Yerba Mate

Yerba Mate is a drink that is prepared by steeping dry leaves and twigs of the yerba mate plant in hot water. It should not be steeped in boiling water. In places like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Southern Chile, Eastern Bolivia and Southern & Western Brazil, drinking Mate from a shared hollow gourd with a metal straw with friends is a common social practice. This habit has also been cultivated in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

Brewed Yerba Mate tastes very different. The flavor is very vegetal, herbal and grassy. The smell of the Mate is similar to a few varieties of green tea. Most find the flavor of the Yerba Mate to be quite pleasant. Usually it is bitter if steeped in boiling water. So steeping the yerba mate in the correct temperature of water is very important if one wants the correct flavor of the drink. Flavored Yerba Mate is also available.

Mate Cocido is a toasted version of Yerba Mate called Mate Tea which is popular in Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. It is sold in teabags. It is sweetened and served in shops either iced or hot along with fruit juice or milk. An uncarbonated soft drink which has roasted sweetened Yerba Mate is also very popular. These are sold in huge quantities. The roasted version of Yerba Mate is not as bitter as the raw Mate. The roasted Mate tastes spicier. In Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay mate is sold in tea bags which are to be drunk in a similar way as tea. In Spanish it is known as “Mate Cocido” or “Cocido”. Mate is commonly drunk after breakfast in Argentina or as a part of merienda (afternoon tea), along with a selection of facturas.

Tereré is an iced infusion of Yerba Mate which is very commonly drunk in Paraguay, Western Brazil and Litoral Argentino. In tereré, “yuyos”, a medicinal herb, are mixed in the infusion of the Yerba Mate for taste and medical reasons. In Paraguay, yerba mate infusion is also mixed with grapefruit or lemon juice.

Yerba mate comes in various types, brands, combinations like, with or without twigs (con palo or sin palo) or low in powder content. There are also less strong in flavor (Suave) and some are blended with flavored with mint, orange and grapefruit skin, etc.

The strength of the flavor, caffeine levels and other nutrients of Yerba mate varies on the basis of the sex of the plant that the yerba is coming from. For instance, the Yerba that comes from female plants tends to be milder in flavor and low in caffeine.

The experience of Rio de la Plata is quite incomplete without the daily serving of Yerba Mate. This beverage is served hot in cold weather and served cold in summers as a substitute of lemonade. Often Yerba Mate is mixed with lemonade as well.

Drinking mate is impetus for gathering with friends in Argentina and Uruguay as drinking coffee is in America. The sharing of Mate is a ritual habit and this has its own reasons and rules. One person, usually the host or whoever buys the Mate prepares the drink and refills the gourd with water. While drinking in a group, the gourd is circulated till its content is over and given back to the brewer. It is usually passed in a clockwise direction. As the mate can be re-brewed a number of times, the gourd is circulated until the water runs out. When a person does not want the gourd any more, they say “gracias” to the brewer which signifies they don’t want anymore.

- Ramyajit Gupta

Tags: cocido, mate, tereré, yerba, yerba mate, yuyos

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