From Polish pickle brine to tripe soup, countries around the world are full of hangover remedies they swear by. If you’re feeling the heat from last night why not start with one of these time tested international hangover cures? Some rooted in myth, some in science and some that are just downright strange – here are hangover cures from around the ease your stomach and last nights woes.
Hangover Cures Around The World
Pickle Brine – Poland
Poles suffering from the morning after take a quick swig of brine to ease the stomach. Pickle brine, sauerkraut brine, garlic brine, you name it, they drink it. It works, too. Pickle brine is really just spicy vinegar which helps neutralise the stomach after a long night of Polish vodka.
Bread, Caviar and Vodka – Russia
Russia is home to a plethora of interesting hangover remedies from everything pickled to salted tomatoes – but this one takes the cake. Mikhail Bulgakov names this remedy as the ideal hangover breakfast in his novel The Master and Margarita: white bread, pressed caviar, pickled mushrooms and vodka. Wash it all down, and you’re good to go.
Tripe – Mexico, Turkey and Romania
There must be some truth behind the magical hangover powers of cow stomach. Mexicans swear by menudo – tripe, onion and garlic soup. In Turkey, they whip up iskembe corbasi – a stout and tangy tripe soup. And in Romania, they take to ciorba de burta – a salty, tart, veg packed tripe stew.
The Highland Fling – Scotland
This ancient Scottish hangover cure is sure to wash away your post whiskey blues. Mix a pint of buttermilk, a dash of cornflour, some salt and pepper and down it. The thinking behind the drink named after the Scottish folk dance ‘The Highland Fling’ is that the fat and lactose will settle the stomach.
Leche de Tigre – Peru
In Peru to calm a nasty hangover, they take to seafood. ‘Leche de Tigre’ or tiger’s milk is a leftover ceviche marinade with heavy hints of lime, fish stock, garlic and ginger. Even better? It doubles as an aphrodisiac.
Pizzle – Sicily
Wine sick Sicilians take to a peculiar, yet effective food for hangovers – dried bull penis, also known as ‘pizzle.’ While it is slowly dying out, old School Sicilians swear it’s magic and in truth, they’re not wrong. Pizzle is full of vitamins, protein and offers a big jolt of energy for your alcohol woes.
Katerfrühstück – Germany
Katerfrühstück or ‘hangover breakfast’ is Germany’s response to a long night of partying. Typically consisting of all things sour, you’re looking at marinated herring, pickled gherkins, sauerkraut and sometimes even a beer.
Umeboshi – Japan
A night of too much sake in Tokyo will land you a full plate of umeboshi the next morning. These briny pickled plums are thought to be the end-all of the hangovers, but they don’t stop there. Umeboshi is also believed to be a cure-all aiding in everything from liver function, digestion and nausea.
Pickled Sheep Eyeballs – Mongolia
Dating all the way back to the Genghis Kahn era, there must be at least some truth to this Mongolian hangover remedy. A tangy tomatoey shot featuring yes, a sheep’s eye is what makes this age-old hangover cure. Don’t worry though, if you aren’t up for an eyeball a shot of the tomato mixture will do just fine.
Reparationsbajer – Denmark
Ah, the classic ‘hair of the dog’ cure. In Danish, they have a special word for this called ‘reparationsbajer’ or ‘recovery beer’ in English. A reparationsbajer usually consists of a malty and slightly hoppy pale ale that is sure to wipe away all your stomach woes from last night.
