Spaghetti aglio e olio, the easy hangover food that you can prepare when you’re drunk

Spaghetti aglio e olio, the easy preventive hangover cure from Italy.

Spaghetti aglio e olio, the easy preventive hangover cure from Italy.

We already gave you some tips and tricks to get rid of your hangover. But every country has its own traditional dishes to make the process go faster. We like to give you a taste of the international anti-hangover cuisine. This time we visit a country known for the passion for food: Italy. This dish called spaghetti aglio e olio is not so much used as a hangover cure (although it does work miracles the morning after too) as it is a preventive cure. Italians eat this simple pasta between a drinking session and going to bed. The good thing is that spaghetti aglio e olio is such an easy dish to make, you can even do it when you get home drunk.

Italians in general are known for their moderation when it comes to alcohol. Yes, they drink from a young age, as kids get there share of wine at the family table. And later in life Italians are anything but teetotalers. How can anyone in this country of fine wines, grappa and limoncello? Still, it’s a rare sight to see them get passed the stage of tipsy. Like most countries in the Mediterranean, like Spain and Greece, the Italians eat a lot more than they drink.

No wonder there is not a typical national hangover cure. There are local ones, as some regions have amazing tripe, fish or chicken soups, usually with loads of garlic. And of course there’s the notorious Sicilian cure: dried bull penis. But as you might have guessed, that’s also not too popular these days. The most common thing in Italy is to have a meal before going to bed, to start the recovery before the hangover kicks in. As the Greeks have a bowl of patsas, the Italians turn to an easy pasta with lots of garlic and olive oil. Simple but very effective. Here’s how to make spaghetti aglio e olio…

Ingredients:
500 grams spaghetti
80 ml quality olive oil
8 large garlic cloves
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
30 grams minced fresh parsley
100 grams grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
Salt

Preparation:
Bring water to a boil in a large pot, add salt and mix it. Then add the dry spaghetti and cook as long as the package prescribes. Before draining the pasta, take 350 ml of the water from the pot and set this aside.
Now put the olive oil in another pot, add the garlic and let it cook for 2 minutes, while you stir frequently. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the 350 ml of pasta water and carefully bring the whole thing to a boil. Then add a little salt to taste and reduce the heat to a simmer. Wait for about 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.
Then add the pasta and turn off the heat. Also add the Parmesan cheese and parsley and mix the whole thing well. Let the pasta absorb the sauce for about 5 minutes and then serve with extra Parmesan.

Micky Bumbar

Check out more tasty hangover cures from around the world

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7 thoughts on “Spaghetti aglio e olio, the easy hangover food that you can prepare when you’re drunk

    • I’m sure I can. Then again, I once thought I was able to put a simple baguette in the oven when smashed and it stayed there for 3 hours, almost killing me in my sleep haha…
      Cheers,
      Micky

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