When I was a kid, leaving sauerkraut in a plastic barrel was a must do every fall.
The pickling procedure is as follows: clean the heads of cabbage (full hard heads) from the first leaves. Cut and remove the root, arrange the heads in a plastic barrel, fill the barrel with salted water (3 kg of salt per 100 kg of cabbage) and press the heads so that they are under the water (tradition says that it must be a stone for the barrel for pickling cabbage 🙂). Leave the barrels in a cold, dark place (where the temperature does not drop below zero), where the cabbage will spend the winter.
That's what my parents knew.
And the chemical processes, in which lactic acid as a preservative creates flavors, when the pickling process starts, electrolytes and minerals are released, along with a large number of vitamins..
They did not know that.
And they knew that the juice obtained by pickling (known as "Rasol") is an effective antioxidant, for hydrating the body, as a probiotic and a medicine for various ailments.
Among them, it is also great for hangovers.
Every excessive use of alcohol by my father, the night before, was followed by a half-pint of brine from a cabbage barrel in the morning. And it mostly helped him (before the cold compresses on his forehead).
As we have changed our lifestyle in recent years, moved to a smaller apartment, everything has sped up, and the living space has become cramped, and it is not even appropriate to keep a plastic barrel with sauerkraut on the terrace next to flower pots, it is very difficult to find fresh "rasol".
I remember when a friend who moved to Canada told me how, at a party he had in his apartment, he explained what was in the barrel on his terrace.
The astonished looks of his Canadian friends, when he explained the pickling process to them, were fascinating to him... "First you spoil the fresh cabbage so that it pickles, and then you eat it?".
In vain of persuading the healing effects of sauerkraut, and listing all the vitamins in it, the Canadians thought he was crazy 🙂
As it became acceptable to buy sauerkraut in supermarkets, squeezed from the brine, I had to find some other way to recover from a hangover.
And I found it.
The ginger root, when finely chopped and poured with boiling water, becomes the perfect drink for treating colds, headaches, for hydration and is an ideal cure for hangovers.
Considering that lately I have more problems with colds than with hangovers, I still always have a few ginger roots nearby, from which I often make a very healthy tea.
And whenever I have the opportunity in the winter period, I order sauerkraut as a salad in a restaurant, and I give my body a real detox and vitamin refreshment.
Looking forward to other posts on the topic galenkp gave:
Do you have an awesome hangover cure? Tell us what it is, how to make it, and how you came across it.
I might also like your suggestions for curing a hangover, although I'm trying not to overdo it with alcohol these days.