# yerba mate



## jdnoevalley

Is Yerba Mate  a type of holly made into tea or is it something else?


----------



## robetova

He escuchado de yerbabuena y estafiate, pero no yerba mate. Suena como te.
From what country is this term?


----------



## jdnoevalley

I thought it was spanish but maybe s. america


----------



## Moritzchen

See here


----------



## jdnoevalley

please reply in english


----------



## jdnoevalley

need in english


----------



## Big Lar

Jdnoevalley,

Welcome to the forum!!!  As far as I know, it's primarily prepared as a tea but I think I've seen it prepared as an herbal supplement (pill/capsule).

Big Lar


----------



## parhuzam

Yerba Mate is from Argentina and some neighboring countries... it is a "tea" drink and the ceremony is close to a religious experience.. It is milder than coffee and easy on the stomach. Yes, it is a type of holly.

Check this link for more info...


http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/yerba+mate


----------



## openforhelp

robetova said:


> He escuchado de yerbabuena y estafiate, pero no yerba mate. Suena como te.
> From what country is this term?


 
Yerba Mate is real popular in Bolivia, S.A.


----------



## Moritzchen

parhuzam said:


> Yerba Mate is from Argentina and some neighboring countries... it is a "tea" drink and the ceremony is close to a religious experience..


Well the Paraguayans may have an issue with your answer, and there is nothing religious about sipping mate.


----------



## SpiceMan

parhuzam said:


> it is a "tea" drink and the ceremony is close to a religious experience..


I'm puzzled on what you refer to as a ceremony. Pouring water and sipping a religious experience? Well, it might be a religious experience if drunk in a harsh winter, just as drinking a hot chocolate would be.

It's just an infusion like tea or coffee and its taste is more akin to green tea, only more bitter and stronger.

Also, as far as I know, is more from around region comprising southern Brazil, northeast Argentina and Paraguay. People must have been drinking mate since before there even was an "Argentina", "Brazil" or "Paraguay".


----------



## parhuzam

Re: Mate

I have friends that drink mate... and as a joke... they are very particular as to how they made it, drink and share it.

Some people consider making a cappuccino a religious experience.


----------



## guidopy

Hola a todos!!!

De forma a dejar las ideas en claro la Yerba Mate es originaria del Paraguay y su nombre científico lo aclara "Ilex Paraguaiensis". La forma de infusión varía de acuerdo al clima del país pero los indígenas guaraníes lo hacían con agua fría.

Eso si, en Argentina y Uruguay el mate esta bien irraigado pero por cuestiones climáticas lo toman con agua caliente.

En Paraguay, de donde es originario lo tomamos con agua bien bien helada y con la inclusión en el agua de otras yerbas medicinales.

Espero la duda haya sido disipada, saludos!!.


----------



## Fantasmagórico

guidopy said:


> Eso si, en Argentina y Uruguay el mate esta bien irraigado pero por cuestiones climáticas lo toman con agua caliente.



 No por razones climáticas precisamente, sino por costumbre.  Acá lo tomamos caliente también en verano, con 35 grados a la sombra. No somos muy astutos, evidentemente.


----------



## themere

Hola foreros. Pienso y sugiero que algún paraguayo,argentino o uruguayo podría explicar para los que no conocen la yerba mate, cómo se ceba un mate caliente. A lo mejor se refieren a eso cuando hablan de una experiencia religiosa. Lo que si puedo decir es que el tereré de paraguay  es delicioso, especialmente cuando el calor arrecia. Una de las cosas que más me llamó la atención cuando llegué a este país fue ver a muchísima gente con un termo enorme caminando por la calle. Ahora estoy segura que es un aparato multifunción. Además de llevar el agua muy fría para el tereré, les sirve de banco para sentarse y de arma contundente en caso de asalto. ja!


----------



## maialugg

Hi! I`m argentinian, and I am not aware of the origin of yerba mate but I can tell you what yerba mate consists of and what mate is. First of all I`d like to say that yerba mate is not a kind of tea. It is made of yerba leaves broken into very little pieces, this is called yerba mate. yerba mate is put in a container that is similar to a glass but it is made of wood or metal, this container is called mate. inside the container you also put a metal straw (called bombilla) that has its inferior part closed but pierced so that water can pass through it but yerba can`t. Next step is pouring hot water into the container, water shouldn`t be boiling, it just needs to be about to boil (85 degrees approx.). Then you suck from the superior part of the straw and you can say that you are drinking mate. there`s another option that is the yerba that is in a tea bag, you prepare it the same way you prepare tea and it is called mate cocido. 
I hope this information is useful for you and sorry about my poor English!


