Preparation process
The ritual of mate
Since drinking mate is a typical habit in South America, it is just fair to call it a tradition.
It has indeed been passed doen from generation to generation, up to this day: from parents to children. In a way or in an other it is a part of every South American’s life, and being so, it becomes a pivotal element in preserving memories and recalling specific moments and feelings of wellness with family and friends.
Mate is traditionally drank by groups of people. Nevertheless, it is drank from a singular mate cup and everybody drink from the same straw.
In Paraguay though, it is quite common for people to carry around their own mate, even at family meetings, everyone would preferibly have their own mate from which to drink.
This would be interpreted as rude or offensive in countries such as Argentina, where the condivision of the straw in as important as the sharing of companionship while drinking mate. Usually, while drinking mate, large groups tend to assume a semi-circular disposition: the formation revolves around the figure of the sebador*, who is the cardinal point of the group.
​The mate is supposed to be drnk at least once by every participant before you can have an other one.
There is no hurry while drinking mate, you can take your time, but keeping in mind there are other people waiting for their turn. Nobody will ever hurry you to drink faster though, it’s rude to do so.
It is very common to talk between a sip and an other and there are many pauses due to the time the mate takes to be passed over and poured before being available for the next person. In fact, most acompany the mate with snacks such as torta frita* or empanadas*.
The interesting thing about this sequence is that the mate always gets back to the sebador everytime the drinker finishes the water: their role is to fill it every time.
If you prefer your mate sweet, just add edulcorant or sugar in the cup (never in the water!) on top of the yerba: in this way it will dissolve slowly as the mate gets poured and drank.
Sebar mate is not just about pouring the water into the cup: the sebador must take care of the quality of the experience by checking the temperature and conditions of the water and the yerba. They must be the ones preparing the mate and positioning the bombilla. Moreover, they must keep it nice and warm enough to be used properly. They also control the sweetness and flavours of mate (they may add fruit juice, sugar, or peels in order to give the mate an oder flavor), by adding extra ingredients to the mix of yerba.
The sebador is the one in charge, let’s say, of keeping the ritual on a dynamic pace: in every group there is a person that specializes in the art of pouring mate.
The role is traditionally reserved to the eldest women in the family/group: it has historically always been linked to the figure of the female, ever since the birth of the legends about yerba among the Guaranì people. During the Colonial Era there was a specific feminine figure devoted to the preparing and serving of mate, called the Sebadora*. This role highlighted the ritual essence of mate drinking, and recalled the role of the οινκονοφοροι* in ancient Greece.
The role of the sebador is a very difficult one: all the responsabilities of preparing a good mate and distributing it in the right way is on them.
The round of mate or mateada*, is served by one single person to everybody else, in sequence and equally, and always clockwise.
An other important element of traditional mate is the pava*.
This item is used to prepare, warm up and pour the water. It might look like your regulare kettle, but it is not. Its specifical design features a beack that is meant to be used for mate serving: it indeed allows for the perfect pouting of water!
You are supposed to always pour water in the same point above the straw, in order to get the best out of every mate, and make it last longer by using it in layers.
This technique allows the water to filter vertically down until the bottom of the mate and then collect the infusion from down upwards: the more the lower layer gets used, the more water you will let filter, and then drink, so that the flavor lasts longer.
To achieve this, and be the most precise possible, this design has been developed: its handle is high enough to avoid getting hurt by the warm vapors, and the beack is pointy and curved to be positioned on the corner of the mate and just slightly inclined to achieve the best spot.
Some dimilar design was developed for mate thermoses: they are recognizable by the pointy tube from where the water is poured.
When drinking mate one should never move the straw, especially after the first water is poured: it would alter the integrity of the yerba, and its taste.
The water temperature should never be above 85° Celsius, and never ever boiling. It is preferable not to boil the water and then let it cool down: it ruins the taste of it somehow.
alternatives
Even though this is the traditional way of drinking mate, there are indeed many variants and alternative ways of consuming yerba. Here below are some.
1. In Paraguay they dring a cold brew with ice cubes.
2. Sometimes other erbs are added to the yerba, or juice is used instead of water, and this drink is called tererè.
3. When sold in teabags or consumes as infusion, whith low amount of yeba, it is called mate cocido.
4. It can also be brewed the same way coffee is, and there are actually some labels that mix coffe and yerba on purpose for that use!
5. In Uruguay yerba is consumed as a medicine, and different varieties are packed and sold with different curative purposes.