Once in place, it will not be moved until the mate is flat or flavorless. Then a bombilla, a metal straw with a filtered end, is inserted into the tea leaves. One must be careful when preparing mate as not to scorch the tea leaves. A ritualistic preparation of the gourd is paramount. One fills a gourd, traditionally made from calabash but now comprise of silicon, plastic, steel, or even ceramic with the tea leaves. The most significant producers of yerba mate are Brazil and Argentina. The leaves and branches are then harvested, resulting in the dried tea widely consumed. Yerba mate is a species of the Holly family that begins as a shrub eventually maturing up to 15 meters. With their sustained interaction, the Guarani introduced the Spaniards to yerba mate tea. What is widely known is, by the 16th century, it became prevalent among Spanish conquistadors in one of the oldest cities in South America and the modern-day capital of Paraguay, Asuncion. Furthermore, the ritual of drinking mate traveled with Lebanese and Syrian immigrants back to East Asia, predominantly in the Druze community.Ĭommodities, fascinatingly, have a culture. It is inherent in Portuguese speaking Brazil and Spanish speaking countries of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Like coffee and chocolate, steeped in history and culture , yerba mate brought European colonials and indigenous communities of South America into close and consistent contact. Nevertheless, what exactly is yerba mate? Moreover, what cultural meaning does it have? Conveniently packaged in tea bags, cans, and bottles, and now commonly sold in a variety of shops, mate has hit the mainstream. Yerba mate tea is much more than the latest craze touted by health aficionados, which there are many.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |