Yerba mate
Encyclopedia
Maté, yerba maté or erva maté ' onMouseout='HidePop("45126")' href="/topics/Gaucho">gaúcho
Brazilian Portuguese [ˌɛrvɐ ˈmate]), Ilex paraguariensis, is a species
of holly
(family Aquifoliaceae) native to subtropical South America
in northeastern Argentina
, Bolivia
, southern Brazil
, Uruguay
and Paraguay
. It was first used and cultivated by the Guaraní people, also in some Tupí people communities in southern Brazil, prior to the European colonization. It was scientifically classified by the Swiss botanist Moses Bertoni, who settled in Paraguay in 1895.
The maté plant is a shrub
or small tree
growing up to 15 meters tall. The leaves
are evergreen
, 7–11 cm long and 3–5.5 cm wide, with a serrated margin. The flower
s are small, greenish-white, with four petals. The fruit
is a red drupe
4–6 mm in diameter. The leaves, popularly called "herb" contain caffeine
and related compounds, and are harvested commercially.
, more specifically in northern Argentina
(Corrientes
, Misiones
), Paraguay
, Uruguay
and southern Brazil
(Rio Grande do Sul
, Santa Catarina
, Paraná
and Mato Grosso do Sul
). Cultivators are known as yerbateros (Spanish speakers) or ervamateiros (Brazil).
When the maté is harvested, the branches are dried sometimes with a wood fire, imparting a smoky flavor. Then the leaves and sometimes the twig
s are broken up.
The plant Ilex paraguariensis can vary in strength of the flavor, caffeine levels and other nutrients depending on whether it is a male or female plant. Female plants tend to be milder in flavor, and lower in caffeine. They are also relatively scarce in the areas where maté is planted and cultivated, not wild-harvested, compared to the male plants.
According to FAO
, Brazil is the biggest producer of maté in the world with 434.727 MT (53%), followed by Argentina 300,000 MT (37%) and Paraguay 76,663 MT (10%).
The infusion called maté
or chimarrão (Brazil) is prepared by steeping dry leaves (and twigs) of the maté plant in hot water, rather than in boiling water. Drinking maté with friends from a shared hollow gourd
(also called a guampa or mate in Spanish, or cabaça or cuia in Portuguese, or zucca in Italian) with a metal straw (a bombilla in Spanish, bomba in Portuguese) is a common social practice in Argentina
and southern Brazil
among people of all ages; the beverage is also very popular in Uruguay
, Paraguay
, Peru
and Chile
, eastern Bolivia
and other states of Brazil
, and has been cultivated in Syria
, Lebanon
and Jordan
.
The flavor of brewed maté is strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy, reminiscent of some varieties of green tea
. Some consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in boiling water. Flavored maté is also sold, in which the maté leaves are blended with another herb (such as peppermint) or citrus rind.
In Paraguay
, Brazil and Argentina, a toasted version of maté, known as mate cocido (Paraguay), chá mate (Brazil) or just mate, is sold in teabag and loose form, and served, sweetened, in specialized shops, either hot or iced with fruit juice or milk. The same is sold in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay in tea bags to be drunk as a tea. In Argentina and southern Brazil, this is commonly drunk for breakfast or in the café for afternoon tea, often with a selection of sweet pastries. It is also made by heating maté in water and straining it as it cools.
An iced, sweetened version of toasted maté is sold as an uncarbonated soft drink
, with or without fruit flavoring. The toasted variety of maté has less of a bitter flavor and more of a spicy fragrance. When shaken, it becomes creamy (since the formed foam gets well mixed and lasts for some time), known as mate batido. It is more popular in the coastal cities of Brazil, as opposed to the far southern states, where it is consumed in the traditional way (green, drunk with a silver straw from a shared gourd), and called chimarrão. In Argentina, this is called cimarrón.
In Paraguay, western Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul
, west of São Paulo
) and the Litoral Argentino, a maté infusion is also drunk as a cold or iced beverage and called tereré
or tererê (in Spanish and Portuguese, respectively), usually sucked out of a horn cup called guampa with a bombilla. It could be prepared using cold or iced water (the most common way in Paraguay) or using cold or iced fruit juice (the most common way in Argentina). The "only water" version may be too bitter, but the one prepared using fruit juice is sweetened by the juice itself. Medicinal herbs, known as yuyos, are mixed in a mortar and pestle and added to the water for taste or medicinal reasons. Tereré is consumed in Paraguay and the Litoral (northeast Argentina).
