Born in Argentina and a native South American, I enjoy drinking mate, a typical drink from the American continent below the equator. I would like to introduce all of you, Mr. and Mrs. Gringo, to our sociable, healthy, and delicious drink!
Mate – a tea-like beverage consumed mainly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Brazil – is brewed from the dried leaves and stems of the perennial tree, ‘yerba mate.’ The name ‘mate’ derives from the Quichua word ‘matí’ for the gourd that is traditionally used to drink the infusion. I hear many people call the plant ‘mate’ but really it is only ‘mate’ when it is in the cup. (In Uruguay the name of the cup is called porongo. In Argentinean slang, porongo means ‘penis.’)
The yerba mate tree, a plant typical of the Alto Paraná region, Alto Uruguay region, and northeastern Argentina, grows in the Paraná and Paraguay rivers basins. It is a tropical or subtropical plant, needing high temperatures, high humidity, and at least 60 inches of annual rain. An average of 300,000 tons of mate are produced each year.
An invigorator of the mind and body, mate is a healthy drink. It is a slightly less potent stimulant than coffee but most people report it is much gentler on the stomach. It contains polyphenols, compounds that act as powerful antioxidants, at higher levels than the more widely known green tea. The yerba mate leaf, also packed with a powerful dose of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, has been found to stimulate the immune system, and aid the body in protecting against disease, leading one researcher to say mate contains ‘practically all the vitamins necessary to sustain life.’
In the Argentinean culture, mate is more than good nutrition or a cup to pry your eyes open in the morning. It is a social drink that brings people together; you share one mate (remember: mate is the name of the pot!) with friends and family members, while you trade stories about your day.
One person – called the ‘cebador/a’ – is responsible for pouring the water in the mate cup, and passing it around a circle of family or friends. When you get the mate, you finish the water poured in the cup: that’s the end of your turn. You’ll realize it is time to pass it to the next drinker when you hear a ‘srrrppp’ noise.
To make the traditional infusion, fill a mate cup (made of silver, wood, or gourd shell) three quarters full of yerba mate herbs. Insert a bombilla into the cup with the herbs (a bombilla is a metal straw – the ones made of silver are best. Before using, blow through it in case there is yerba mate stuck in it). Pour hot – not boiling – water over the herbs. If you use boiling water, it will burn the yerba mate, take out the rich flavor and make it taste bitter. But the water should be hot enough that the first sips burn your tongue a little. For those who are not very used to strong herb flavors, I recommend adding a teaspoon of sugar or honey.