----------



## elmg

maialugg said:


> Hi! I`m argentinian, and I am not aware of the origin of yerba mate but I can tell you what yerba mate consists of and what mate is. First of all I`d like to say that yerba mate is not a kind of tea. It is made of yerba leaves broken into very little pieces, this is called yerba mate. yerba mate is put in a container that is similar to a glass but it is made of wood or metal, this container is called mate. inside the container you also put a metal straw (called bombilla) that has its inferior part closed but pierced so that water can pass through it but yerba can`t. Next step is pouring hot water into the container, water shouldn`t be boiling, it just needs to be about to boil (85 degrees approx.). Then you suck from the superior part of the straw and you can say that you are drinking mate. there`s another option that is the yerba that is in a tea bag, you prepare it the same way you prepare tea and it is called mate cocido.
> I hope this information is useful for you and sorry about my poor English!


 
Hi! Maialugg has given a really good explanation. Also exists the "terere" (a kind of 'mate') that is prepared in the same way but with cold water or fruite juice. The 'terere' is more common in the North of Argentina. 
I want to add also that in Argentina we use to use only one 'mate' for a group of people. On the contrary, here in Chile people use one for each one. This is important because 'mate' is a way for talk and have fun whit friends and family, at least for us. It is also addictive... lol. 
Cheers. 

PD: Sorry my terrible english.


----------



## maialugg

yes you`re right I forgot about that, maybe this is the explanation of why this is considered a celebration. what you should know is that it has nothing to do with religion! It is addictive because it has mateina, it is as addictive as coffee.


----------



## elmg

maialugg said:


> yes you`re right I forgot about that, maybe this is the explanation of why this is considered a celebration. what you should know is that it has nothing to do with religion! It is addictive because it has mateina, it is as addictive as coffee.


 
Ja ja. Sí... no se por qué lo asocian con la religión, capaz que creen que es un rito donde además achicamos cabezas de la gente o algo por el estilo.


----------



## MINIVIPI

Hi people, I`m argentinian too. We drink mate like you drink tea or cofee... at breakfast or during the evening... I`s a habbit. Also I could give you some information about its nutritional facts. I has vitamin from the B complex, so it colaborates with muscle, hair, etc. It has minerals such as potasium and magnesium so its good for your heart and hepls you incorporate proteins to the organism. It has polyphenols that work as antioxidants, scientific studies found that as an antioxidant is stronger than orange juice (its ascorbic acid) and similar to red wine in this function. So this means that yerba mate is good against cellular ageing, and for preventing some types of cancer and atherosclerosis... It has xanthines (like caffeine) so it stimulates the central nervous system. It has saponins that reduce the low intensity lipoproteins present in the blood, this acts combined with cholesterol and biliary acid produces mixed micelles that helps reduce the levels of cholesterol and makes its absortion difficult in the gastrointestinal tract. 
It was discovered by the "Guaranì" Indians of south america. They drank it as we do today in a similar content with a similar straw as we do.
The Jesuits Monks made it known outside the tribe and back then it was known as "jesuit tea". They also learned the secrets of its cultivation
The Spanish invaders began the trading of it when it was the Southern Viceroyalty "of the Rìo de la Plata".
French naturalist named Aimé Bonpland and botanist Saint Hilaire, began its scientific studies and named the plant as "Ilex Paraguarensis". 
In Argentina its industrial planting began during the first part of the XXth Century. 
The plant can`t grow outside the original guaranì indian territory that is north Argentina, Paraguay and south Brazil, only there the plant finds the conditions to grow.
I attach a couple of photos.
I hope this information was useful.
Bye.


----------



## Lou Sander

There is a great article about mate (the drink) on the English Wikipedia. (I would post a link, but as a new member, that is not allowed, I guess.) Just go to Wikipedia and search for "mate (beverage)". (There is another article on yerba mate, but it refers to the plant, not to the drink. There are also several articles related to "mate" in English. You MUST include the word "beverage" in parentheses.)

