Do you know what "tomar mate" means ?

"Tomar mate" is a very common expression if you go to the "Rio de la Plata" area, in South America.

But "mate" is not only drunk in Uruguay and Argentina, also Paraguay, Bolivia and South of Brasil enjoy this drink.

What is "MATE"?

Mate is an infusion of the "yerba mate" (mate herb), made from leaves and stems of a powerful rainforest tree. Yerba mate was discovered centuries ago by the indigenous people in South America and has been revered as the “drink of the gods” and consumed to enhance, vitality, clarity, and well-being.

Mate has many healthy benefits including beeing a tonic, diuretic and reducer of fatigue, stimulates nervous and muscular systems, and helps the elimination and the digestive problems.

Most of all, tomar mate is a common social practice, an invitation to sit, talk, and share with family and friends, that visitors find very attractive.

The spanish verbs related with this practice are : tomar mate, meaning to drink it, and cebar mate, refering to the action of putting the water in the recipient.

And now that you know what it is, are you ready ?

I want to share with you this video about how to prepair and drink mate in the "uruguayan way ".



Tomamos un mate :) ?