{"id":16013,"date":"2013-03-28T06:00:23","date_gmt":"2013-03-28T10:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ottsworld.com\/?p=16013"},"modified":"2024-10-22T19:12:40","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T23:12:40","slug":"mate-drink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottsworld.com\/blogs\/mate-drink\/","title":{"rendered":"Mate Manners"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"mate<\/a>
Drinking yerba mate has many traditions to be aware of<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Cebador hands me the cuia; I pause for a moment and think about everything I have learned. I slowly extend my right hand, look him in the eyes, and give him a slight nod. I take the first drink from the bombilla, careful not to move it around, but instead, I let it sit stiffly in the packed herbal mixture. I drink it all in a short amount of time – trying to suck and slurp the last bit of liquid from the herbs. \u00a0Once I\u2019ve finished, I hand it back to the Cebador with the bombilla pointing towards him and don\u2019t say a word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I\u2019m one step closer to fitting into Patagonia culture \u2013 I can officially call myself a mate drinker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t miss the mate culture in Patagonia<\/a>\u00a0(pronounced maa-tay)\u2013 the cuia\u2019s (gourds that the mate is drunk out of) are sold everywhere in the markets<\/a>. You\u2019ll also notice huge displays of metal straws that are used in the mate. And finally \u2013 if you look closely, you\u2019ll probably see people of all ages walking around towns with a thermos of warm water. All of these things are key to Yerba Mate<\/a> \u2013 the official drink of Patagonia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Table of Contents<\/p>\n