Part of the discussion about the drink involves spelling. It is pretty clear that "maté" is incorrect, since in Spanish it refers to some sort of killing. But nobody has said anything about the English translation of "mate". Can somebody give me an accurate literal English translation of "yerba mate", when used in connection with the drink?


----------



## kakapadaka

_mate _is actually the right term, there is no English equivalent. 
Brazilians are also very fond of _erva mate, _find _chimarrão _on Youtube to see how they prepare it. And yes, it does imply almost a ceremony especially if you have it in group. It has its special little customs involved etc., like in some regions the host is the first to drink from the common _mate _recipient because the first _mate _is the least tasty. Later, when there is no more water, just a _mate _pulp_, _they pour more water and keep drinking.
Bear in mind that different types of _mate _have different tastes (an Argentinian _mate _is different from the Brazillian one) and a lot depends on how you prepare it.

Lou Sander: the Spanish verbal form _mate _means 'kill' (imperative form) or 'i killed' (_maté _as in Past Tense) and has nothing to do with the drink or the plant. However, context usually explains this homonymy and if you add _yerba _it's all perfectly clear since _yerba _means 'herb'


----------



## The Newt

In the US _mate_ is often marketed as "maté." The accent mark is incorrect, of course, but it keeps us from trying to pronounce it as if it rhymed with "plate" and "date."


----------



## Lou Sander

I'm pretty familiar with all the stuff about the accented version. What I'm wondering about is the literal meaning, in English, of the Spanish _yerba mate_.


----------



## The Newt

Lou Sander said:


> I'm pretty familiar with all the stuff about the accented version. What I'm wondering about is the literal meaning, in English, of the Spanish _yerba mate_.



The "literal meaning" in English is "mate" or "yerba mate." It's the name of the plant / drink, just like "coffee" or "tea."


----------



## kakapadaka

it means 'mate herb', 'herb you put in a mate' or 'herb you put in a small pumpkin that serves as your mate recipient' ;] there really is no other way to put it. _mati _is actually a loanword from quetchua where it meant a small pumpkin-shaped plant in which hierba mate was originally brewed by the native americans of those regions


----------



## iribela

We use "mate" to name both the drink itself (Vamos a bajar a la playa a tomar mate.) and the actual gourd (althoug not all mates are gourds) in which the infusion is prepared and that is used to drink from (Este mate de cuerno de vaca lo heredé de mi papá.) "yerba mate" is the herb used to prepare "mate" in "el mate."


----------



## Lou Sander

iribela said:


> We use "mate" to name both the drink itself (Vamos a bajar a la playa a tomar mate.) and the actual gourd (althoug not all mates are gourds) in which the infusion is prepared and that is used to drink from (Este mate de cuerno de vaca lo heredé de mi papá.) "yerba mate" is the herb used to prepare "mate" in "el mate."



This is great! I AM understanding it, though maybe not perfectly yet. In my own words, the _mate _is the little pumpkin-like gourd that the drink was or is often drunk from (I have one and occasionally use it). If the drink container were made of plastic, it might still be called a _mate_. The name of the plant, _yerba mate_, means, in English, something like "the herb that is used in the little gourd". 

I think (in my ignorance), that if somebody had a gourd that held a liter of liquid, it might be called a _mate grande_. 

Thanks to all, and keep it coming if you have further clarification. 

Also, I understand, but not authoritatively, that the "te" in "mate" is to be pronounced in English somewhat like the "te" in "tech" or "technical".


----------



## Moritzchen

Lou Sander said:


> There is a great article about mate (the drink) on the English Wikipedia. (I would post a link, but as a new member, that is not allowed, I guess.)...


That's OK. The link was provided in post #4 in August of 2007.


----------



## RoRo_en_el_foro

Hi Lou Sander, when I tried to correct the meaning of "yerba mate" in the English wikipedia I was reverted and I was told that in English, "yerba mate" is what in Spanish we call just "mate" and refers to the beverage, although they did not give me any references for that definition.

If it is that so, it could be classified as a false friend since in Spanish, "yerba mate" refers to the herb _Ilex paraguariensis. _But now I see that on the article somebody defined "yerba mate" as the herb _Ilex paraguariensis.__There may be differences between regions about that definition in English.
_


----------



## EddieZumac

Lo que queda al final en la matera le llaman la pava.
Una pavada también quiere decir una basura o porquería.


