Happy New Year! Did you overindulge a bit last night? Feel like you’ve been run over by a train? At K International, we feel your pain. That’s why we’ve collected this list of traditional hangover cures from around the world. Hopefully, something on this list will help you feel better….
1. Rollmops
In Germany, nights of heavy drinking are followed by a katerfrühstück, which translates to “hangover breakfast.” The star of the show is “rollmops,” pickled herring wrapped around a pungent savory filling like sliced onion, pickled gherkin or green olives.
2. Tripe
It may seem counter-intuitive when you have the dry heaves, but tripe soup is actually a traditional hangover remedy in at least three different countries: Romania, Mexico and Turkey. In Mexico, it’s a spicy soup called menudo, heavily laced with chili peppers, garlic, onions and cilantro. In Romania, it’s called ciorbă de burtă and is spiked with fermented wheat bran juice, vinegar and/or lemon juice. In Turkey, it’s called işkembe çorbası and finished with vinegar and garlic or egg yolk and lemon juice. Mmm, beef stomachs… and yes, I know I should be more open-minded about offal.
3. The Prairie Oyster
The “prairie oyster” is an American invention. This restorative beverage consists of a whole raw egg, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and ground black pepper. Here’s a recipe. If you’d like to add some “hair of the dog” to the mix, add whiskey or vodka for an “Amber Moon.” Bottoms up!
A word of warning: the term “prairie oyster” is also sometimes used in Canada to refer to Rocky Mountain Oysters, aka bull testicles.
4. Sauna
In Russia, a night of overindulgence is typically followed by a detoxing at the local banya (sauna), including a good thrashing with the thin supple limbs of a young birch tree. You’d think that if anyone knows how to cure a hangover, it would be the Russians, but be forewarned: According to Wikipedia, “medical opinion holds this may be dangerous, as the combination of alcohol and hyperthermia increases the likelihood of dangerous cardiac arrhythmias.”
5. Poutine
In Canada, particularly Quebec, a hangover demands a greasy serving of “poutine,” fried potatoes covered in gravy and cheese curds. Now we’re getting somewhere!
6. Haejangguk
Koreans nurse their hangovers with a nutritious soup called Haejangguk, made from ox blood, cabbage, cow bones, pork spines and assorted veggies.
7. Shijimi Soup and Umeboshi
In Japan, the traditional remedy for the morning after consists of miso soup made with freshwater clams called shijimi. Salty, sour pickled plums called umeboshi are another traditional remedy.
8. Dried Bull’s Penis- Not Just for Dogs
In Sicily, eating a dried bull’s penis is a traditional folk remedy for a hangover, though I don’t believe it’s used currently. Sicilians, feel free to weigh in- does anyone actually do this anymore?
9. Reparationsbajer
The Danes have a simple solution: start the morning off with a “reparationsbajer,” or “recovery beer.”
10. Pickle Juice
Poles replenish lost electrolytes by drinking pickle juice the morning after a drinking binge. Alternate hangover beverages of choice include sauerkraut brine and soured milk.
What’s your favorite hangover remedy?
Photo Credit: RaBoe/Wikipedia
