Mate is Argentina's national drink and its most social habit. Dried, chopped leaves of the yerba mate plant, a holly native to the subtropical forests of the region, are packed into a small gourd and steeped with hot water, then sipped through a metal straw with a filter at the end, the bombilla. One person, the cebador, fills and refills the gourd and hands it to each person in turn; you drink it all, hand it back, and say gracias only when you have had enough. Saying it earlier is a polite way of being skipped.

The Guaraní people drank yerba long before Spanish settlers arrived, and today Argentines carry a thermos and gourd to offices, parks, beaches and racetracks. The taste is vegetal and bitter, a little like strong green tea, and it carries caffeine. The ritual takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to argue about.

The mate

Ingredients

• about 1/2 cup (35 to 40 g) yerba mate
• 1 quart (1 liter) water
• 1 tablespoon cool water
• to taste sugar

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