To the Editor: The traditional practice of soaking iron nails in vinegar to produce a supplement of nutritional iron was found to have validity when subjected to scientific analysis and scrutiny.1 Indochinese immigrants in California often consume considerable amounts of a liquid made from pork or chicken bones soaked in vinegar. For some, this traditional procedure is practiced especially during pregnancy. Since the traditional diet of the Indochinese does not include milk and cheese — the well-recognized sources of calcium in the Western diet — their calcium intake has often been assumed to be low. We wondered whether bone. . . © 1982, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.

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California cooking Asia, Southeastern Southeast Asia Calcium, Dietary Cookery ethnology calcium intake bone Letter Bone and Bones United States human