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11 MAY 2021
Mate-the natural energy booster
When the Moon and Clouds Goddesses visited earth, an old man saved them from a jaguar attack. To thank him, they presented him with a new plant from which to make the “Friendship Drink”. That is one of the legends surrounding the origin of mate, one of the most popular beverages worldwide alongside tea and coffee, that is quickly gaining aficionados in Greece as well.
Mate, also known as yerba mate or chimarrão is a naturally caffeinated herbal drink made from the leaves and stems of various species of the Ilex genus, mostly the Ilex Paraguariensis plant, native to Latin America. The name refers both to the plant and the container, a hollow calabash gourd, traditionally used for its preparation. Mate is drunk directly from the gourd using a bombilla, a metal (usually) straw with a perforated lower end that acts as a filter.
Originally consumed exclusively by the native Guarani and Tupi tribes of the region that today is Paraguay, mate was gradually introduced to other Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile, especially following the arrival of the Jesuits. One of the major commodities of Latin America, mate is intrinsically linked with the history, traditions, culture and every day life of the people who consume it.
Preparation
If you prepare your mate in a calabash gourd and drink from it, an important step before the first use is the curing of your gourd. This process helps seal the pores, prevent moldιng and improve flavour.
Begin by scraping the inside with a spoon to loosen remains of soft membranes taking care not to remove the stem in the center of the gourd. Once inside is clean, fill with mate leaves up to metal ring, wet them well with hot water and leave to sit for 48 hours. Empty gourd, rinse out with hot water and leave to dry. It is now ready for use.
How to prepare mate the traditional way using a gourd:
1. Fill up to 1/3 – 2/3 with mate leaves
2. Cover with the palm of your hand, turn upside down and shake for a few seconds. In this way, the powder will rise to the surface and not clog the filter at the lower end of the bombilla.
3. Bring the gourd back in upright position and slightly tilt it.
4. Insert the bombilla into the gourd until it hits the bottom, while at the same time closing its opening with your finger.
5. Wet mate leaves with cold water to avoid burning them.
6. Fill with hot, not boiled, water. We recommend 65-80C to avoid bitterness. But in any case, do experiment both with water temperature and quantity of leaves in order to find your favorite recipe.
7. Repeat step 6 until the leaves have no more taste left.
8. After each use rinse out your gourd and leave to dry in the upright position
Check out our instructional video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8P8kszyolI
If you prefer the Occidental way of preparing mate, use 1,5 tsp for a cup of water. Place leaves in a disposable paper tea filter, steep for 5 min using water at 65-80C. Discard paper filter and enjoy!
We should mention here that, just as with tea and coffee, there are a large variety of preparation methods, additional ingredients and accessories used. Mate can be enjoyed both hot and iced, sweet and bitter, combined with other herbs, with milk, juices or whole pieces of fruit. So, go ahead and try different recipes until you find the perfect one for you.
Mate and health benefits
Mate has been consumed for centuries by the natives of Latin America as a therapeutic drink. Rich in caffeine, it stimulates the nervous system and increases energy while appearing to enhance athletic and physical performance. Studies have shown that it can help promote weight loss, reduce body fat and “bad cholesterol” levels. Also, it seems to boost the immune system and protect from heart conditions. Mate is rich in antioxidants such as polyphenols, as well as vitamins A and C.
At Tearoute, you can find everything you need to begin discovering the traditions of Latin America. Finely cut mate, traditional mate with stems -ideal for preparing tereré, cold mate- our new organic mate from Argentina as well as a mate blend with orange peel and blossoms. Also, for preparing mate the traditional way, metal bombillas and our new coloured calabash gourds.
