The mate ritual

 

Mate is a warm beverage especially popular in South America. This traditional drink is prepared by infusing dried leaves of yerba mate (botanical name Ilex paraguariensis) into warm water (though not boiling) inside a specific gourd, or calabaza. The mate is drunk through the bombilla, a metallic straw that lets the infused water go through but filters the yerba. It is somehow the opposite of an infused tea: here we do not add tea leaves into water, but water into yerba mate. Traditionally, mate is drunk inside a hollowed calabash gourd. Nowadays, many different materials are used to produce the “calabaza” such as wood, ceramic or glass.

 

 

Such as with tea or coffee, mate is often shared among friends and family. People would typically sit together, in a circle, and drink from the same mate cup one after the other. If you take part in this ancient ritual, be sure to follow a few unspoken customs. Never move the bombilla, and do not wait too long before passing the mate to the next person (or someone will for sure remind you that "this is not a microphone").

 

 

There are many different types of yerba mate as well as different ways to prepare it. Many people only drink the traditional bitter mate, mate "amargo". Some materos prefer to counter the bitterness with a pinch of sugar, or flavor the mate with other herbs (such as peppermint) or orange or lemon peel. If you are not a big fan of hot drinks, there is a chilled version of mate: Tereré. This refreshing alternative is obtained infusing the yerba with cold water and ice, and is especially popular in the summer months.

No matter how you decide to prepare it, mate is especially about relaxation, fun, and good times with friends. So remember to share it with the people you love, and simply take a moment that matters.