Origins and History
Yerba mate is a hot drink brewed from the dried leaves of an evergreen shrub native to Paraguay, southern Brazil, and northeast Argentina. This caffeine-rich maté is consumed throughout Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Brazil, and Chile. Argentines drink up to 14 pounds of yerba per year. It is ingested in 90% of the country’s households and over a pound is included monthly in the basic food basket.
Mate was first found and cultivated by the Guaraní and Tupí people in Paraguay. The Guaraní named it “ka’a,” which means “herb.”
‘Yerba’ stands for the herb leaves, ‘mate’ is the drinking cup. The yerba leaves are from the ilex paraguarensis tree.
Usage and Preparation
Drinking yerba mate is common in South America. While it’s now possible to buy maté in a teabag, yerba maté is typically drunk in a group, with a single gourd passed around. Sitting together drinking maté is an ultimate Argentinean pastime. It combines two of their favourite things: talking and spending time with loved ones.
The beverage prepared from yerba leaves is called mate. Mate is a traditional South American drink made by steeping dried leaves of the yerba mate plant in hot water. It is served with a metal straw called a bombilla in a hollowed gourd or calabash.
- The mate cup is designed to hold the yerba mate leaves and water, and the bombilla filters out the leaves.
- If you don’t have the proper equipment, you can brew mate in a regular cup using a spoon or strainer to remove the leaves before drinking.
- The name "yerba mate" means "gourd herb" in Spanish.
- In addition to the customary style, mate cocido is made by steeping the leaves in boiling water, like tea. The "yerba mate gringo" style soaks the leaves first in cold water before adding hot.
Cultural Significance
Argentina’s National Drink
The traditional Argentinian national drink that boasts multiple health benefits. Yerba mate offers a potent mix of antioxidants that may help protect against certain types of cancers, inflammation, cardiovascular issues, liver diseases, and more. Antioxidants are an important part of a healthy immune system.
Dried and crushed up leaves of the yerba mate are placed into a hollowed out gourd and drunk through a screened straw called a bombilla (bomb-BEE-sha). This container is what Argentinians call Mate and they don’t go a day without drinking it.
Traditions
Yerba mate is a caffeinated drink from the ilex paraguariensis plant native to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil. Considered an Argentine traditional drink, yerba mate has gained worldwide popularity.
Argentinians have traditions related to preparing yerba mate:
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One is caramelized mate made by putting hot coals in a pot, sprinkling mate leaves to smoke, adding raw sugar to caramelize, mixing, then adding warm water to create a smoky, sweet mate.
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Preparing mate has rules. First, fill the mate cup with yerba. Cover it with your hand, turn it twice. Put the bombilla in the cup with dry yerba. Pour water near the bombilla until saturated.
Social Aspects
In Argentina, drinking mate represents sharing. It brings people closer, invites conversation. Aside from its flavor, mate benefits health with antioxidants, and by reducing cholesterol and triglycerides. Its high caffeine content provides energy.
Sharing mate is an intimate experience bringing friends closer. To Argentines, mate means more than a drink, it’s a pride source uniting them culturally. "Shall we drink some mates?" is an invitation to chat, to stay. Mate reduces distances between people, invites thinking and debating. It’s the social drink par excellence.