Yerba mate or yerba maté ( ),,from Spanish , ; locally also , , and , Ilex paraguariensis, is a plant species of the holly genus native to South America. The leaves of the plant can be steeped in hot water to make a beverage known as mate. Brewed cold, it is used to make tereré. Both the plant and the beverage contain caffeine.
The indigenous Guaraní and some Tupi communities (whose territory covered modern Paraguay) first cultivated and consumed yerba mate prior to European colonization of the Americas. Its consumption was exclusive to the natives of two regions of the territory that became Paraguay, specifically the departments of Amambay and Alto Paraná. After the Jesuits discovered its commercialization potential, yerba mate became widespread throughout the province and even elsewhere in the Spanish Crown. The plant was named by the French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire.
Mate is traditionally consumed in central and southern regions of South America, primarily in Paraguay, as well as in Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Brazil, the Gran Chaco of Bolivia, and Southern Chile. It has also become popular in the Druze and Alawite community in the Levant, especially in Syria and Lebanon, where it is imported from Paraguay and Argentina, thanks to 19th-century Syrian immigrants to Argentina. Yerba mate can be found worldwide in various energy drinks as well as being sold as a bottled or canned iced drink.
Name and pronunciation The name given to the plant in the Guaraní language (of the indigenous people who first used mate) is , which has the same meaning as 'herb'. , in Portuguese, a term describing several herb species, is derived from the Tupí expression , meaning something like 'what keeps us alive', but is rarely used nowadays.FERREIRA, A. B. H. Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa. Segunda edição. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira, 1986. p.453 Mate is from the Quechua ,Real Academia Española. "Mate". Retrieved 23 May 2013. a word that means 'container for a drink' and 'infusion of an herb', as well as 'gourd'.AULEX, "Online Quechua-Spanish Dictionary". Retrieved 23 May 2013. The word mate is used in modern Portuguese and Spanish.
The pronunciation of in Spanish is , with the stress on the first syllable of mate. The word is Spanish for 'herb', a variant spelling of used throughout Latin America.Real Academia Española. "Yerba". Retrieved 23 May 2013. Yerba may be understood as 'herb', but also as 'grass' or 'weed'. In Argentina and Uruguay, refers exclusively to the plant. , therefore, literally means the 'gourd herb'; i.e., the herb one drinks from a gourd.
The Portuguese name for the plant is pronounced or in the areas of traditional consumption. The drinks are usually called (hot; traditionally served in a gourd), (cold; traditionally served in a bull horn), or (hot or cold; lit. 'mate tea', served in cups or glasses). While is made with roasted leaves, the other drinks are made with raw or lightly toasted green leaves, and are very popular in the south and center-west of the country. Most people, colloquially, call both the plant and the beverage by the word .
In English, both the spellings mate and maté are used to refer to the plant or the beverage. The acute accent over the final '-e' was likely added by analogy with words of French origin like café, not to mark stress but to indicate that the '-e' is not silent as it is in the English word mate (partner or friend); indeed French also uses the spelling with an accent. In Spanish, the spelling is an unrelated word meaning 'I killed', a conjugation of the verb matar."Word Magic Spanish Dictionary" . Retrieved 23 May 2013.
Description Ilex paraguariensis begins as a shrub and then matures to a tree, growing up to tall. The leaves are evergreen, long and wide, with serrated margins. The leaves are often called (Spanish) or (Portuguese), both of which mean "herb". They contain caffeine (known in some parts of the world as mateine) and related xanthine alkaloids, and are harvested commercially.
The flowers are small and greenish-white with four petals. The fruit is a red drupe in diameter.
Junqueira 2001 reported extrafloral nectaries on its leaves.
History
Mate was first consumed by the indigenous Guaraní people and also spread in the Tupí people that lived in the departments of Amambay and Alto Paraná the territory of Paraguay. Its consumption became widespread during European colonization, particularly in the Spanish colony of Paraguay in the late 16th century, among both Spanish settlers and indigenous Guaraní, who had, to some extent before the Spanish arrival, consumed it. This widespread consumption turned it into Paraguay's main commodity above other wares, such as tobacco, and the labour of indigenous peoples 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, Argentina, sparking severe competition with the Paraguayan harvesters of wild stands. It is here when the plant began its incursion into other non-Paraguayan territories. 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 mate plantations in Paraguay became Argentine territory.