In the Rio de la Plata
region, people often consume daily servings of maté such as Taragüi mate from Establecimiento Las Marías
; in fact, it is common for friends to convene to matear several times a week. In cold weather, the beverage is served hot and in warm weather the hot water is often substituted with lemonade, but not in Uruguay. Children often take maté with lemonade or milk, as well.
As Europeans often meet at a coffee shop, drinking maté is the impetus for gathering with friends in Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay. Sharing maté is ritualistic and has its own set of rules. Usually, one person, the host or whoever brought the maté, prepares the drink and refills the gourd with water. In these three countries, the hot water can be contained in a vacuum flask
, termo (appropriate for drinking maté in the outside), or in a pava (kettle), garrafa térmica (Brazil), or, which only can be done at home.
The gourd is passed around, often in a circle, and each person finishes the gourd before giving it back to the brewer. The gourd (also called a maté) is passed in a clockwise order. Since maté can be rebrewed many times, the gourd is passed until the water runs out. When persons no longer want to take maté, they say gracias (thank you) to the brewer when returning the gourd to signify they do not want any more.
During the month of August, Paraguayans have a tradition of mixing maté with crushed leaves, stems, and flowers of the plant known as flor de Agosto (the flower of August, groundsel
s or ragwort
s of the Senecio
genus), which contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Modifying maté in this fashion is potentially toxic, as these alkaloids can cause a rare condition of the liver
, veno-occlusive disease, which produces liver failure due to progressive occlusion of the small venous channels
in the liver.
In South Africa, maté is not well known, but has been introduced to Stellenbosch by a student who sells it nationally. In the tiny hamlet of Groot Marico in the northwest province, maté was introduced to the local tourism office by the returning descendants of the Boer
s, who in 1902 had emigrated to Patagonia in Argentina after losing the Anglo Boer War
. It is also commonly consumed in Syria
and other parts of the Middle East
.
s: caffeine
, theobromine
and theophylline
, the main one being caffeine
. Caffeine content varies between 0.7% and 1.7% of dry weight (compared with 0.4– 0.9% for tea
leaves, 2.5-7.6% in guarana
, and up to 3.2% for ground coffee
); theobromine content varies from 0.3-0.9%; theophylline is present in small quantities, or can be completely absent. A substance previously called "mateine" is a synonym for caffeine (like theine and guaranine).
Preliminary limited studies of maté have shown that the maté xanthine cocktail is different from other plants containing caffeine, most significantly in its effects on muscle tissue
, as opposed to those on the central nervous system
, which are similar to those of other natural stimulants. The three xanthines present in maté have been shown to have a relaxing effect on smooth muscle tissue
, and a stimulating effect on myocardial (heart)
tissue.
, magnesium
and manganese
.
, the evidence seems to provide support for beneficial effects of maté drinking on chronic diseases with inflammatory component and lipid metabolism disorders.
and in vitro
studies are showing maté to exhibit significant cancer-fighting activity. Researchers at the University of Illinois (2005) found maté to be "rich in phenolic constituents" and to "inhibit oral cancer cell proliferation", while it promoted proliferation of oral cancer cell lines at certain concentrations. This activity was due in part to inhibition of topoisomerase II activity in yeast.
Conversely, maté consumption has been associated with increased incidence of bladder, esophageal, oral, squamous cell of the head and neck, and lung cancer. However, a case-control study showed no increased incidence of bladder cancer in maté drinkers.
A study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer
showed a limited correlation between oral cancer and the drinking of large quantities of hot maté. Smaller quantities (less than 1 liter daily) and warm rather than hot maté consumption were found to increase risk only slightly; alcohol and tobacco consumption had a synergistic effect on increasing oral, throat, and esophageal cancer. The increased risk, rather than stemming from the maté itself, could be credited to the high temperatures in which the maté is consumed in its most traditional way, the chimarrão. The cellular damage caused by thermal stress could lead the esophagus and gastric epithelium to be metaplasic, adapting to the chronic injury. Then, mutations would lead to cellular dysplasia
and to cancer
. Given the influence of the temperature of water, as well as the lack of complete adjustment for age, alcohol consumption and smoking, the study concludes that maté is "not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans".
