3000歐元一塊的牛肉你敢嘗嗎?

NormAlly, it would be unthinkable to consume meat that's over a few days old, but thanks to French butcher Alexandre Polmard it is actually possible to enjoy 'vintage' meats from cows that were butchered decades ago!

正常情況下，人們是不會考慮去吃放了幾天的生肉的，但多虧了法國肉鋪老闆亞歷山大·波羅瑪，事實上要享用幾十年前從奶牛身上砍下來的“陳年”牛肉已成爲可能。

Polmard offers his customers the world's most expensive meat, aged through 'hibernation', a special process that his grandfather and father invented in the 1990s. Cold air is blown over the meat at speeds of 120 kilometers per hour, in a -43 C environment, making the meat theoretically last forever. It will not rot with age, and will continue to taste fresh indefinitely.

波羅瑪給顧客提供的肉舉世最貴。20世紀90年代，波羅瑪的祖父和父親發明了一道特殊工藝，通過“休眠”，零下43度的環境中，冷空氣以120千米的時速吹拂牛肉，這樣肉理論上可以永久保鮮，不會因歲月流逝而腐壞，當然，也能持續保持新鮮口感。

Meat prepared through Polmard's process obviously doesn't come cheap. The 2000 vintage cote de boeuf (rib steak), for instance, costs about 3,000 euros. The steep price not only covers the 'hibernation' process, but also the cost of raising an exclusive breed of cattle called 'Blonde Aquitaine'.

用波羅瑪工藝保鮮的肉類價格不菲。2000年的復古肋排要價約三千歐元。這一天價不但涵蓋“休眠”工藝的成本，也包括養“金毛阿基坦”精品牛的成本在內。

Polmard also talks to his animals every day, to ensure that they remain stress-free and comfortable, right down to the very end. He explained that when a cow is stressed it results in higher levels of glycogen and lactic acid, making its meat flavorless and tough. So Polmard spends millions of dollars on infrastructure to take care of his cows, and ensures that only four cows are killed every week.

波羅瑪每天都和動物談天，確保其直至終了都遠離壓力、舒適自在。他解釋道，奶牛有精神壓力的時候，會引發糖原和乳酸含量升高，肉風味盡失、口感粗糙。所以，波羅瑪在基礎設施上投資數百萬元，悉心呵護奶牛，確保每週只宰殺四頭牛。

In fact, the amount of meat he produces is so small that the Polmard boucherie in Paris looks more like a vintage wine shop . There's a long list of people who've put down their names months in advance to try some of the rarest, most aged meats.

事實上，肉產量小之又小，波羅瑪在巴黎的肉店看起來更像是家年代久遠的葡萄酒店。很多人提前數月就預約，要嚐嚐這稀世罕見年代久遠的肉,排隊名單長之又長。

Just like with wine, the different vintages that Polmard produces have different flavors and characteristics. The most exclusive and expensive cuts are reserved for a handful of Michelin-star chefs, but Polmard says he personally visits them to make sure they understand the nuances and subtleties of the meat.

和葡萄酒一樣，波羅瑪所制不同年代的牛肉風味不同、特色各異。最精品最昂貴的那幾刀肉是給好些米其林星廚師特別保留的；但波羅瑪稱他會親自造訪，確保廚師們懂肉質的細微差別。