Who discovered yerba mate?

According to the book “Caá Porã: The Spirit of Yerba Mate” published by Las Marías; the discovery of yerba mate can be attributed to the Kaingang ethnic group, who ate the raw leaves about 3000 years B.C.

How old is Yerbamate?

The history of yerba mate stretches back to pre-Columbian Paraguay. It is marked by a rapid expansion in harvest and consumption in the Spanish South American colonies but also by its difficult domestication process that began in the mid 17th century and again later when production was industrialized around 1900.

What is the legend of yerba mate?

Legend has it that the moon gifted this infusion to the Guaraní people of South America. In 1616, Hernando Arias de Saavedra, the governor of the Spanish province that included Buenos Aires, banned the population from drinking a green herbal drink called yerba mate.

Why is mate so popular in Argentina?

In fact, mate is so popular that it is the national drink of both Argentina and Paraguay. Drinking mate has numerous health benefits for both body and mind. The Guaraní people have long recognized its medicinal properties and have been cultivating and drinking mate for thousands of years.

Why is it called yerba mate?

Ca’á means ‘yerba mate’, i means ‘water’, and guá means ‘of’ or ‘for’. So ca’iguá was a very specific term that referred to the object where they put the water for the yerba mate. The Quechua people used the term mati, which means cup.

What does yerba mate mean in English?

Yerba may be understood as “herb” but also as “grass” or “weed”. In Argentina, yerba refers exclusively to the yerba mate plant. Yerba mate, therefore, originally translated literally as the “gourd herb”, i.e. the herb one drinks from a gourd.

What does mate taste like?

Short answer: The taste of mate can be overwhelming at first, but at the end of the day it is herbal infusion, so you can expect herbal tea-like taste from any kind of yerba mate. In general, mate is more bitter, more pronounced and bolder than green tea or other herbal teas.

What country is Yerba based on Victorious?

The Yerbanian currency is shvakles (shvaw-kullz). Yerba appears to resemble countries running under a dictatorship especially Cuba as it’s also an island with similar army uniforms and it’s military environment.

Is yerba mate illegal?

Remember, yerba mate is a legal botanical herb (not a controlled substance), so there is nothing to worry about. You haven’t broken any laws whatsoever.

What is the ritual of drinking mate?

In the traditional ceremonies, yerba mate is prepared in a small gourd which is passed around a group of people who will drink the tea through a filtered metal straw, known as a Bombilla. Lots of yerba mate is put into the gourd followed by the hot water. Then, it’s first sampled by the person hosting the group.

Is yerba mate cultural appropriation?

While yerba mate is a plant with many health benefits, and is even as caffeinated as coffee, in the U.S. it is often marketed as some new-found miracle plant and is appropriated in a way that does not even acknowledge the culture and history surrounding it.