Researchers in Mississippi found that both cold and hot water extractions of maté contained high levels (8.03 to 53.3 ng/g dry leaves) of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
s (PAHs) (e.g. benzo[a]pyrene). However, these potential carcinogenic compounds originate from drying process of the maté leaves, which involves smoke from the burning of wood, rather than from the maté itself.
triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (E-NTPDase) family, resulting in an elevated level of extracellular ATP
, ADP
, and AMP
. This was found with chronic ingestion (15 days) of an aqueous maté extract, and may lead to a novel mechanism for manipulation of vascular regenerative factors, i.e., treating heart disease.
Maté was first consumed by the indigenous Guaraní and also spread in the Tupí people that lived in southern Brazil and Paraguay, and became widespread with the European colonization. In the Spanish colony of Paraguay
in the late 16th century, both Spanish settlers and indigenous Guaranís, who had, to some extent, before the Spanish arrival, consumed it. Maté consumption spread in the 17th century to the River Plate
and from there to Argentina
, Chile
, Bolivia
and Peru
. This widespread consumption turned it into Paraguay's main commodity
above other wares, such as tobacco, and Indian labour was used to harvest wild stands.
In the mid 17th century, Jesuits managed to domesticate the plant and establish plantations in their Indian reductions
in Misiones, sparking severe competition with the Paraguayan harvesters of wild stands. After their expulsion in the 1770s, their plantations fell into decay, as did their domestication secrets. The industry continued to be of prime importance for the Paraguayan economy after independence, but development in benefit of the Paraguayan state halted after the War of the Triple Alliance
(1864–1870) that devastated the country both economically and demographically. Some regions with maté plantations in Paraguay became Argentinean territory.
Brazil then became the largest producer of maté. In Brazilian and Argentine projects in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the plant was domesticated once again, opening the way for plantation systems. When Brazilian entrepreneurs turned their attention to coffee in the 1930s, Argentina, which had long been the prime consumer, took over as the largest producer, resurrecting the economy in Misiones Province
, where the Jesuits had once had most of their plantations. For years, the status of largest producer shifted between Brazil and Argentina.
Now, Brazil is the largest producer, with 53%, followed by Argentina, 37% and Paraguay, 10%.
There is a Parque Historico do Mate, funded by the State of Parana, Brazil, to educate people on the sustainable harvesting methods needed to maintain the integrity and vitality of the oldest wild forests of maté in the world.
(Guarani, in Portuguese), language of the indigenous people who first cultivated and enjoyed maté, is ka'a, which has the same meaning as "herb". Congonha, in Portuguese, is derived from the Tupi expression, meaning something like "what keeps us alive".
The pronunciation of yerba maté in Spanish
is ˈʝerβa ˈmate. The word hierba is Spanish
for "grass" or "herb"; yerba is a variant spelling of it which is quite common in Argentina. Maté is from the Quechua
mati, meaning "gourd" or the cup made from a gourd. Yerba maté, therefore, translates literally as the "gourd herb", i.e. the herb one drinks from a gourd.
The (Brazilian) Portuguese name is erva-mate ˈɛʁva ˈmati (also pronounced ˈɛʁva ˈmate in some regions); it is also used to prepare the drinks chimarrão (hot) or tereré
(cold). While the tea is made with the toasted leaves, these drinks are made with green ones, and are very popular in the south of the country.
Both the spellings "mate" and "maté" are used in English, but the latter spelling, "maté", is never used in Spanish; instead, it means "I killed" as opposed to "gourd". There is no variation of spellings in Spanish. The addition of the acute accent
over the final "e" was likely added as a hypercorrection
, indicating that the word and its pronunciation are distinct from the common English word "mate". The addition of the accent over the "e" is correct Spanish grammar to indicate past tense in the first person, not just a widespread English error.
is the leading brand of Las Marias.
In Argentina, mate is present in 95% of households and 79% of the population drinks the beverage. The vast majority drink it in the traditional way. The act of consuming mate is also a social occasion. The beverage is also available in tea bags, representing roughly 5% of the market.
Mate harvested at different times and from different areas have different characteristics. For instance, north Misiones Province
has a heavier taste than Corrientes Province
, and mate harvested in summer is higher in caffeine then that of spring and fall.
