The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1892-10-08
SOUTH AMERICAN TEA.
It's Name Is Mate and It Is Pop
ular Drink
a Product of Paraguay That Affords EN-
ployment to Many Natives-The
Particulars of Its Prep
aration.

''Taste that said tea merchant to
: New York Tribune reporter the other
.ay, as he handed him curiously-
haped bowl, full of thin, brownish
liquor, with something that looked like
tobacco-pipe resting in it, bowl down
ward. The reporter put his lips to the
tenn of the pipe and sucked at it eau
.iously
'sWhat is it?" he asked. cit tastes
like weak tea"
''That's just what it is, I" answered the
merchant, .'but it's brand of tee, I'm
,retty sure you never tasted before.
hats a genuine American tea; grown
4 America, cured in America, indi-
enous in America. and consumed in
lrge quantities for years by hundreds
thousands of Americans, and yet I'll
De bound you never heard of it,
Perhaps not, admitted the reporter,
yuardedly. 'tWhat state is it raised
a? Is some four-story brick tea farm
own here in Water street responsible
d it? Willow leaves, arsenic, and
atent essence of theme, or something
f that sort, eh?''
Not at ALL" said the merchant, a
title indignant. It's a perfectly genu-
ne and unadulterated article. Its
lative state is Paraguay, and that coun-
~ raises enough for its own consump-
ion and five million pounds annually
or export to other South American
ountries."
sob, South America exclaimed the
'eporter. 'You misled me by saying
american"
did I?", said the merchant, sar-
sastically. And why, pray? That's
one of the annoying peculiarities of this
people. They're too conceited to get
themselves a distinctive name, but in a
lordly way dub themselves Americans.
they speak of Brazilians, Canadians,
Chiians, Paraguayans and the other
millions of Americans as if they had no
right to this title at ALL
But about the tea interrupted the
reporter apprehensively. "What DO you
all it?"
Mate is the name of it" replied the
aerchant, pronounced match And
lany South Americans are very fond of
IT, You have just had the pleasure of
irinlzing it in the native manner. That
.urious BOWLS not made of papermache,
IS you might think, but is a gourd,
rained into that shape while growing.
The natives are experts in that line, and
~ binding the green gourd here and
here with cords, or bending it one way
md another, they make it take diver
ity of shapes before it becomes ripe
,nough to be cut, dried, scooped out and
.sed as utensil. twill not stand fire,
f course; but the mate is first put into
ne gourd and then boiling water is
'oured on it. After a few moments
'ipe or tube is inserted, and the liquor
5 drawn off by suction.
"What looks like the bowl of the
ipe," continued the tea merchant, as
C lifted it from the liquid and allowed
he reporter to examine it, lis in real
~ strainer, which prevents the
rounds from reaching the mouth. 1t 1
made in the shape Of a bulb or ball,
nd this one is a curiosity in its way, +
or it is all woven by hand, in very fire 4
ieshes, from species of dried grass. v
Letal ones are more common, and the I
oh have silver strainers. This is an v
d-style one, and I value it on that ac-
,unt. 1t is called a bombilla. The 2
ltives like their mate, as we would b
", red-hot. Its effect is much the b
.me as that of the tea you are accus- r,
med to, stimulating and restorative, d
Id, OF course, has its enemies, who r;
'onounce it slow poison, and it's
lends, who call it the Paraguayan
uivalent for the cup that cheers but
it, etc.
rs it real tea, botanically consid- ~
ed?'' persisted the sl1eptical reporter. -
well. if you come down to botany" D
mitted the merchant, 'it's really a
ecies of holly, Hex Paraguayensis, sa
t it contains in large proportions the
which makes other teas use it
!, that Of theme. It's leaves and fiji
cen shoots are collected, dried and
ound up unevenly; that is, some of it yo
Is to be fine powder in the rough on
thod of preparation, and then again
L VIII find twigs in it an inch long. is
arge number of people get employ bi,
mt in its growth, preparation and ex-
t, but l am not aware that it finds a VIC
riIet in any but South American a S
ntries." ,