Mate cocido
A milder, boiled yerba mate infusion popular across the Southern Cone.
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Mate cocido, also known as chá mate or yerbiado, is a bitter infusion popular in the Southern Cone, particularly in Southern Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay. It is made by boiling yerba mate in water, then straining it, and is milder than traditional mate while retaining similar stimulating and nutritional properties. It is also available in teabags for convenient preparation.
Quick Facts
- Introduced
- 17th century
Facts from the source article.
History
In the first decades of the 17th century, Jesuits in what are now southern Brazil, Paraguay, and the Argentine provinces of Misiones and Corrientes improved yerba mate cultivation and exported it. To compete with English tea, Spain sold chopped yerba mate as a tea that became popular in Europe, called the 'Tea of the Jesuits'. This 17th-century beverage evolved into mate cocido, which, due to yerba mate's low cost compared to tea or coffee, became a common drink in schools, hospitals, and prisons from the early 20th century onward.
Did You Know?
- Mate cocido is also produced in soluble form.
- Flavored varieties include lemon, peach, vanilla, orange, and tangerine.
- Iced mate cocido is served cold, often with ice and lemon juice.
More in Tea Culture
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Mate cocido (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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