Since mate dominates the beverage market in Argentina
, it dominates the grocery shelves. In a leading supermarket in Buenos Aires
, shelf space dedicated to mate is eight times the size of that of coffee and tea combined. Mate is also sold in most neighborhood markets and many street kiosks. It is as ubiquitous as soft drinks are in many other markets.
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
Brazilian Portuguese [ˌɛrvɐ ˈmate]), Ilex paraguariensis, is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of holly
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
(family Aquifoliaceae) native to subtropical South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
in northeastern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, southern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. It was first used and cultivated by the Guaraní people, also in some Tupí people communities in southern Brazil, prior to the European colonization. It was scientifically classified by the Swiss botanist Moses Bertoni, who settled in Paraguay in 1895.
The maté plant is a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
or small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
growing up to 15 meters tall. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
, 7–11 cm long and 3–5.5 cm wide, with a serrated margin. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are small, greenish-white, with four petals. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a red drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
4–6 mm in diameter. The leaves, popularly called "herb" contain caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
and related compounds, and are harvested commercially.
Cultivation
The plant is grown and processed mainly in South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, more specifically in northern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(Corrientes
Corrientes Province
Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
, Misiones
Misiones Province
Misiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamiсa region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes Province of Argentina to the southwest.- History :The province was...
), Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and southern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (state)
Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
, Paraná
Paraná (state)
Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
and Mato Grosso do Sul
Mato Grosso do Sul
Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising...
). Cultivators are known as yerbateros (Spanish speakers) or ervamateiros (Brazil).
Twig
A twig is a small thin terminal branch of a woody plant. Twigs are critically important in identification of trees, shrubs and vines, especially in wintertime. The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the abscission scars where the leaves have fallen away...
s are broken up.
The plant Ilex paraguariensis can vary in strength of the flavor, caffeine levels and other nutrients depending on whether it is a male or female plant. Female plants tend to be milder in flavor, and lower in caffeine. They are also relatively scarce in the areas where maté is planted and cultivated, not wild-harvested, compared to the male plants.
According to FAO
Fão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
, Brazil is the biggest producer of maté in the world with 434.727 MT (53%), followed by Argentina 300,000 MT (37%) and Paraguay 76,663 MT (10%).
Use as a beverage
Mate (beverage)
Mate , also known as chimarrão or cimarrón, is a traditional South American infused drink, particularly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern states of Brazil, south of Chile, the Bolivian Chaco, and to some extent, Syria and Lebanon...
or chimarrão (Brazil) is prepared by steeping dry leaves (and twigs) of the maté plant in hot water, rather than in boiling water. Drinking maté with friends from a shared hollow gourd
Calabash
Lagenaria siceraria , bottle gourd, opo squash or long melon is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. For this reason, the calabash is widely known as the bottle gourd...
(also called a guampa or mate in Spanish, or cabaça or cuia in Portuguese, or zucca in Italian) with a metal straw (a bombilla in Spanish, bomba in Portuguese) is a common social practice in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and southern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
among people of all ages; the beverage is also very popular in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, eastern Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and other states of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and has been cultivated in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
.
The flavor of brewed maté is strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy, reminiscent of some varieties of green tea
Green tea
Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...
. Some consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in boiling water. Flavored maté is also sold, in which the maté leaves are blended with another herb (such as peppermint) or citrus rind.
In Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Brazil and Argentina, a toasted version of maté, known as mate cocido (Paraguay), chá mate (Brazil) or just mate, is sold in teabag and loose form, and served, sweetened, in specialized shops, either hot or iced with fruit juice or milk. The same is sold in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay in tea bags to be drunk as a tea. In Argentina and southern Brazil, this is commonly drunk for breakfast or in the café for afternoon tea, often with a selection of sweet pastries. It is also made by heating maté in water and straining it as it cools.
An iced, sweetened version of toasted maté is sold as an uncarbonated soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
, with or without fruit flavoring. The toasted variety of maté has less of a bitter flavor and more of a spicy fragrance. When shaken, it becomes creamy (since the formed foam gets well mixed and lasts for some time), known as mate batido. It is more popular in the coastal cities of Brazil, as opposed to the far southern states, where it is consumed in the traditional way (green, drunk with a silver straw from a shared gourd), and called chimarrão. In Argentina, this is called cimarrón.
In Paraguay, western Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul
Mato Grosso do Sul
Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising...
