This week whilst writing an e-mail to mum and dad I realised that they wouldn’t have a clue about what I was on about- I was babbling on about Mate and weird and wonderful crafts and horse-carts and who knows so I decided it’s time to fill you all in on all these quirky little things that are filling my world with joy at the moment!
This entry being the first after this great realisation must be dedicated to Mate the Argentinean’s closest, most reliable and entertaining companion! No Argentine would be complete without his Mate.
So here are the components that complete one’s traditional mate experience:
Mate- the cup, traditionally made from a nut shell but varies from region to region depending on local, natural materials.
Bombilla- a metal straw with a type of mesh at the bottom to prevent the herbs from clogging up the pipe
Yerba- the herb (dried and shredded) bought in 500g bags of suave (weak) or fuerte (strong). Some come mixed with other herbs such as mint and others which are unknown to us Europeans.
Thermo- The water for the mate must be boiling hot so they pour it straight from the kettle to their thermo flask to keep it piping hot.
Procedure
Fill the mate with yerba (leave a good centimetre at the top for when the yerba absorbs the water and expands). Slide the bombilla down the inner edge of the mate. Pour a tiny bit of cold water into the mate, suck it up through the bombilla and spit it into the sink (this is meant to clean the yerba and is optional). Yerba is very strong, bitter and can really hurt you stomach if you’re not used to it. Next pour in some hot water from your thermo and sip it up through the straw. You must take small, fast sips as it’s seriously hot. When you are done and are satisfied with the taste pour a little more hot water into the mate and offer it to your friend. They should ALWAYS accept your offer! (Some people pour in a little bit of sugar with every pour of the thermo to take away the bitterness. This is apparently a habit of the city folk).
Tededé
Tededé is a Paraguayan tradition of drinking the yerba. In a jug prepare some squash with lots of ice. Plop a hefty piece of ice in a glass, pour in some yerba until the glass is about half full and slide in the bombilla. Pour in a little squash so that the yerba are just about covered, sip and enjoy. Top up and pass on to a friend.
Mate Pomelo
Slice a grapefruit in half and carve out some pulp from the middle of the grapefruit so that you have a hole with 1inch radius. Pour in a little sugar to take away from he sourness of the grapefruit, on to of the sugar pour in some yerba, stick in your bombilla and top up the whole with hot or cold water and sip. You can also squeeze out the juice of the other half of the grapefruit and add it to the water for a tastier treat. The same can be done with oranges! Lovely and refreshing drink although a little messier!
The custom
Argentine’s love drinking mate. It keeps hunger at rest, helps to pass time and is very sociable and a great way to approach people or break the ice. They drink it sitting out on the pavement in their neighbourhoods, during long car journeys, during meetings, in class, at school, strolling down the high street, at the supermarkets, in the plaza…practically everywhere!
Bags have even been designed to facilitate the transportation of ones mate and vital components!
It’s a strange concept for us Europeans to grasp- before landing in Argentina I thought it was a custom that the lonely planet raved about and over exaggerated BUT I have been totally blown away by the Argentine’s commitment to mate!
This entry being the first after this great realisation must be dedicated to Mate the Argentinean’s closest, most reliable and entertaining companion! No Argentine would be complete without his Mate.
So here are the components that complete one’s traditional mate experience:
Mate- the cup, traditionally made from a nut shell but varies from region to region depending on local, natural materials.
Bombilla- a metal straw with a type of mesh at the bottom to prevent the herbs from clogging up the pipe
Yerba- the herb (dried and shredded) bought in 500g bags of suave (weak) or fuerte (strong). Some come mixed with other herbs such as mint and others which are unknown to us Europeans.
Thermo- The water for the mate must be boiling hot so they pour it straight from the kettle to their thermo flask to keep it piping hot.
Procedure
Fill the mate with yerba (leave a good centimetre at the top for when the yerba absorbs the water and expands). Slide the bombilla down the inner edge of the mate. Pour a tiny bit of cold water into the mate, suck it up through the bombilla and spit it into the sink (this is meant to clean the yerba and is optional). Yerba is very strong, bitter and can really hurt you stomach if you’re not used to it. Next pour in some hot water from your thermo and sip it up through the straw. You must take small, fast sips as it’s seriously hot. When you are done and are satisfied with the taste pour a little more hot water into the mate and offer it to your friend. They should ALWAYS accept your offer! (Some people pour in a little bit of sugar with every pour of the thermo to take away the bitterness. This is apparently a habit of the city folk).
Tededé
Tededé is a Paraguayan tradition of drinking the yerba. In a jug prepare some squash with lots of ice. Plop a hefty piece of ice in a glass, pour in some yerba until the glass is about half full and slide in the bombilla. Pour in a little squash so that the yerba are just about covered, sip and enjoy. Top up and pass on to a friend.
Mate Pomelo
Slice a grapefruit in half and carve out some pulp from the middle of the grapefruit so that you have a hole with 1inch radius. Pour in a little sugar to take away from he sourness of the grapefruit, on to of the sugar pour in some yerba, stick in your bombilla and top up the whole with hot or cold water and sip. You can also squeeze out the juice of the other half of the grapefruit and add it to the water for a tastier treat. The same can be done with oranges! Lovely and refreshing drink although a little messier!
The custom
Argentine’s love drinking mate. It keeps hunger at rest, helps to pass time and is very sociable and a great way to approach people or break the ice. They drink it sitting out on the pavement in their neighbourhoods, during long car journeys, during meetings, in class, at school, strolling down the high street, at the supermarkets, in the plaza…practically everywhere!
Bags have even been designed to facilitate the transportation of ones mate and vital components!
It’s a strange concept for us Europeans to grasp- before landing in Argentina I thought it was a custom that the lonely planet raved about and over exaggerated BUT I have been totally blown away by the Argentine’s commitment to mate!
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