Surely you are aiming absolutely in everything and always follow fashion, including fashion for your favorite drinks? So, finally, it's time to pamper your guests with not all of us with the usual coffee and tea, but a very unusual drink that "came" to us from faraway South America, and the name to which mate!
The secret of charm
And he is hiding in a beautiful ceremony, which is connected with drinking and drinking. Here everything is new, unusual and even slightly eccentric! It is all the same that drinking mate is not from a cup, but from a so-called "takva", whose Argentinean name sounds rhythmically and beautifully - kalabas. By the way, God forbid to drink mate like ordinary tea with sipping! Drink this drink is recommended through special tubules - bombs.
As for the bomb, it is one of the culprits of the mole on the mate: through the bomb, the sipping is comparable to smoking through the mouthpiece and many are able to quit smoking.
Today it is very fashionable to sip a mate in a huge company-this can be compared to collective smoke breaks, at the moment of which there is a so-called ritual relaxation.
By the way, according to the Argentine tradition, it is customary for a mother to drink an isodic large kalabasa with the help of a silver bomb - it is something like the smoking of the "pipe of peace". Of course, this way of expressing feelings is not peculiar to Europeans.
Historical roots
Indians of South America, who inhabited the territory of modern Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, in the sixth millennium before our ersatym first brewed and drank mate. Also used this drink and the Spanish conquistadors. After mate was evaluated and planters, who were familiar with the New Testament. By the way, in the Old World drink was brought in the 7th century.
Almost a hundred years later, a large number of wealthy Europeans had their own mateuros that brewed "Indian herb" for the masters. At that time the Paraguayan holly, whose foliage is used for brewing, had not yet been grown on specially plantations for this purpose, for this reason the price of mate, that was extracted in natural conditions, was catastrophically high. And this concerns even wealthy people.
By the way, in the 19th century Europeans had to forget about mate altogether. The reason for this was the wars and revolutions that took place on the territory of South America. This all entailed the termination of the supply of mate. If we say industrial production, it began only in 1930.
Only in the 80s the mate became a triumphal leader in the territory of Western European countries among exotic drinks. If we talk about us, then we learned about this drink only in the 21st century. It can be considered a very young drink, which you need to learn about as much as possible!
Mate is ...
... pre-dried and shredded leaves, always green wood - Paraguayan holly, living in a wild environment for 50 years and reaching a height of 15 meters. By the way, for the convenient collection of foliage, the height of such trees is maintained at a mark of 2-3 meters.
Special attention is given to leathery glossy foliage, the length of which is 7-10 centimeters. You can meet this variety of holly only in South America. The curious fact is that all attempts to cultivate this holly in other regions still did not bring a positive result.
Very long harvest season - it takes a period of smarts and ends in October. At this point, the trees can be cut to zero. To prepare the foliage for the smoking procedure, they are fined after harvesting. Then the obtained green mass is made easy to smoke, after thorough drying and then the mat is packed in polyethylene bags. It is in these most important packages that Paraguay tea is matured to full "ripening" for 8 months to one year.
Utensils for mate
Bombolya, kalabas. As for the present and the right kalabas, it is a dried pear-shaped pumpkin. As a rule, the outer walls of this natural vessel are decorated with carvings, often they are guided with the help of silver or leather, and also decorated with precious stones. The interior of the klubas is not covered by anything, otherwise the pumpkin loses the taste and aroma of its "participation" in the complex of the aroma and taste of mate.
The capacity of the kalabas ranges from 200 to 500 milliliters.
The bamboo must necessarily have a collapsible structure for cleaning the strainer. Usually they are made of copper, but it is better that the top is covered with silver for disinfection.
The subtleties of brewing
Brew and serve mate you need in kalabas. At the time of the first brewing pumpkin "revive". In other words, they make it suitable for subsequent use. Half of it is filled with a drink and poured with boiling water. So the reservoir costs 2-3 days, then it is emptied and the pumpkin fibers are removed from the walls. Kalabas is ready! By the way, now the temperature when brewing mate should not exceed 80 degrees.
For all time there were many ways to brew "Indian grass", but the classic is considered popular: 2/3 of capacity kalabasanuzhno fill with mate and pour hot water. Water fill the pumpkin should be so that it was tilted, and the mat was poured into one wall, forming a different emptiness, into which and insert a bambilyu. Now you can return the kalabas to an equal position. After that, everything is poured hot water and insist for a few minutes, only after that add the right amount of water. The total time of the procedure is 5-6 minutes.
At the time of the first brewing, the opening of the vessel must be closed with a hand and shaken a couple of times. This helps the large foliage to the bottom, and the shallow lie down from above. Then the calabash of the slow rotate, trying to warm the palms. Only then do the first sip. By itself, the drink comes out strong and bitter, so one portion is brewed a couple of times.
The tube does not need to be used for stirring. this can lead to clogging of the strainer. Adding water matepitie can stretch a long time.
It is better not to add sugar - the mate contains a lot of natural sugars, but this drink belongs to the diet.
To feel the real flavor and taste of this drink, try to prepare it in this way: 8 teaspoons of mate pour 150 milliliters of hot water. By the way, the process of brewing mate is not a dogma, so everyone can have their own way!
9 reasons to drink mate
- You need to calm down or cheer up. The acting substance of matein, which is contained in mate, positively affects the suppressed isoslablennuyu nervous system, and is able to relieve nervous excitement.
- If you experience mental fatigue. Mate influences the accumulation of the necessary amount of phosphorus for nerve cells, and also improves the memory work.
- If your body needs a general strengthening. Drinking an effective influence on the increase of immunity and taking active part in the restoration of forces that are lost after the transfer of a variety of diseases. All this is due to the high number of vitamins of group B1 and C contained in the vata.
- If you carefully observe changes in your weight. Vitamins B8 and choline, which are part of this drink, smoothly regulate the fat and help dissolve cholesterol well.
- If you want to improve the general condition of your skin and hair. In the mate there is vitamin H or biotin, which has long been known to everyone as a vitamin of beauty.
- If you are in the sun for a long time or visit the solarium. Mate, thanks to the presence of vitamin E, is able to effectively enhance the protective properties of the skin.
- Mate has a colossal influence on the process of recovery of body cells.
- He plays a great role in blood purification, and also actively saturates it with oxygen.
- Most importantly, this magic drink carries a natural sexual regulator function. It has an excellent effect on the increase of the women's libido and does not neglect the male potency.