Now for so many countries, you think of a national drink and you think of an alcoholic drink. Scotch Whiskey. The Guinness Ale of Ireland. French wines. The Sangria of Spain. Russian Vodka. But not the case in Paraguay!
In 1524, when Diego de Solís lead the first Spanish Conquistadores (soldiers, men in search of conquest) into the Rio de la Plata (Silver River) region of South America, they found the local Tupí Guaraní Indians making a tea like drink from a local herb. The herb was called Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguayensis). They found this herb to make a bitter yet refreshing tea with stimulating effect on the nervous system due to the fact that it does have caffeine. The Conquistadores took the Yerba Mate back to Europe where it became popular well over 400 years ago!
In 1609, the Jesuit priests arrived in an attempt to civilize the Tupí Guaraní Indians and to introduce them to Christianity. This was a unique experiment in South America. In most every region of South America, the Conquistadores were the ones in charge of introducing Christianity to the indigenous peoples. And as you can imagine, with the Conquistadore Army in charge of Christianity, the message wasn’t always presented in a very Christian manner!
But in the Rio de la Plata region, the Jesuit priests controlled the civil structure. The civil structure they created was based on a socialist theocratic philosophy. That means it a socialist community where all belongings and all work was shared, and that the community was centered on religious beliefs. Perhaps these communities were in many ways like the communes which appeared in the US in the 1800’s in New Harmony, Indiana and Union Colony (Greeley!), Colorado. The communities which the Jesuits created, undertook great projects, building large churches and planting crops. They encouraged the Indians to join the community and help in the work in return for a stable source of food and better housing. And to hear the Christian message.
One of the most important projects which these communities undertook was the cultivation of Yerba Mate! It was an important tradition for the Indians, an important part of their diet and an extremely important sign of hospitality. You see, when drinking the Yerba Mate, it is passed around and shared by all those present!
In this region where the Jesuits had such a strong influence, there was a peaceful mixing of European and local indigenous cultures. In my travels around South America so far, I’ve found areas with a strong Indian influence still very much alive and I’ve found areas with strong Spanish/European traditions. But always the two are separated. No where else but Paraguay have I found such an easy mixing of the two traditions and peoples. This has allowed many Indian traditions to continue to this day. The drinking of Yerba Mate is one of those. (Another is the continued use of the Indian language, Guaraní. But more about that in another newsletter!)
Nutritionally, Yerba Mate is a wealth of vitamins in a natural and pure state. It contains panthoten acid as well as Vitamins B, B2, E, A and C. Sounds like a pretty good antioxidant formula to me!
To drink Yerba Mate, you first need a cup. Most people here have cups made out of about a 6 inch portion of a cow horn hollowed out! Some people (vegetarian Mike Perry included), instead have cups made of a beautiful local wood called palo verde. You also need a bombilla. That is a straw like apparatus with a strainer on the end. You put the strainer end in the cup then you fill the cup about 2/3 full with the Yerba Mate. It looks a lot like dried lawn clippings! Next you add water. In winter, when temperatures stay between 40 and 60 in this country where very few people have hot running water or a heater for their house, you boil water and make your Mate hot. In summer, when highs often break 110 and lows overnight seldom get below 80, you make it cold and call it Tereré instead of Mate.
But no matter what season, everywhere you go, you see people carrying their cup and bombilla and a thermos full of hot or cold water! Ready to make and share their Yerba Mate or Tereré. At work. At the mall. At school. In the movie theater. Everywhere you find people enjoying Paraguay's national drink. And sharing it!
A pretty neat tradition. A very healthy sign of hospitality!