Mate

Mate is a typical South American herb, this is originate of Uruguay and Paraguay, and it expand to many different countries like Brazil, Argentina and Chile, where it use is more restricted to the south. Mate is consumed from the pre-Columbian era for the Guaranies and the peoples which had contact with them. Later, the Spanish adopted this quickly and take them to other places.

The Mate is an infusion herb; it is consumed usually hot on a cup. But this is also consumed cold, taking the name of Tereré. Mate has a bitter taste and the people drink it like this or adding sugar.

Mate has several of good and useful characteristics. This is useful like a cleaning drink to the organism for the diuretic effect this produce, the mate consumption eliminate toxins from the body on the urine. The mate also produce a stimulating effect, the mateine is similar to the caffeine on this. The antioxidant effect is good against the “bad” cholesterol, and promotes the production of “good” cholesterol. The digestive effect of the mate had been used from centuries, the ancient peoples had a hyper protein diet, which can produce different disease; but the mate helped them to not tern seek.

By other way, the preparation of the mate is a serious matter. This is not only taking hot water and put on the herb. First of all, we must shake the herb on the cup and put the hot water on this. But the water must not to be boiling, and we served this on the extreme opposite of the visible straw “bombilla”.  And when we serve this again we must go closing to the straw.

I love mate, I drink it almost all days, even in summer. I like the bitter mate, without sugar, but I can tolerate in this way when I share a mate evening, because the most important thing of the mate the calling to be around them with friends and family.