Yerba maté, the herbal drink popular in South American countries, is
making its way to America via Argentine immigrants and health-conscious
people looking for a pick-me-up alternative to coffee.
According to Luis Belozerco, an Argentine and a food scientist in the
United States, the drink contains mateine, a close relative of caffeine,
which provides the alertness of caffeine without the jitters or
sleeplessness.
Because maté has a reputation as an energizer, a number of companies are
marketing it to North Americans in the form of tea bags and specially
designed "pods" for use in espresso machines. The drink can be made with
hot or cold water, so it can substitute for iced tea. Internet sites
also suggest preparing the herbal drink in a French press.
Although yerba maté looks like tea, the traditional way to prepare the
brew is quite different from the way we prepare and drink tea.
The traditional maté cup is made from a gourd; the drink is sipped
through a bombilla, a stainless steel straw with a filter on the
end. It's very common to see people in Argentina walking in parks and
plazas drinking from a bombilla and gourd.
Diana Maraslioglu, who moved to America last year with her family from
Argentina, says that the drink is at least as popular as coffee in
Argentina. But, she adds, it's not a drink of high society.
The Guarani Indians of Paraguay and Uruguay introduced the drink –
considered to be the national drink of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay –
to the colonizing Europeans.
In Uruguay, according to Ms. Maraslioglu, the drink is so popular that
special over-the-shoulder leather cases with compartments for a thermos,
a gourd and a bombilla are a common sight. Truck stops in Uruguay
have places for truck drivers to recharge the batteries that keep their
thermoses of water hot.
Mr. Belozerco, who left Argentina 15 years ago, has a collection of maté
containers that he keeps in a cabinet, and he drinks maté a couple times
a week with his wife.
But, he reflects, "It's more of a ceremony," which can take an hour to
share.
In South America, maté is often shared by farmers, gauchos, urban
teenage musicians and groups of friends. The gourd is passed around
using specific rules of conduct.
For many people, much of the enjoyment of the drink comes from the
ritual of drinking the ancient beverage in the traditional way.
Susan Taylor is a freelance writer for The Dallas Morning News.
