Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-01
HERB BREW LIKED
IN SOUTH AMERICA
"Mate" Is Name Given Ma.
tive Drink Because Gourd
Is Used as Cup.
Ever taste mate?

Ever taste mate?
Trade in mate, the tea Of South
America, which is little known outside
that continent, commanded the at
tention OF makers Of a recent Argentine
tariff law" says a bulletin from the
National Geographic Society.
Spanish students, unfamiliar WITH
the brew of more than ten-million South
Americans, might be perplexed by its
name, for mate is the Spanish WORD
when the Spaniards pushed their
way into South America a few centu-
ries ago they found mate popular
beverage among the Indians. The
visitors also cultivated taste for the
brew. The Indian name for the leaves
from which the beverage was MADE
was splendid herb The Spaniards
called them yerba spanish for herb.
The yerba was brewed In gourd, hence
the name yerba mate.
when its consumers sought to short
en- the name they chose the latter
half, and today even the encyclopedias
and dictionaries define mate as the
brew of leaves of a member OF the
holly tree family in South America.
Called "Jesuit Tea"
Paraguay tea and Jesuit tea are
two names of the beverage when are
often heard by visitors to South
America; Paraguay tea, because the
yerba tree grows wild in a large part
of the country, and Jesuit tea because
the Jesuits first cultivated the tree.
Mate has opened up portions OF
South America that were almost UNI
known to civilization, because mate
companies employ men on long-term
contracts to penetrate the interior OF
the continent. These company settle
ments often are the only habitations Tor
miles along the Paraguayan, Brazllian
and Argentine rivers. Here and there
the fianking jungle has bowed to the
axes of mate collectors. A warehouse
IS constructed on the waters edge and
small matched houses dot small
clearing beyond.
eff the yerba trees are found nearby,
the curing process for yerba leaves IS
done at headquarters, and the camp is
an animated area. But often the collec-
tors trek to remote regions and the
riverside camp may be deserted for six
months at a time. When the neld
workers find considerable area OF yeroa
trees they build a matched shack and
form searching parties A few OF the
group remain to build curing platform.
Gourd Is Mate Cup"
"a plot of ground is pounded hard
with a mallet and platform built
above it. Meanwhile collectors, axes In
hand, hew the branches of glossy leaves
of the yerba trees, which grow from IL
70 80 feet In height, and bring them to
camp. Paths in the remote yerba
forests are too narrow for vehicles.
Now and then burros are pressed into
service, but more frequently the collec-
tors carry their own loads. With a
huge ball of yerba leaves hiding COLI
lector's head and shoulders, he re-
aembles q walking umbrella tree.
"The leaves are deposited on the plat
form and a fire built underneath. When
the leaves are dried the ashes and fire
are cleared away and the leaves dumped
en- the ground, where they are separated
from their branches by beating.
Mate is slipped from tea cups In
many cities of South America, but it
stiII is common to see the beverage
sucked from ordinary gourds and elab-
orately carved and adorned gourd-
SHAPED vessels. The yerba leaves are
placed in the gourd and hot, sweetened
water poured over them. Then the
erinker inserts a bombilla, wooden
tube which Is used like an American
soda-fountaiu straw The bombilla has
a strainer at the lower end to prevent
yerba leaves from entering the mouth.
Mate is one Of the outstanding prod
ucts Of two Southern Brazil states.
Even in the State Of Parana, a coffee
growing region, It is estimated that a
pounds of mate per capita are consumed
annually. In Chile the popularity Of
mate Is countrywide. Chileans con-
sumo about liz pounds per capita:
Bolivians Az pounds; ArgentinianS, 20
pounds; Paraguayans, "a pounds, and