近年来，随着外界对中国的了解逐渐加深，中国美食文化也正在走向世界，俘获更多外国人的味蕾。

“漂洋过海”的老干妈、黄焖鸡米饭、煎饼果子已经远远不能满足老外吃货的胃口。他们越吃越地道，越吃越精通，有人甚至亲赴中国，只为开启一场美食探索之旅。

CNN金牌纪录片电视节目《安东尼•波登：未知之旅》（Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown）前往四川，体验麻辣极致，品味四川美食文化。


在众多中国美食中，最让外国人欲罢不能的当属一道道麻辣辛香的四川菜。

要问外国人对四川美食的爱到底有多深？看看他们无数次的“表白”就知道了。

最近，CNN再一次把川菜夸上了天，称川菜是“最刺激的中国地方菜”（China's most thrilling regional cuisine）、“中国最流行的菜系”（China's trendiest cuisine）。

至于川菜为什么这么受欢迎，CNN认为，其精髓在于多种口味的巧妙融合。川菜口味普遍偏辣，但是却辣出了不同的层次，不同的味道。

Although it's most famous for its electrifying use of chilies and lip-tingling Sichuan peppercorns, the heart of the local style of cooking lies in the artful mixing of flavors.
虽然，川菜以大量使用辣椒和令人唇齿发麻的四川花椒而闻名，但其精髓在于将多种口味巧妙融合。

Sichuanese cooks excel at combining hot, numbing, sweet, sour, savory and nutty seasonings to create an astonishing variety of flavors.
川菜厨师擅长将辣、麻、甜、酸、咸以及稀奇古怪的调味料结合在一起，烹饪出各种不可思议的美味。

Locals like to say "each dish has its own style; a hundred dishes have a hundred different flavors."
四川人常说：“一菜一格，百菜百味。”

Some of these are dazzlingly hot, like the numbing-and-hot mix of Sichuan pepper and dried chilies.
有些川菜特别辣，比如又麻又辣的四川花椒和干辣椒。

Other dishes are mildly spicy, like those featuring a fish-fragrant sauce based on pickled chilies, and those with a sweet-and-sour lychee-flavored sauce are not hot at all.
而有的菜则是微辣的，比如泡椒鱼香口味，糖醋口味的菜就一点儿都不辣。

川菜取材广泛，调味多变，菜式多样，从鱼香肉丝、宫保鸡丁、水煮肉片，到夫妻肺片、辣子鸡丁、麻婆豆腐、回锅肉，让人眼花缭乱，垂涎欲滴。

这么多菜色究竟该从哪下嘴呢？CNN为广大吃货“安利”了八道必尝的四川美食：

1. Liang ban ji: Cold chicken in a spicy sauce
凉拌鸡

Sichuanese cold chicken dishes, made with poached chicken bathed in a spicy sauce, are simple yet sensational.
四川凉拌鸡就是将白切鸡淋上辣椒油，做法简单又美味。

There's no single recipe, but the chicken is often chopped on the bone and a typical sauce might include vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil and a sprinkling of ground Sichuan pepper.
凉拌鸡没有固定的做法，但是一般会把鸡连骨头一起剁碎，淋上调味汁。经典的调味汁可能包括醋、糖、酱油、辣椒油、芝麻油和一小撮四川花椒粉。

Roasted peanuts or sesame seeds and sliced scallions may be added as a final flourish.
也可在最后撒上烤花生或芝麻和葱花。

2. Mapo doufu: Pock-marked old woman's tofu
麻婆豆腐

If you ever thought tofu was boring, this dish will make you think again.
如果觉得豆腐很无味，那么麻婆豆腐会让你对这种食物有一番新的认识。

It's a mind-blowingly delicious concoction of tender tofu, minced beef or pork, Sichuan chili bean sauce and ground Sichuan pepper that will warm your heart and make your lips tingle.
这道菜将鲜嫩的豆腐、牛肉沫或猪肉沫、四川豆瓣酱以及四川花椒粉混合，烹饪出一道异常美味的菜肴，让你的心窝暖暖，嘴唇酥麻。

It's named after its inventor, a Qing Dynasty woman restaurateur with a pock-marked face.
发明麻婆豆腐的是清朝一个满脸麻子的餐馆老板娘，这道菜就是以她命名的。