Brazil then became the largest producer of mate."Erva-mate - o ouro verde do Paraná". Retrieved 10 July 2013. 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. Today, Brazil is the largest producer, with 53%, followed by Argentina, 37%, and Paraguay, 10%.
In the city of Campo Largo, state of Paraná, Brazil, there is a Mate Historic Park (), funded by the state government to educate people on the sustainable harvesting methods needed to maintain the integrity and vitality of the oldest wild forests of mate in the world. As of June 2014, however, the park is closed to public visitation.
Cultivation
The yerba mate plant is grown and processed in its native regions of South America, specifically in Paraguay, some parts of northern Argentina (Misiones), Uruguay, and southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, and Mato Grosso do Sul). Cultivators are known as (Spanish) or (Brazilian Portuguese).
Seeds used to germinate new plants are harvested after they have turned dark purple, typically from January to April. After harvest, they are submerged in water in order to eliminate floating non-viable seeds and detritus like twigs, leaves, etc. New plants are started between March and May. For plants established in pots, transplanting takes place April through September. Plants with bare roots are transplanted only during the months of June and July.Burtnik, Oscar José, "Yerba Mate Production" , 3rd Edition, 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
Many of the natural enemies of yerba mate are difficult to control in plantation settings. Insect pests include Gyropsylla spegazziniana, a true bug that lays eggs in the branches; Hedyphates betulinus, a type of beetle that weakens the tree and makes it more susceptible to mold and mildew; Perigonia lusca, a moth whose larvae eat the leaves; and several species of mites. P. lusca may be controlled with a nuclear polyhedrosis virus used as a biopesticide. This was first applied in 1992.
When I. paraguariensis is harvested, the branches are often dried by a wood fire, imparting a smoky flavor. The strength of the flavor, caffeine levels, and other nutrients can vary 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 yerba mate is planted and cultivated.
According to Food and Agriculture Organization in 2012, Brazil is the biggest producer of mate in the world with (58%), followed by Argentina with (32%) and Paraguay with (10%).
Use as a beverage
The infusion, called in Spanish-speaking countries and in Brazil, is prepared by filling a container, traditionally a small, hollowed-out gourd (described below), up to three-quarters full with dry leaves (and twigs) of I. paraguariensis, and filling it up with water at a temperature of , hot but not boiling. Sugar may or may not be added. The infusion may also be prepared with cold water, in which case it is known as .
Drinking mate is a common social practice in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Southern Brazil, and Southern Chile among people of all ages, and is often a communal ritual following customary rules. Friends and family members share from the same container, traditionally a hollow gourd (also called a , , or simply in Spanish, a or in Portuguese, or a in Italian), and drink through the same wooden or metal straw (a in Spanish or in Portuguese). The gourd is given by the brewer to each person, often in a circle, in turns. The recipient drinks the few mouthfuls in the container, and then returns the mate to the brewer, who refills it and passes it to the next person in clockwise order. The recipient is not supposed to give thanks until they are done drinking the beverage, and if they do, they will not be served any more mates. Although traditionally made from a hollowed calabash gourd, these days mate "gourds" are produced from a variety of materials including wood, glass, bull horns, ceramic, and silicone.
In the same way as people meet for tea or coffee, friends often gather and drink mate () in Paraguay, Argentina, Southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Southern Chile. In warm weather the hot water is sometimes replaced by lemonade.
Yerba mate is most popular in Paraguay and Uruguay, where people are seen walking the streets carrying the and often a (thermal vacuum flask) in their arms. In Argentina, of yerba mate is consumed annually per capita; in Uruguay, the largest consumer, consumption is ."Mate: The Bitter Tea South Americans Love to Drink". Retrieved 30 May 2013. The amount of herb used to prepare the infusion is much greater than that used for tea and other beverages, which accounts for the large weights.
The flavor of brewed mate resembles an infusion of vegetables, herbs, and grass and is reminiscent of some varieties of green tea. Some consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in hot water. Sweetened and flavored mate is also sold, in which the mate leaves are blended with other herbs (such as peppermint) or citrus rind.
In Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, a version of mate known as (or just mate or cocido) in Paraguay and in Brazil is sold in teabags and in a loose-leaf form. It is often served sweetened in specialized shops or on the street, either hot or iced, pure or with fruit juice (especially lime, known in Brazil as ) or milk. In Paraguay, Argentina, and Southern Brazil, this is commonly consumed for breakfast or in a café for afternoon tea, often with a selection of sweet pastries (facturas).