YERBA MATE...
The Drink Of the Gods
Yerba mate (hierba mate, mate tea) is very popular in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil, where is also known as...
- chá dos Jesuitas (Jesuit tea)
- chá das missães (Mission tea)
- chá do Paraná (Parana tea)
- congonha
- congonha das missães<
- erba da Saã Bartolomeu (Saint Barthelemy herb)
To drink yerba mate is certainly a national ritual in Argentine culture, but in Uruguay they have 24/7 passion for it.
Uruguay culture wouldn't survive without it.
The name mate comes from the Quechua language "mati", that names the gourd use to drink the infusion.
"Yerba" is a corruption of the Spanish "hierba", which means herb.
It's either cultivated or exploited from native forests.
The first ones to cultivate yerba mate were Jesuit missionaries, who, around 1670, already have plantations.
To learn more about Jesuit missions in South America, please visit Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis.
It's brewed from the dried leaves and stemlets of the perennial tree Ilex Paraguariensis.
The process to prepare and drink it it's very simple.
Dried leaves (yerba, erba, mate tea) are steeped into the gourd (mate) and hot water is added, the resulting mate tea is sucked through a metal straw - bombilla.
The best way to brew it is similar to brewing a loose tea.
If you add real hot water it will "burn the yerba" (quemar la yerba).
The traditional way of drinking yerba mate is called "mate amargo" - without adding any sugar or sweetener to the actual herb.
When adding any of the above mentioned, it's called "mate dulce".
It's also very common to add aromatic herbs or milk.
Yerba mate can also be consumed as "mate cocido" - prepared with tea cups like any tea.
When prepared using cold water is called "terere", very rooted in Paraguay culture.
Ilex Paraguariensis grows in the sub-tropical region of southwestern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, northeastern Argentina (Corrientes and Misiones provinces) and in some areas of Uruguay.
Argentina is the world leading producer and consumer of yerba mate. According to a survey by IBOPE Argentina, it boasts a 92% household consumption rate.
It contains practically all the vitamins necessary to sustain life, including A,E,B-complex and C, as well as significant amounts of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, etc.
Scientists describe yerba mate's caffeine content as "mateine".
When you buy a mate gourd, don't forget to cure it first...
- Fill gourd 2/3 with yerba mate
- Fill it with hot water
- Let it sit for about two days - this allow to expand and seal
- Scrape and rinse the gourd. Now is ready for use
Tips to drink Yerba Mate like a pro:
- When your turn comes, drink it until you completely drain the mate (gourd). You will hear a gurgling sound as you hit the bottom
- Don't move the bombilla (metal straw) around.
That's a terrible thing to do.
It's what identifies beginners more than anything else - Pass the mate to the designed brewer (cebador)
- Usually, the cebador passes it on in a clockwise order, so you will give it to him/her as soon as you are done, in order to be filled and passed again
- If you say Gracias (thank you) to the cebador, it will be taken as a sign that you don't want anymore.
So go easy about thanking if you're not quite ready yet - You will enjoy the ceremony and will notice a subtle lift, due to the caffeine (mateine) contained in it
Let's learn how to prepare a mate properly...
Voila!...you are set for your first yerba mate experience in South America...
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