Waking up the day after a night of heavy drinking can be tough. Naturally, the experience of a brutal hangover isn’t unique to Koreans. People around the world enjoy their drinks, and many experience various types of hangovers depending on the type of alcohol they consume. Consequently, people worldwide have similar methods to soothe their hangovers. Their methods, however, differ from the spicy and stomach-settling methods preferred by Koreans. Let’s take a look at some hangover foods from around the world.
Thailand – Kai Look Keuy
In Thailand, eggs are commonly consumed as a hangover food. A popular dish is Kai Jeow, a fried egg with minced pork inside. Eggs are rich in amino acids like cysteine, which breaks down hangover-causing toxins, and they are also known to help regenerate liver cells. Another famous dish is Kai Look Keuy, a crispy fried, boiled egg with spicy sauce. It’s a hangover food that’s crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.
Mexico – Menudo
In Mexico, tripe soup is often eaten as a hangover food. Depending on the region, Mexican tripe soup is called Pancita or Menudo. Menudo means tripe, and Pancita is a slang term meaning potbelly. It’s a dish made by boiling offal and tripe, similar to Korean tripe soup. It was introduced to Korea through the entertainment program Street Food Fighter hosted by Born Korea’s representative Baek Jong Won, and its thick and sticky broth characterizes it.
Canada – Poutine
Poutine, a dish that shares its pronunciation with the Russian president and can thus cause confusion among Koreans, is a Canadian potato dish. It’s a dish with cheese curds and brown gravy on French fries. Poutine is believed to have originated in the Centre-du-Québec region in the late 1950s. The fries, similar to French fries, are cooked to be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and are lightly seasoned with pepper. The gravy served in poutine is also known as sauce brune.
USA – Prairie Oyster
The U.S. has a diverse mix of cultures, and the hangover foods enjoyed vary significantly from region to region. A hangover food that first became popular in the New England region is the Prairie Oyster. This dish, which means oyster of the prairie, is classified as a type of cocktail. An unbroken egg yolk is placed in an on-the-rocks glass, and it’s served with Worcester sauce, ketchup, vinegar, and pepper to be consumed in one go. It’s also served as an alcoholic cocktail.
Canada – Bloody Caesar
In some parts of Canada, people drink alcohol for hangovers. The Bloody Caesar, a cocktail representing Canada, is an example. This cocktail, made with vodka and Clamato juice, was first developed by a bartender in Calgary in 1969. It’s similar to the Bloody Mary, which uses tomato juice as the base, but the Bloody Caesar uses Clam juice, a mix of tomato and clam broth, instead of tomato juice.
Poland – Pickle Juice
In Poland, pickle juice is consumed for hangovers. As the name suggests, it is made from pickles. It’s not a special juice; it’s simply the brine we commonly see with pickles. In Poland, sour pickle juice is readily available as a ready-to-drink product in convenience stores. It contains vinegar and sodium, which can replenish the body’s necessary fluids and electrolytes.
Hong Kong – Congee
Many people eat porridge the day after heavy drinking to soothe their noisy stomachs. In Hong Kong, a type of porridge known as congee is often eaten as a hangover food. This staple breakfast food for Hong Kong people is a Cantonese-style porridge made from ground glutinous rice, similar to Korean rice porridge. It has a thicker texture than porridge and is renowned for its savory taste. Depending on personal preference, various toppings such as beef, pork, chicken, and seafood can be added.
Netherlands – Beer
While people drink alcohol to cure hangovers in many parts of the world, the Netherlands, home of Heineken, takes it to another level. Instead of having a specific hangover food, you can see people enjoying a cold draft beer from the morning. In this country, it’s commonly believed that the most effective cure for a hangover is to start drinking beer again at the same bar where you overindulged the night before.
Peru – Tiger’s Milk
In Peru, tiger’s milk is consumed to cure hangovers. The name might lead one to mistakenly believe that Peru has a large tiger population milked for its hangover-curing properties. However, Peru’s tiger’s milk is not actual tiger’s milk; it’s a type of sauce. It’s a dish made by adding shrimp to a cocktail mixed with lime juice, cilantro, garlic, onions, chili peppers, salt, and pepper. In Peru, it’s considered a national hangover food that is excellent for hangover relief.
Germany – Pickled Herring
Germans enjoy pickled herring, known as Rollmops or Bismarck Herring, as a hangover and breakfast food after drinking. Rollmops, a world-famous dish notorious for its strong odor, is pickled herring rolled into a round shape for easy consumption. The aspartic acid in herring aids liver regeneration, and the rich Omega-3 and DHA effectively recover damaged brain cells and reduce headaches caused by hangovers.
Most Commented