Yerba Mate: Argentina's National Drink 瑪黛茶

Please note: the Spanish word mate is stressed on the first syllable [say mate, not mate], but spelling it as maté is a common mistake: maté is the past tense of "kill" in Spanish.

Yerba mate is Argentina's national drink. Drinking mate is a common way to enjoy the company of friends, so if you ever travel to Argentina, you should know how to share it with others. Wikipedia provides useful notes on the etiquette [= rules for polite behavior] of sharing yerba mate with friends.

The following video is in French with Spanish subtitles, but if your English is good enough, you can easily guess at many words (just like Chinese people can read parts of a Japanese newspaper):

Le maté, l'élixir de l'Argentine from Cécile Cusin on Vimeo.

Here are translations for most of the dialog in this two-minute trailer (the full movie lasts for 59 minutes):
0:16 Mate is very important for us
0:19 Our spiritual life comes from mate
0:23 For example, we use mate to choose a name for a boy
[IN CAPITALS] A history of the jungle, inherited from the Guaraní
[IN CAPITALS] A history of its production, complex and sustainable
0:47 Trees were planted as a way to eliminate reliance on plantations
0:53 We then became aware that relying on trees we obtained even better yields
[IN CAPITALS] A history of places and social gatherings
[IN CAPITALS] The discovery of ceremonies from Argentina and more distant places
01:25 [IN CAPITALS] a history of the future thanks to a healthy plant
01:32 Consumers can obtain a great quantity of polyphenols
01:38 Polyphenols are a natural substance found in plants
01:42 their most important effect is that they are antioxidants
01:46 [IN CAPITALS] Most importantly, mate is about sharing
01:53 Sharing friendship by drinking mate
01:55 Does it warm you up, too? Oh, yes!
01:58 But it warms up friendships as well.
          The best thing about mate is friendship.
02:07 [IN CAPITALS] Mate, Argentina's elixir


Yerba mate was a plant originally used by the Guaraní to make hot drinks. The Jesuits helped the Guaraní to establish plantations (= yerba mate farms). Selling this plant helped Paraguay make a lot of money, but now Brazil and Argentina are the main producers.

Here is a clear explanation of how to make yerba mate:

Dobra Tea : Yerba Maté Brewing Demonstration from Dobrá Tea on Vimeo.

450px-Matero_en_Posadas CC--BY-SA Pablo D. Flores

More information:

愛喝瑪黛茶 (A Taiwanese blogger's dedicated website): http://www.mate-tea.net/

English Wikipedia: Yerba Mate

Chinese Wikipedia: 巴拉圭冬青