Shortening is a pale, solid fat, usually made from vegetable oil, that you rub into flour when you make pastry. It is not butter, and it is not oil you pour from a bottle. Butter tastes of butter; shortening is quieter, and it helps the pastry come out light and crumbly.

Shortening起酥油 is是 a pale, solid fat一種淡色的固態油脂, usually made from vegetable oil通常是用植物油做的, that you rub into flour when you make pastry做酥皮點心時要揉進麵粉裡的那種。It它 is not不是 butter奶油, and而且 it它 is not也不是 oil you pour from a bottle從瓶子裡倒出來的那種油。Butter奶油 tastes of butter吃起來就是奶油味; shortening起酥油 is quieter味道則清淡許多, and而且 it它 helps the pastry come out light and crumbly能讓酥皮做出來又輕又鬆散。

In old kitchen English, short pastry is pastry that breaks easily, and this fat is what makes it do that — that is why it has this name, not because it makes a pie shorter on the plate. In the US it is a cupboard word; in many other kitchens people just reach for butter.

In old kitchen English在老式的廚房英文裡, short pastryshort pastry is指的是 pastry that breaks easily容易碎裂的酥皮, and而 this fat這種油脂 is what makes it do that就是讓它有這種特性的東西 — that is why it has this name這也是它得到這個名字的原因, not because it makes a pie shorter on the plate而不是因為它讓派在盤子上變短。In the US在美國, it它 is是 a cupboard word一個廚櫃裡常備的字（食材）; in many other kitchens而在其他很多廚房裡, people大家 just reach for butter就直接拿奶油用了。

The same letters also appear when we talk about making a dress or a story less long, from the verb shorten. That is a different job. Here we mean the baking fat.

The same letters同樣的字母組合 also appear也會出現 when we talk about making a dress or a story less long在我們講把裙子或故事改短的時候, from the verb shorten是來自動詞shorten。That那 is a different job是不同的用法。Here在這裡, we我們 mean指的是 the baking fat烘焙用的那種油脂。