Drinking Mate in Uruguay
The culture of Mate drinking in Uruguay.
Drinking Mate
The drinking of Mate (pronounced Mah-teh) in Uruguay is a cultural ritual
which is often shared with friends and family. Mate is like a pungent green
tea that is probably a bit of an acquired taste but it´s a massive part
of the culture in Uruguay and other parts of South America. It´s a social
ritual that has been around for 100s of years and is still popular with
young people. The drinking of Mate in Uruguay and Argentina is comparable
to the popularity of coffee drinking in the U.S.
People who drink yerba mate do it as a social activity. Part of the new, more informal way of life in Uruguay includes drinking Mate while on walks, sporting events, at work, and it is extremely popular among many student activities. In Uruguay and Argentina it is common to see people walking around the streets toting a mate and a thermos with hot water.
In general, yerba mate is enjoyed in the morning or afternoon between meals. The "matero" carries his gourd (Mate) containing the yerba and the bombilla in one hand, while carrying a thermos of hot water under his arm.
Mate drinking is a ritual which is often shared with friends and family. The matero prepares and tries the Mate. He then passes the prepared Mate for someone to enjoy. Some people prefer to prepare and drink from their own Mate, especially if they add other medicinal herbs to their infusion.
A mate gourd and bombilla is a gift which is greatly appreciated by South American professionals. Some are intricately decorated by hand with silver or gold.
The Yerba
Yerba
(pronounced Sher-bah) Mate comes from a tree, "Ilex Paraguariensis",
cultivated in South America. The yerba is the leaves; dried and crushed
to make a tea-like herb. The Uruguayan FDA designates and enforces labeling
standards for yerba mate. A premium yerba as one that contains no "palo",
or the stem of the tree, which lessens the quality of the blend. Nativa
is pure 100% yerba mate leaves, harvested from wild, mature forests and
aged for a minimum of one year.
The Mate
To drink Mate the traditional way, you will need a Mate Gourd and Bombilla filter straw. Each culture has its deep-rooted preference as to taste, temperature, and size of the Mate gourd used. You may add sugar or honey to sweeten the Yerba as the Argentineans do, or drink it pure as is the custom in Uruguay. It's a wonderful and healthy alternative to coffee, and a good way to stimulate conversation.
The Bombilla
To drink mate the traditional way you will need a Bombilla (prounounced bom-bee-sha). These filter the leaves out of your mate drink. Bombillas can be made of bronze, nickel, alpaca silver, stainless steel, silver-plated and gold-plated. Those made with more durable metals can last many decades of daily use. The bronze and nickel-plated bombillas should be replaced once the plating starts to come off.
Here is a good video on how to prepare a Mate yourself!
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