----------



## Moritzchen

EddieZumac said:


> Lo que queda al final en la matera le llaman la pava.
> Una pavada también quiere decir una basura o porquería.


No, la pava is the kettle where you heat the water you're going to use for the mate. Like this one.
Y una pavada no es tanto como basura o porquería sino una estupidez o algo de muy poco valor.


----------



## RoRo_en_el_foro

I live in Argentina where I was born and never heard "matera".


----------



## EddieZumac

RoRo_en_el_foro said:


> I live in Argentina where I was born and never heard "matera".


Matera is the gourd that you drink from.


----------



## Moritzchen

RoRo_en_el_foro said:


> I live in Argentina where I was born and never heard "matera".





EddieZumac said:


> Matera is the gourd that you drink from.


 No, that's also called a mate.


----------



## EddieZumac

Moritzchen said:


> No, that's also called a mate.


You're absolutely right, it's mate like in the famous tango Mano a Mano... "Hoy tenés el mate lleno de infelice inlusiones ..."


----------



## Moritzchen

EddieZumac said:


> You're absolutely right, it's mate like in the famous tango Mano a Mano... "Hoy tenés el mate lleno de infelice inlusiones ..."


Sorry, no.
Mate is also slang for head, like in this case.


----------



## EddieZumac

Moritzchen said:


> Sorry, no.
> Mate is also slang for head, like in this case.


I never knew that.


----------



## Moritzchen

That's why we're all here Eddie, to learn.


----------



## kakapadaka

_matera, mate, cúia, bomba _there are TONS of names for different parts of the hierba mate ritual, it'd be hard to know each and every one of them, especially since the custom extends throughout big parts of the Southern America


----------



## Moritzchen

kakapadaka said:


> _matera, mate, cúia, bomba _there are TONS of names for different parts of the hierba mate ritual, it'd be hard to know each and every one of them, especially since the custom extends throughout big parts of the Southern America


Cuía is what the gourd is called in Portuguese. Matera as I'm finding out, is a locality in Italy. Where do they call it bomba? And what are those TONS of names?


----------



## k-in-sc

La matera is the tote thing that holds all the stuff for mate: termo, mate, etc.
Moritzchen: Caught between two cultures


----------



## Moritzchen

k-in-sc said:


> La matera is the tote thing that holds all the stuff for mate: termo, mate, etc.


I did not know that.
Thank you k.


----------



## k-in-sc

Or it could describe a person who drinks a lot of mate: muy matera, como yo


----------



## Moritzchen

Estoy seguro que se toma mucho mate en Carolina del Sur!


----------



## k-in-sc

En esta casa sí


----------



## Moritzchen

Bueno, cebáme uno que ya llego...
Ah! No. Forget it. 
I really REALLY don´t like it.


----------



## k-in-sc

It's delicious! De gustibus ...


----------



## Moritzchen

Weeell, I don´t like Dr. Pepper either.


----------



## k-in-sc

Soda   
Except beechwood soda, of course ...


----------



## Moritzchen

k-in-sc said:


> Soda
> Except beechwood soda, of course ...


You're so mysterious...
I guess that's your charm.


----------



## k-in-sc

Part of it


----------



## EddieZumac

k-in-sc said:


> Soda
> Except beechwood soda, of course ...


What is beechwood soda? I never heard of it.


----------



## k-in-sc

Although it's hard to drink Budweiser anymore, except ironically.


----------



## EddieZumac

k-in-sc said:


> View attachment 15238
> Although it's hard to drink Budweiser anymore, except ironically.


Oh, beechwood aged, not beechwood soda. Why ironically, Budweiser beer is still around.


----------



## k-in-sc

*Beechwood soda:* a carbonated malt beverage aged in beechwood.
But now we don't have to drink it, because we have alternatives.


----------



## Moritzchen

It got scary for a second there, the name of the street I live on is Beachwood.


----------



## k-in-sc

Doxing yourself!?!?!


----------



## Moritzchen

Doxing!
Now I have to open the ten pound dictionary...


----------



## k-in-sc

Or the 10-pound Google window ...


----------



## Moritzchen

Yes, it doesn't come up in the Merry Webbie, but it does in the Urban dictionary.
I don't care, there's Beachwood Drive in Hollywood and in Burbank and Beachwood Canyon in Hollywood. 
If you find me, please knock and come in for cocktails and chimichangas.


----------

