Yerba mate went from being a typical consumption of the Guarani since before 1815 and a mystical legacy that was found in tombs of the native peoples of the Upper Peru in the fifth century BC, to be the Argentine popular infusion that crossed borders and leads to an average local consumption of 6 kilos per person per year.
Every November 30, the National Mate Day to remember the birth of Andrés Guacurarí, Guarani leader and collaborator of Commander José Gervasio Artigas and to promote “permanent recognition of our customs”as established in the law 27.117 sanctioned on December 17, 2014.
“To talk about the origin of mate as an infusion and consumption, we have to refer to the Guarani, who lived in southern Brazil, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina, in addition to the fact that remains of yerba mate leaves were found in tombs of aborigines in Upper Peru. in the 5th century BC, as a mystical reference, where seeds, leaves of grass and plants were taken to benefit the passage to the afterlife”, commented the sommelier, specialist in mate, Karla Johan to Télam.
Yerba mate contains a high antioxidant power and other minerals such as iron and potassium.beneficial for the body.
Guacurarí was the only indigenous governor in Argentine history and, together with Artigas, “planned a market and commercial circuit for yerba mate with the native peoples as the main actors and direct beneficiaries of the transaction,” according to sources from the National Institute of Yerba Mate (INYM).
From that institution, it stands out that the mate “It is the favorite drink of an entire Nationwhere Argentines went from consuming 5.90 kilos per person to 6.17 of yerba mate per year, in the year 2021″.
Mate Day is also celebrated in France, with a matera day at the Argentine Embassy in Paris pic.twitter.com/x4WWNbPpiI
— Insti.Nac.Yerba Mate ?? (@INYMArg) November 30, 2022
Mate transcends borders
But the passion for mate is spreading strongly beyond the borders and is becoming stronger in the world of soccer thanks to Argentine and Uruguayan players.
The member of the England team Eric Dier released a video, which went viral on social networks, where he comments on his taste for mate and was filmed on different occasions with a mate team that he took to training. The Frenchman Antoine Griezmann also posted about the gift that the Uruguayan Diego Godin gave him: “Now I can prepare my own mate at home and in the concentrations: p #UruFra”.
Argentina is the first exporter and producer of yerba mate and Syria is one of the destinations where it is most exportedaccording to sommelier Johan, who commented on the additional benefits that this infusion provides.
The properties of matte
“has a high antioxidant powermore than green tea and red wine, that is, it acts on free radicals, where through smog, stress, poor diet, cancer cells are activated in the body, and antioxidants work on those free radicals , according to INYM studies,” said Karla Johan.
Furthermore, he continued, the Yerba mate contains caffeine that activates the central nervous system, vitamins A, C, B1, B compound and minerals such as iron, potassium and magnesium.“which are good for avoiding cramps, especially in athletes.”
“Studies carried out at the University of Buenos Aires realized that depending on how the yerba leaf is made, it can be the vegetable with the highest potassium index“added Johan, with several followers of mate fans through his Instagram @sommelierdemateok, creator of the certification of this specialty at the Argentine Sommelier School.
Matte tea ? @ericdier
The #ThreeLions defend and skipper @HKane talk us through the essential items they packed for the @FIFAWorldCup! ?
—England (@England) November 27, 2022
Is there a correct way to prepare the mate?
When asked if there is a correct or incorrect way to prepare a mate, the specialist shared a basic step by step with recommendations.
“First, fill three quarters of the container with yerba, cover it with the palm of one hand, turn it over and shake it, as if it were a cocktail shaker, to mix the powder with other materials, that way the bombilla is not covered and it is not very bitter,” he said.
Then the specialist recommends turn the yerba at 45 degrees and add warm waterat 40 degrees, so that the powder hydrates and avoids burning the grass.
Cold water “does not work because it does not hydrate the powder,” he clarified.
The water temperature in the thermos should be between 75 and 80 degrees: “When you see the first little bubbles on the side, in the traditional kettle, it is at 80 degrees, or it gets a little past the ‘mate’, in the electric kettle.”
“Then, the bombilla is accommodated and we begin to prime with water from the thermos near it, the idea is to leave the dry herb to feed the flavor of the mate and, depending on the quality of the herbs and leaves, the flavor can last for a medium thermos or two integers”, he pointed out.
In turn, the specialist explained that the quality of the yerba “depends on the grinding, which has a lower percentage of stick, smaller leaves and a higher percentage of leaf dust.”
According to the food code, 22% is the maximum leaf dust that the yerba can contain with 35% stickas a stop.