, west of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
) and the Litoral Argentino, a maté infusion is also drunk as a cold or iced beverage and called tereré
Tereré
Tereré is an infusion of yerba mate / erva-mate , similar to mate but prepared with cold water rather than with hot, and in a slightly larger vessel...
or tererê (in Spanish and Portuguese, respectively), usually sucked out of a horn cup called guampa with a bombilla. It could be prepared using cold or iced water (the most common way in Paraguay) or using cold or iced fruit juice (the most common way in Argentina). The "only water" version may be too bitter, but the one prepared using fruit juice is sweetened by the juice itself. Medicinal herbs, known as yuyos, are mixed in a mortar and pestle and added to the water for taste or medicinal reasons. Tereré is consumed in Paraguay and the Litoral (northeast Argentina).
In the Rio de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
region, people often consume daily servings of maté such as Taragüi mate from Establecimiento Las Marías
Establecimiento Las Marías
Establecimiento Las Marías is a company specializing in infusions, It develops them all the way from plant to package.It is a source of tea, and its lands are the producers of yerba mate....
; in fact, it is common for friends to convene to matear several times a week. In cold weather, the beverage is served hot and in warm weather the hot water is often substituted with lemonade, but not in Uruguay. Children often take maté with lemonade or milk, as well.
As Europeans often meet at a coffee shop, drinking maté is the impetus for gathering with friends in Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay. Sharing maté is ritualistic and has its own set of rules. Usually, one person, the host or whoever brought the maté, prepares the drink and refills the gourd with water. In these three countries, the hot water can be contained in a vacuum flask
Vacuum flask
A vacuum flask is an insulating storage vessel which keeps its contents hotter or cooler than its surroundings. Invented by Sir James Dewar in 1892, the vacuum flask consists of two flasks, placed one within the other and joined at the neck...
, termo (appropriate for drinking maté in the outside), or in a pava (kettle), garrafa térmica (Brazil), or, which only can be done at home.
The gourd is passed around, often in a circle, and each person finishes the gourd before giving it back to the brewer. The gourd (also called a maté) is passed in a clockwise order. Since maté can be rebrewed many times, the gourd is passed until the water runs out. When persons no longer want to take maté, they say gracias (thank you) to the brewer when returning the gourd to signify they do not want any more.
During the month of August, Paraguayans have a tradition of mixing maté with crushed leaves, stems, and flowers of the plant known as flor de Agosto (the flower of August, groundsel
Groundsel
Senecio vulgaris, often known by the common name Common groundsel, a humble in appearance member of the Asteraceae family and Senecio genus, is a tenacious deciduous annual whose presence now encompasses the globe in a wide area of easy to somewhat difficult growing conditions.The discussion of...
s or ragwort
Ragwort
Ragwort is a very common wild flower in the family Asteraceae that is native to northern Eurasia, usually in dry, open places, and has also been widely distributed as a weed elsewhere....
s of the Senecio
Senecio
Senecio is a genus of the daisy family that includes ragworts and groundsels. The flower heads are normally rayed, completely yellow, and the heads are borne in branched clusters...
genus), which contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Modifying maté in this fashion is potentially toxic, as these alkaloids can cause a rare condition of the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
, veno-occlusive disease, which produces liver failure due to progressive occlusion of the small venous channels
Vein
In the circulatory system, veins are blood vessels that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart...
in the liver.
In South Africa, maté is not well known, but has been introduced to Stellenbosch by a student who sells it nationally. In the tiny hamlet of Groot Marico in the northwest province, maté was introduced to the local tourism office by the returning descendants of the Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
s, who in 1902 had emigrated to Patagonia in Argentina after losing the Anglo Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. It is also commonly consumed in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and other parts of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Xanthines
Maté contains three xanthineXanthine
Xanthine , is a purine base found in most human body tissues and fluids and in other organisms. A number of stimulants are derived from xanthine, including caffeine and theobromine....
s: caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
, theobromine
Theobromine
Theobromine , also known as xantheose, is a bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant, with the chemical formula C7H8N4O2. It is found in chocolate, as well as in a number of other foods, including the leaves of the tea plant, and the kola nut...
and theophylline
Theophylline
Theophylline, also known as dimethylxanthine, is a methylxanthine drug used in therapy for respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma under a variety of brand names. Because of its numerous side-effects, the drug is now rarely administered for clinical use. As a member of the xanthine family, it...
