Mate is a green caffeinated tea which is incredibly popular here (and in neighboring Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. It may be drunk alone (as I have become accustomed to do every morning while I read the Bible) but is most commonly drunk in fellowship with family or close friends. One fills a gourd with the mate tea leaves (yerba) and then adds hot water and a straw with a filter(la bombilla). It is drunk by one person, refilled by the designated pourer (the cebedor), and then given to another person. You only say "thank you" when you are returning the mate gourd and you don't want them to pass you anymore.
The 500g bag of yerba you see in the photo above costs less than a dollar. The box of tea bags that you see is "mate cocido." I've had the great nutritional value of this variety explained to me, but I didn't understand it enough to remember it. One frequently is offered mate cocido at teatime, when it is usually drunk with milk and sugar.
Mate variations:
- with or without sugar or artificial sweetener
- terere: with iced juice instead of hot water
- add herbs to the tea leaves
- fill a grapefruit peel with the tea instead of a gourd
- with hot milk instead of water
Other popular beverages are:
- wine, with or without ice
- sparkling water mixed with red wine
- diet citrus sodas
- sparkling water, sold cheaply in containers that retain the "sparkle" (the water comes out by pressing on a spout)
- a cool bitter herbal drink mix which is mixed with sparkling water (see below photo)
I have eaten meals with many different families now, and often all of the above (except for mate) are on the table during a meal.
