Of mate, and other fine Argentine traditions

Yerba mate (pronounced mah-tay) is a plant, a shrub/tree actually – specifically Ilex paraguariensis – and, the basis of a national addiction here in Argentina. It’s found throughout the south of South America in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. Argentina consumes more mate than anywhere else on the planet (although Uruguay has higher per capita consumption). It’s 4 times bigger than coffee here. And, despite what a few hippies might tell you, it does, indeed, contain caffeine. About the same amount as coffee (maybe a bit less), cup for cup, give or take.

The standard concoction, referred to simply as “mate”, is made by grinding up the dried leaves and stems of the plant, and essentially making a tea-like infusion that is then imbibed. Now, that makes it sound like just another tea – it ain’t. Like many things in Argentina, it’s a social obsession and more of an event than just a simple drink. It is to Argentina, what espresso is to Italy, beer is to Germany, vodka is to Russia, toques are to Canada...er...you get my point.


The standard mate kit includes: a small gourd (confusingly also referred to as a “mate”) which comes in a variety of shapes and colours, a metal drinking straw (the bombilla), a thermos of hot water, and of course, a container of mate. The kits vary from a more elaborate “home” setup, to a more basic “travel pack” complete with an over-the-shoulder carrying case, to a stripped-down camping version we saw plenty of back at the refugio in Cordon del Plata (see previous posts).


Mate is an “anywhere anytime” kinda thing. Day or night, morning or evening, it’s always a go. The basic ritual involves any number of Argentines (plus an invited gringo or two) sitting or standing in a circle. The chico or chica with the gear – the cebador – fills the gourd with mate, then pours hot water onto the mate until the gourd is full to the rim, then inserts the bombilla. The cebador then passes it to the person on the left, not to the right, or not straight across the circle like some kind of animal, to the left. Said person grabs the gourd without saying a word, sips on the bombilla until that slurpy sound of emptiness occurs, indicating this person’s “turn” is over. The person hands the gourd back to the cebador, who then refills the gourd with water from the thermos, and hands it to the next person to the left, who repeats the process. This goes on...well, until people drop out, or just fade away. It could go on for hours (e.g., campfire situation), or a few minutes (e.g.,   waiting for a bus), depending on what’s happening. The obvious parallel, as a similar social reference, is passing a joint around (which we, like Bill Clinton, have never done).


There are rules. Do not touch the bombilla.  Just wrap your lips around it and suck. That’s the most common mistake us gringos make. We want to handle the bombilla like it’s a straw in a chocolate shake, and maybe mix the mate around a bit. Nope. Not allowed. I suppose it has something to do with your hands might be dirty and that’s the part everyone is putting in their mouth...which brings up an interesting point. They do not seem to care that everyone is wrapping their lips around the same metal straw, turn after turn. Again, kind of like passing a joint around. Those opposed to swapping spit with strangers should just back away slowly and then run J


Anywhoo, rule number 2, which we also customarily break, is: do not say anything, especially not “gracias” when the gourd is passed your way. “Gracias” means you are done, and do not want any more, and it therefore goes to the next person. I’m not certain, but I think saying “thanks” has something to do with it being an insult to imply that the person is doing this as a favour to you, and that it therefore requires a thank you. Saying nothing implies that giving someone mate is as natural as taking a breath. That’s my theory anyway. Of course, we gringos are in the habit of saying “gracias”, first because it’s one of the few words we know well, and, because that’s what our moms taught us since birth if someone gives you something. Pretty funny to watch us gringos struggle with that. You just...gotta say something...it’s not natural!


One of the best things about mate, is that everyone everywhere accepts the idea of having boiling water on hand. We didn’t, at first, understand why the hotel guys would proudly talk about the availability of boiling water to us. Tea and coffee? I would say. Uhhh, sure, would be the response. It was only after seeing a carload of Argentines run into a hotel and fill up their thermoses that we realized what everyone was referring to.


So ya, Argentines and mate, like peanut butter and jam. Funny though, I said that the other day to an Argentine and I first had to explain what peanut butter is (it doesn’t exist here; there is no word for it, just “mani molido”, literally “ground peanuts”), then try to explain why anyone would fine ground-up peanuts mixed with jam an appealing combo. I could have been talking about the political situation in the Ukraine to a 3-yr-old. But that's another story...