, the main one being caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
. Caffeine content varies between 0.7% and 1.7% of dry weight (compared with 0.4– 0.9% for tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
leaves, 2.5-7.6% in guarana
Guarana
Guarana , Paullinia cupana, syn. P. crysan, P. sorbilis) is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. Guarana features large leaves and clusters of flowers, and is best known for its fruit, which is about the size of a coffee bean...
, and up to 3.2% for ground coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
); theobromine content varies from 0.3-0.9%; theophylline is present in small quantities, or can be completely absent. A substance previously called "mateine" is a synonym for caffeine (like theine and guaranine).
Preliminary limited studies of maté have shown that the maté xanthine cocktail is different from other plants containing caffeine, most significantly in its effects on muscle tissue
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
, as opposed to those on the central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
, which are similar to those of other natural stimulants. The three xanthines present in maté have been shown to have a relaxing effect on smooth muscle tissue
Smooth muscle
Smooth muscle is an involuntary non-striated muscle. It is divided into two sub-groups; the single-unit and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit smooth muscle tissues, the autonomic nervous system innervates a single cell within a sheet or bundle and the action potential is propagated by...
, and a stimulating effect on myocardial (heart)
Cardiac muscle
Cardiac muscle is a type of involuntary striated muscle found in the walls and histologic foundation of the heart, specifically the myocardium. Cardiac muscle is one of three major types of muscle, the others being skeletal and smooth muscle...
tissue.
Mineral content
Maté also contains elements such as potassiumPotassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
, magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
and manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
.
Health benefits
Research on the effects of Ilex paraguariensis in health and disease has confirmed its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic and lipid-lowering activities. Although there has not yet been a double-blind, randomized prospective clinical trialClinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...
, the evidence seems to provide support for beneficial effects of maté drinking on chronic diseases with inflammatory component and lipid metabolism disorders.
Anticarcinogenic vs. carcinogenic potential
In vivoIn vivo
In vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
and in vitro
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
studies are showing maté to exhibit significant cancer-fighting activity. Researchers at the University of Illinois (2005) found maté to be "rich in phenolic constituents" and to "inhibit oral cancer cell proliferation", while it promoted proliferation of oral cancer cell lines at certain concentrations. This activity was due in part to inhibition of topoisomerase II activity in yeast.
Conversely, maté consumption has been associated with increased incidence of bladder, esophageal, oral, squamous cell of the head and neck, and lung cancer. However, a case-control study showed no increased incidence of bladder cancer in maté drinkers.
A study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer
International Agency for Research on Cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations....
showed a limited correlation between oral cancer and the drinking of large quantities of hot maté. Smaller quantities (less than 1 liter daily) and warm rather than hot maté consumption were found to increase risk only slightly; alcohol and tobacco consumption had a synergistic effect on increasing oral, throat, and esophageal cancer. The increased risk, rather than stemming from the maté itself, could be credited to the high temperatures in which the maté is consumed in its most traditional way, the chimarrão. The cellular damage caused by thermal stress could lead the esophagus and gastric epithelium to be metaplasic, adapting to the chronic injury. Then, mutations would lead to cellular dysplasia
Dysplasia
Dysplasia , is a term used in pathology to refer to an abnormality of development. This generally consists of an expansion of immature cells, with a corresponding decrease in the number and location of mature cells. Dysplasia is often indicative of an early neoplastic process...
and to cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Given the influence of the temperature of water, as well as the lack of complete adjustment for age, alcohol consumption and smoking, the study concludes that maté is "not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans".
Researchers in Mississippi found that both cold and hot water extractions of maté contained high levels (8.03 to 53.3 ng/g dry leaves) of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric pollutants that consist of fused aromatic rings and do not contain heteroatoms or carry substituents. Naphthalene is the simplest example of a PAH...
s (PAHs) (e.g. benzo[a]pyrene). However, these potential carcinogenic compounds originate from drying process of the maté leaves, which involves smoke from the burning of wood, rather than from the maté itself.
