchens，in their culture，and， some might say， even in their genes.Local people speak of three levels of eating spicy food.The first is not being afraid of spice.The second is being able to handle it.And the third一perhaps the most Hunan of all—is fearing only that the food isn't spicyenough.InHunan，nearly everyhousehold knows howto make pickled chillies，soypreserved chillies， and sun-dried chilli peppers.In their daily life，there is acommon saying： eNo spice，Nodish."Whileinother parts of China，chilli is used as a seasoning or garnish， in Hunan，chilliesare eatenas dishes.

湖南的辣椒種類繁多，堪稱全國之最。（剩余5667字）