At first I didn't feel comfortable sharing the same straw with everyone else, but I saw that the others were okay with doing it, which helped me to relax and embrace the tradition. Rather than waiting until the tea was cool enough to drink, my friends drank it while it was still scorching hot! Of course, I burned my tongue during my first try of the mate, because I didn't realize how hot it would be, but by my third try, I was anxious to sip the drink again through the bombilla (a metal straw).
Mate is truly an acquired taste: is very bitter and tasted like grass to me. Slowly but surely, I am beginning to enjoy it, especialy since it helps me bond with my friends!
Mate was originally consumed by the indigenous habitants of the southeastern part of South America, and is popular in Argentina because Spanish colonists here became fond of the beverage. As you read in one of my most recent posts, the consumption of beef began with the Argentine gauchos and became popular as it spread to other parts of the country. Historically, mate consumption began in Paraguay and was heavily produced on plantations in the region as its popularity increased. After the Paraguayan war hit the region and destroyed the economy, mate was revived in Brazil and Argentina in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
It is said that Brazil and Argentina both heavily produced mate at one point, but when Brazil began to produce more coffee, Argentina climbed to the top as the largest producer of the popular beverage.