Antiobesity properties
In most studies, Ilex paraguensis tea has been shown to lessen the tendency towards obesity induced by a high-starch diet.Cholesterol-lowering properties
Consumption of maté (Ilex paraguariensis) improves serum lipid parameters in healthy dyslipidemic subjects and provides an additional LDL-cholesterol reduction in individuals on statin therapy.E-NTPDase activity
Research also shows that maté preparations can alter the concentration of members of the ecto-nucleosideNucleoside
Nucleosides are glycosylamines consisting of a nucleobase bound to a ribose or deoxyribose sugar via a beta-glycosidic linkage...
triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (E-NTPDase) family, resulting in an elevated level of extracellular ATP
Adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleoside triphosphate used in cells as a coenzyme. It is often called the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism...
, ADP
Adenosine diphosphate
Adenosine diphosphate, abbreviated ADP, is a nucleoside diphosphate. It is an ester of pyrophosphoric acid with the nucleoside adenosine. ADP consists of the pyrophosphate group, the pentose sugar ribose, and the nucleobase adenine....
, and AMP
Adenosine monophosphate
Adenosine monophosphate , also known as 5'-adenylic acid, is a nucleotide that is used as a monomer in RNA. It is an ester of phosphoric acid and the nucleoside adenosine. AMP consists of a phosphate group, the sugar ribose, and the nucleobase adenine...
. This was found with chronic ingestion (15 days) of an aqueous maté extract, and may lead to a novel mechanism for manipulation of vascular regenerative factors, i.e., treating heart disease.
Antioxidant potential
In an investigation of maté antioxidant activity, there was a correlation found between content of caffeoyl-derivatives and antioxidant capacity (AOC). Amongst a group of Ilex species, Ilex paraguariensis antioxidant activity was the highest.History
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
in the late 16th century, both Spanish settlers and indigenous Guaranís, who had, to some extent, before the Spanish arrival, consumed it. Maté consumption spread in the 17th century to the River Plate
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
and from there to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. This widespread consumption turned it into Paraguay's main commodity
Commodity
In economics, a commodity is the generic term for any marketable item produced to satisfy wants or needs. Economic commodities comprise goods and services....
above other wares, such as tobacco, and Indian labour was used to harvest wild stands.
In the mid 17th century, Jesuits managed to domesticate the plant and establish plantations in their Indian reductions
Jesuit Reductions
A Jesuit Reduction was a type of settlement for indigenous people in Latin America created by the Jesuit Order during the 17th and 18th centuries. In general, the strategy of the Spanish Empire was to gather native populations into centers called Indian Reductions , in order to Christianize, tax,...
in Misiones, sparking severe competition with the Paraguayan harvesters of wild stands. After their expulsion in the 1770s, their plantations fell into decay, as did their domestication secrets. The industry continued to be of prime importance for the Paraguayan economy after independence, but development in benefit of the Paraguayan state halted after the War of the Triple Alliance
War of the Triple Alliance
The Paraguayan War , also known as War of the Triple Alliance , was a military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay...
(1864–1870) that devastated the country both economically and demographically. Some regions with maté plantations in Paraguay became Argentinean territory.
Brazil then became the largest producer of maté. In Brazilian and Argentine projects in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the plant was domesticated once again, opening the way for plantation systems. When Brazilian entrepreneurs turned their attention to coffee in the 1930s, Argentina, which had long been the prime consumer, took over as the largest producer, resurrecting the economy in Misiones Province
Misiones Province
Misiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamiсa region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes Province of Argentina to the southwest.- History :The province was...
, where the Jesuits had once had most of their plantations. For years, the status of largest producer shifted between Brazil and Argentina.
Now, Brazil is the largest producer, with 53%, followed by Argentina, 37% and Paraguay, 10%.
There is a Parque Historico do Mate, funded by the State of Parana, Brazil, to educate people on the sustainable harvesting methods needed to maintain the integrity and vitality of the oldest wild forests of maté in the world.
Nomenclature
The name given to the plant in GuaraníGuaraní language
Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of...
(Guarani, in Portuguese), language of the indigenous people who first cultivated and enjoyed maté, is ka'a, which has the same meaning as "herb". Congonha, in Portuguese, is derived from the Tupi expression, meaning something like "what keeps us alive".
The pronunciation of yerba maté in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
is ˈʝerβa ˈmate. The word hierba is Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "grass" or "herb"; yerba is a variant spelling of it which is quite common in Argentina. Maté is from the Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
mati, meaning "gourd" or the cup made from a gourd. Yerba maté, therefore, translates literally as the "gourd herb", i.e. the herb one drinks from a gourd.
