幸運小鐵魚：柬埔寨的補鐵新希望

Little Fish May Solve Cambodia’s Major Health Problem

Crush some garlic， chop up a whole chicken， some fresh herbs， add a squeeze of 1）lime juice， a 2）pinch of salt， then pop in a lucky iron fish. Stir the pot and 3）simmer gently for 30 minutes. It’s not a mistake in the recipe， because this smiling fish just might be the most unlikely ingredient in Cambodian cooking today.

Woman A： （via translator） At first my family thought it was very funny， very strange， why I was putting the iron fish in the boiling water or soup. So I explained to them that it can help improve our health and make us stronger.

With many rural people existing on a dollar a day， iron supplements in red meat are often out of reach， leading to iron deficiency and 4）anemia across Cambodia.

Local Doctor： Most Cambodians suffer from low iron because they live in the countryside， and they don’t have enough money to buy meat like beef， and also they don’t consume enough vegetables.

The fish are made from recycled iron and crafted at this neighbourhood factory. Once cast， the lucky iron fish is packaged， by a local disabilities cooperative， in a traditional basket. Depending on its use， it can last for up to five years before needing a replacement.

The fish works by 5）leaching small amounts of iron into the cooking water， which are then slowly processed by the body.

Woman B： （via translator） Yes， I will definitely use this iron fish during cooking. I think all the people in here will like the fish， because fish is our main food every day.

Results from previous trials show rates of anemia were cut by almost half， an indication that this innovative smiling fish could be the answer Cambodians have been waiting for.

搗碎一些大蒜，將一整只雞剁成塊，加點新鮮的香草，擠點酸橙汁，撒一小撮鹽，然后突然放入一條幸運小鐵魚；攪拌燉鍋，接著文火慢燉30分鐘。這個菜譜并沒有出問題——這條面帶微笑的小魚可能是如今的柬埔寨菜肴中最讓人意外的配料了。

婦女甲：（通過翻譯）一開始，對于我將小鐵魚放進開水或是湯里的行為，家里人都覺得非常可笑，特別奇怪。于是我向他們解釋說，這能讓我們更加健康，強身健體。

由于當地許多農村居民每天的生活費只有一美元，他們通常買不起紅肉，無從攝取鐵質，缺鐵和貧血成了柬埔寨國內的普遍現象。

當地醫生：大多數柬埔寨人體內的鐵質都不高，因為他們住在鄉下，不夠錢購買牛肉之類的肉食，而且蔬菜攝取量不足。

小魚的材料是再生鐵，就在附近這家工廠制作而成。鑄造完成后，幸運小鐵魚就會由當地一家殘疾人合作社負責包裝，裝進一個很傳統的籃子里。根據具體的使用狀況，小鐵魚最多可以用上五年才需要更換。

這條小魚的作用是在水煮過程中釋出微量鐵質，這些鐵質隨后能被人體慢慢吸收。

婦女乙：（通過翻譯）是的，我做飯的時候肯定會用到這條鐵魚。我覺得這里的人都會喜歡小鐵魚，因為魚肉本來就是我們每天的主食。

先前的試驗結果顯示，當地貧血癥的比例下降了接近五成，證明這條極具創意的微笑小魚可能就是柬埔寨人期待已久的良方妙藥。

新聞背景

貧血是世界上最常見的營養缺乏癥，受影響者主要為育齡婦女、青少年和年幼的孩子。……