Yerba Mate
Yerba mate is a caffeinated infusion of dried leaves of Ilex paraguariensis, a South American holly, drunk from a gourd through a metal filter straw called a bombilla.
Definition
Yerba mate is made from the leaves and small stems of Ilex paraguariensis, a holly native to the subtropical forests of Paraguay, northeastern Argentina and southern Brazil. The Guaraní people drank it before European contact, and Jesuit missions in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries turned it into a cultivated crop. Argentina is now the largest producer, followed by Brazil and Paraguay; Uruguay is the largest consumer per person. The leaf is first passed through fire or hot air (sapecado) to stop enzyme activity, then dried, often with wood smoke, and aged for months before being milled. The result is sold as yerba, a mix of powder, leaf fragments and stems. Brazilian chimarrão is a bright green, finely milled style with no stems. Paraguayan tereré is mate drunk cold, often with ice and herbs. Mate contains caffeine, along with smaller amounts of theobromine. A gourd refilled many times can deliver more total caffeine than a cup of tea. Very hot drinks, above about 65°C (149°F), have been linked to esophageal cancer in research on habitual mate drinkers, which is a reason to use water below a boil.
In Depth
Preparing a gourd: fill the gourd (mate or cuia) about two-thirds with yerba, cover and shake it upside down to bring fine powder to the top, then tilt it so the leaf forms a slope. Wet the low side with cool water, let it absorb, insert the bombilla into the wet side, and add hot water at 70-80°C (158-176°F). The gourd is refilled and drunk repeatedly, often passed around a group, until the yerba goes flat (lavado).
Other methods: a French press works well: about 10 g per 250 ml at 75-80°C for 4-5 minutes. Tereré uses cold water or juice.
Buying: con palo means with stems, which gives a milder cup; sin palo or despalada is leaf only and stronger. Smoked (barbacuá) and unsmoked versions taste very different.
See Also
- South American Mate Culture
- Caffeinated Herbal Drinks
- Tereré