The (Brazilian) Portuguese name is erva-mate ˈɛʁva ˈmati (also pronounced ˈɛʁva ˈmate in some regions); it is also used to prepare the drinks chimarrão (hot) or tereré
Tereré
Tereré is an infusion of yerba mate / erva-mate , similar to mate but prepared with cold water rather than with hot, and in a slightly larger vessel...
(cold). While the tea is made with the toasted leaves, these drinks are made with green ones, and are very popular in the south of the country.
Both the spellings "mate" and "maté" are used in English, but the latter spelling, "maté", is never used in Spanish; instead, it means "I killed" as opposed to "gourd". There is no variation of spellings in Spanish. The addition of the acute accent
Acute accent
The acute accent is a diacritic used in many modern written languages with alphabets based on the Latin, Cyrillic, and Greek scripts.-Apex:An early precursor of the acute accent was the apex, used in Latin inscriptions to mark long vowels.-Greek:...
over the final "e" was likely added as a hypercorrection
Hypercorrection
In linguistics or usage, hypercorrection is a non-standard usage that results from the over-application of a perceived rule of grammar or a usage prescription...
, indicating that the word and its pronunciation are distinct from the common English word "mate". The addition of the accent over the "e" is correct Spanish grammar to indicate past tense in the first person, not just a widespread English error.
The Argentine market
In Argentina, there are more than 200 brands in the market, many very local. There are approximately 10 companies with some national presence, accounting for 80% of the market. The market leader is Las Marias, with slightly more than 30% of the Argentine mate market. TaragüíTaragüí
Taragüí —after the Guaraní name of Corrientes Province, in northeastern Argentina— is a popular brand of yerba mate in Argentina, also available in many other countries in South America, in Spain, and others where mate is also enjoyed...
is the leading brand of Las Marias.
In Argentina, mate is present in 95% of households and 79% of the population drinks the beverage. The vast majority drink it in the traditional way. The act of consuming mate is also a social occasion. The beverage is also available in tea bags, representing roughly 5% of the market.
Mate harvested at different times and from different areas have different characteristics. For instance, north Misiones Province
Misiones Province
Misiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamiсa region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes Province of Argentina to the southwest.- History :The province was...
has a heavier taste than Corrientes Province
Corrientes Province
Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
, and mate harvested in summer is higher in caffeine then that of spring and fall.
Since mate dominates the beverage market in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, it dominates the grocery shelves. In a leading supermarket in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, shelf space dedicated to mate is eight times the size of that of coffee and tea combined. Mate is also sold in most neighborhood markets and many street kiosks. It is as ubiquitous as soft drinks are in many other markets.
See also
- Club-MateClub-MateClub-Mate is a caffeinated carbonated mate-extract beverage made by the Loscher Brewery near Münchsteinach, Germany, which originated in 1924....
- MatervaMatervaMaterva is a mate soft drink, produced in Miami by Cawy Bottling Company. Materva is made from yerba mate, a tea popular in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Materva is very popular among Cubans and other Hispanics in the United States. There is also a diet version called Diet Materva...
(maté soft drink) - Yaupon hollyYaupon HollyIlex vomitoria, commonly known as Yaupon or Yaupon Holly, is a species of holly that is native to southeastern North America. The word yaupon was derived from its Catawban name, yopún, which is a diminutive form of the word yop, meaning "tree". Another common name, Cassina, was borrowed from the...
- a caffeine-containing member of the Ilex genus from North America - Black drinkBlack drinkBlack drink was the name given by colonists to a ritual beverage called Asi, brewed by Native Americans in the Southeastern United States...
- Ilex guayusaIlex guayusaIlex guayusa is an Amazonian tree of the holly genus, native to the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest. One of three known caffeinated holly trees, the leaves of the guayusa tree are dried and brewed like a tea for their stimulative effects....
- another caffeine-containing holly, also known as guayusa, is an Amazonian tree of the holly genus, native to the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. - Ku Ding teaKu Ding TeaKuding tea is a particularly bitter-tasting Chinese tisane which due to their similarities in appearance is derived from several plant species...
- Ilex kudingcha - NativaNativaNativa was a carbonated beverage created by the Coca-Cola Company. It was released in November 2003 in Argentina, and discontinued in August 2004...
(beverage)