Young Argentinian woman drinking yerba mate 23 Jan 2017
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Leaves of the yerba mate are dried, chopped and ground then steeped in hot water in a calabash gourd to make this long-established brew. The calabash gourd is a rounded variety of calabash fruit picked from vines native to South America. The mature fruit was first dried and used as cups and containers thousands of years ago.
The tradition remains today in many people's daily lives when they drink yerba mate. The cup infuses the drink with its flavour, enhancing each and every cup of mate it holds. The traditional caffeine-rich drink is sipped through a bombilla (straw). Small holes allow the infusion through while capturing the powder mix. South American’s would light a fire and pass a cup of yerba mate, each taking a sip, for health, vitality and long life.
Taste Argentina’s national infusion on any of Insight Guides’ trips to Argentina.
