There is still so much I could write about Argentina but I realize this is dragging on! More adventures loom ahead so I will try and wrap Argentina up soon! However, I particularly enjoyed learning about Yerba Mate which is more than just a beverage!
The plant that the herb comes from is grown in parts of Argentina, especially in the area around Iguazu and is considered one of Argentina's major crops. I had showed the children a video on Argentina and we spent a lot of time learning about the country before visiting, so we had all heard about Yerba Mate before embarking on our journey.
Though it has no caffeine, it is considered a beverage that "packs a punch" and is widely enjoyed by Argentines. It is sipped through a bombilla which is usually a silver straw with a filter. The vessel that holds the "tea" is a gourd and often edged with silver, but there were many other varieties that people used. Everywhere we went, we would se people sharing "mate" and learned of the ritual. Hot water machines are available in many public areas for people to fill their thermoses.
Drinking mate is not only an individual activity but often is done socially with everyone sharing. The person who is the server, fills the gourd, and prepares the mate. He/she takes the first sip to be sure it is okay. The gourd is passed to the next person who takes a few sips and hands it back to the server, who puts more hot water into the gourd. It is passed to another person who sips for a few minutes and again passes it back to the server who prepares the mate again. It eventually makes it around to everyone in the group and then starts all over again. I learned it is not polite to say thank you when you hand it back to the server until you are all done with your mate.
The "tea" has a somewhat bitter taste and some people do add sugar. The kids did try it but once was enough for them, even though children all over Argentina were partaking along with their families and seeming to enjoy it! I guess it is an acquired taste.We all brought mate home so perhaps, someday, you can share some with me!
1 comment:
I do not like the taste of yerba mate. It was too bitter and earthy tasting for me. The kids wouldn't even try a tiny taste. Probably because I did not like it, so they automatically decided that they would not either. I did find blended yerba mate online. This place has a yummy lemon lime mate that everybody loved, as well as a strawberry mate that even my five year old would drink.
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