Mate is an infusion made up of yerba mate, which is green processed leaves, and hot water. More than an infusion, mate is part of the culture of Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. These countries especially Argentina and Uruguay, consider mate an essential drink to share with friends and family. The word mate comes from the indigenous word “mati”, meaning small gourd. Mate is the name of the drink but also of the gourd in which is served. In order to drink the infusion, we need a bombilla, thermo, caldera, and yerba mate.
Elements of mate
These are bombillas, metal straws to drink mate.
Bombilla: it’s used to suck the water from the mate. Bombillas are composed of three parts: neck, filter and, hole. At the beginning bombillas were canes used by South Americans Indians to drink mate. Today, there are three types of bombillas typically made of nickel silver, called Alpaca, stainless steel, or hollow-stemmed cane. The most common bombilla is made of metal.The best way to insert the bombilla is with your thumb on the upper end of the bombilla, at an angle perpendicular to the yerba, so that its end travels into the deepest part of the yerba. It’s important to keep bombillas clean because otherwise they can change the taste of mate. The best way to clean them is with hot water and then natural drying at room temperature .
The caldera is used to boil the water.
Caldera: It's used to boil water. Calderas generally are made of iron or metal. The main feature of the caldera is its hole in its top part. This hole prevents the water from condensing coming out with a lot of pressure when it’s poured onto the mate. The name caldera was invented by the gaucho for its resemblance with a bird laying on its nest, with its large neck similar to an S. In Uruguay, the name caldera remained untouched, but in Argentina it was called pava. It’s common that in the bottom of the caldera residues form. An easy way to eliminate the dirt is to boil a potato peel inside the caldera. Part of the dirt will dissolve and the caldera will be clean again.
The yerba contains many properties such as vitamins and stimulants.
Yerba Mate: it’s processed green leaves that contain stimulants such as caffeine. Yerba Mate is the most important part of the mate because it’s where all the benefits of drinking mate reside. It was first used by the Guaranies tribes in South America. Yerba Mate allowed the Indians to have more resistance and to ingest mate as an aliment. There are several brands of yerba mate. Some of them have more stimulants than others and they have different tastes. Throughout the years yerba mate has evolved. Today, it’s more sophisticated and has more properties than in the 17th century. The yerba mate undergoes a long process before being sold as a product. The process includes growing of the leaves, harvest, drying of the leaves, rest period, and separation of twigs.
The thermo is used to keep the water warm.
Thermo: it’s a glass container covered with plastic or aluminum with double walls that form an empty space between the container and the plastic or aluminum. Thanks to the thermo people started to drink mate outside of their homes. The thermo as well as the mate has become a symbol and a friend of the Uruguayans and Argentineans. It’s common for people from these countries to go out and bring the mate and thermo with them. Also, the thermo allows people to “cebar mate” which is to pour water into the mate. Although this seems an easy task, the water should be carefully poured into the mate without exceeding the amount of water required.
To learn more about mate and its history go to Resources.
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