Many
people have heard of maté, a tea made with hot water and yerba
maté leaves, commonly found in Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil.
Coffee shops across the United States are beginning to offer yerba
maté tea bags as it grows in popularity. However, in the small,
landlocked country of Paraguay, where temperatures average 95 degrees in
the summer and often rise up to 110, tereré reigns supreme as the
nation’s drink of choice.
Pronounced te-re-RE, using the “e” from “bet” and
with the r’s sounding more like soft d’s, the beverage is an iced tea
version of hot maté. But the tea, a combination of ice-cold water and
yerba maté leaves, is so much more than a beverage for the people of
Paraguay. The drink embodies a sense of community and friendship.
When tereré is drunk with fruit juice rather than water it is often
called “tereré ruso” because it is commonly consumed by Slavic
immigrants in parts of Argentina and Paraguay. Tereré purists snub their
noses at this variation.
A Paraguayan is rarely found far from their “equipo
de tereré,” or tereré gear, which consists of their “guampa” (a cup
shaped like a cow’s horn), “bombilla” (filtered straw) and “termo”
(thermos). In ”el campo” (the countryside), people tend to use a jar or
pitcher rather than a termo.
Dry yerba maté leaves on their way to becoming tereré
SOURCE
Leslie dela Vega
The serving of the tereré is crucial. The tea is
often drunk while sitting in a circle, and the youngest person of the
group is usually the server, called the cebador[a]. Everyone in the
circle uses the same bombilla, but each person finishes a cupful of the
tea, sharing the tools but not the liquid. Polite people beware! Saying
“gracias” means you are done and would not like to be served again. So
keep your thank-yous to yourself until you’re really finished. Another
common foreigner faux pas is moving the bombilla. The bombilla is
carefully placed to keep the tereré from being too bitter. Swirling it
around will ruin the drink and earn you rolled eyes and exclamations of
protest.
Some participants wait a few rounds for the terere
to get more “lavado,” which means washed-out or flat. The taste of yerba
maté is smoky and bitter, and the bitterness can be toned down after
the first few drinks.
“Tereré rupa” is a snack, usually a starchy one, that one eats before beginning to drink their tereré for the day.
Tereré can – and is – also drunk individually.
Paraguayans drink the tea year-round and throughout the day. In the
morning, people often add “remedios yuyos” – medicinal herbs, leaves and
roots – to the water. Some herbs target indigestion, others lower blood
pressure, and some are just for flavor.
Tereré gear: “termo” (thermos), “guampa” (a cup shaped like a cow’s horn), and a “bombilla” (filtered straw)
SOURCE
Leslie dela Vega
The naturally caffeinated tea leaves, found in the canopy of the Upper Paraná Atlantic rainforest, have many health benefis.
Most notably, the leaves have a high antioxidant capacity, even more so
than green tea. The tea has been associated with the prevention of
cancer and, alternatively, with the cause of some types of cancer,
although research has largely shown a positive outcome from drinking
tereré.
In Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, the termos
themselves are fashion statements. Each termo is often personalized with
different colors, materials, embroidered designs, sports team logos and
monograms of one’s name. You commonly see people whizzing by you with a
personalized termo hanging off their moto.
If you are looking to jump on the tereré train, you can order the supplies online. Guayaki,
a California based company, sells tereré bottled, to drink cold.
However, this skips the social process of tereré, which is a majority of
the fun in drinking the tea.
Another option? Book a flight down to Asunción and
try it for yourself. You’ll be the only American not spinning the
bombilla around and spitting out premature thank-yous like an amateur.
SOURCE: Lorena O'''''Neil
