CUISINES OF THE WORLD

WARM, BITTER AND DIVINELY INVIGORATING, YERBA MATÉ IS A CORNERSTONE OF SOUTH AMERICAN CULINARY CULTURE.

THE GREEN CAFFEINE

Warm, bitter and divinely invigorating, yerba maté is a cornerstone of South American culinary culture.

In a country obsessed with empanadas, grass-fed steaks, wine and dining at 10 p.m., Argentineans also love their yerba maté (pronounced “yer-bah mah-tay”). As important as espressos and lattes are to San Francisco and Seattle, maté is to Argentinians and Uruguayans.

Much like coffee, maté offers a rich history. The drink comes from the dried leaves of an evergreen holly, Ilex paraguariensis, a native plant of South America. The plant can be found in the wild but can also be seen growing in plantations similar to tea.

For centuries, indigenous tribes such as the Ache Guayaki have sipped yerba maté from gourds to get its rejuvenating effects. Many South American indigenous people called it “the drink of the gods,” and later European settlers dubbed it “the green gold of the Indios.” Today, South Americans say that maté brew offers the “strength of coffee, the health benefits of tea, and the euphoria of chocolate” all in one beverage.

In Argentina and Uruguay, the hot beverage made from steeping dried leaves of yerba maté remains more popular than coffee in the morning or after work. Visitors to Argentina or Uruguay should not be fooled into thinking that drinking maté can be as simple as ordering a cup of coffee.

NOT JUST A CUP

Before preparing the maté, make sure you have the right tools. Traditionally, locals use a gourd made from a hollowed calabash to hold the brew, but one can see more modern versions made of materials including ceramic, glass, wood, metal and silicone.

The metal straw ( bombilla) contains a mesh filter on one end that screens out any small leaves left over from the brewing process. Traditional bombillas are made of German silver, while more common materials include stainless steel and hollowstemmed cane.