The drink called mate has long been consumed by the peoples of the South American continent. The Indians attached great importance to him, considering the life elixir given by the gods.
Across the world, mate spread the European conquerors. When studying the effects of the drink on the human body, it turned out that it has a number of healing properties. It is brewed in a special vessel - calabash, a photo of which is posted below. About how to do it right, and will be told.
What is calabash?
Calabash is one of the types of vessels that are made from various raw materials. The most common materials are calabash tree and pumpkin. And also metal, wood and ceramics are used. Food is stored in the calabash and brewed drinks, one of which is mate.
A vessel of calabash (calabash, calabash) is often decorated with ethnic drawings by painting or scratching. It is intended both for individual consumption of drinks, and for joint, and it can be larger or smaller. This vessel can be made in the form of a bowl, cup, basin, bottle and tub. Both the material, the shape of the calabash, and its size affect the aroma and taste of the drink brewed in it. Let's talk about this in more detail.
Calabash made from pumpkin
As mentioned above, the most popular materials for calabash are dried pumpkin (most often bottle) and a calabash tree, which is also known as a gourd, or crestsion. For this, the fruits are selected in size and dried. It is these calabash that are most suitable for making mate, as they are environmentally friendly.
But it must be borne in mind that they will require special care, otherwise they may crack or mold. Still, pumpkin and calabash tree fruits are bad in that they absorb all the smells that linger in the material indefinitely. Milk smell is especially “eaten up”.
Calabash made of wood
Wooden calabash is a vessel that not only reveals the aroma of mate, but also gives off the smell of the material from which it is made. Therefore, when purchasing it, you need to keep in mind what kind of variety it is made from. Some trees may “give” a pleasant aftertaste and smell, others may not, plus the tastes of a particular user.
The rest of the calabash made of wood is as good as that of pumpkin. However, it does not require the mandatory procedure of "revitalization". "Revitalization" is the preparation of calabash to the beginning of its use - either immediately after purchase, or after a long break in use. We will further study how this ritual occurs.
Calabash metal and ceramic
Ceramic or metal calabash is a bowl, which is a more expensive pleasure than all the previous ones. It is believed that it is prestigious to use such vessels, they are more durable and less whimsical to care for.
But often people want to create an unusual, mysterious atmosphere, to pay tribute to ancient customs. For such purposes, of course, the traditional option is better. However, the indisputable advantage of calabash from metal and ceramic is the fact that they do not collect odors.
Size matters
As noted above, the size of the calabash plays an important role in brewing mate, significantly affecting its taste. The larger the size of the vessel, the stronger the drink will turn out, and this is a matter of taste. Those who like to drink easier need to purchase a small calabash. In it, the mate will be less saturated, since you need to constantly add water and make welding on a new one. It seems that the best option would be to purchase a vessel with averaged parameters.
What is a bombilla?
Typically, calabash attached bombilla, which is a tube of metal or reed. It is also painted with various drawings and consists of three parts - the tube itself, the tip for filtering and the upper part, which is wrapped around the lips. Those who prefer a hot drink need to take a small length bomb from a tree. For a cool mate you will need a long silver tube. Now we turn to the question of how to brew mate in calabash.
"Revitalization" of the vessel
To start drinking from a new calabash, you need to “revive” it. To do this, pour mate into the vessel up to half, pour hot water into it and leave it in this form for a period of at least 24 hours. During this time, calabash must perceive the spirit of mate. After that, it needs to be thoroughly washed and dried, and then put in a warm place. Now it is ready to use.
And only after that you can start brewing mate, which is a dry small leaves of a plant such as Paraguayan holly. It grows in South America, mainly in Argentina, and contains large amounts of caffeine. If calabash is not used for more than two weeks, it must be “revived” again.
Brewing classic
Mate is brewed using special technology. It consists of the following:
- Mate falls asleep in calabash for 30% of its volume.
- The opening of the vessel is closed by hand, it is shaken intensively several times. This is necessary so that small particles float on top, and large ones sink to the bottom.
- The cup is tilted so that the tea leaves gather at one of the walls, and a void forms near the other. You need to insert a bombilla into it, returning the calabash to its original position - vertical. The tube is installed once, then it is not removed, and it does not interfere with the drink.
- Hot water is poured along the line of the tube, the temperature of which is in the range of 70-80 degrees. She needs to give time to soak.
- Hot water is added to the very neck of the calabash.
- Ready mate is drunk through the tube, with a constant topping up of fluid.
- The number of toppings is carried out until the mate loses its taste.
How to brew a smoked mat?
There is such a kind of mate as smoked. It is produced by continuous drying over an open fire for one day, and then kept for a whole year. Thanks to this, it has an unusual smoked smack with the smell of haze, which gives pleasure throughout the entire process of drinking. This variety is brewed as follows:
- Calabash is taken and filled with a smoked one-third mate.
- A vessel covered with a palm is shaken so that the particles of grass are located on one side.
- Mate is wetted with warm water without disturbing the position of the vessel.
- Water is wetted and bombilla, then it is dipped in sugar. It is believed that in this way the holes in the tube will not clog.
- The “straw” is placed in the unoccupied part of the calabash, which is slightly shaken in such a way that as a result the grass mass is covered with a bomb, and it finds itself in the middle of the vessel.
- Hot (but not boiling water) flows into the calabash. When foam forms on top, the filling process stops. If you use boiling water, the mate will have a bitter taste, and the foam will not appear.
- If the brewing has become liquid, and the ceremony continues, the mate is brewed again. When you just need to add a few servings, the bombilla is removed, half the tea leaves is removed and replaced with fresh.
- Then warm water is added, the “sweet” tube is reinserted, hot water is poured, but so that the tea leaves do not spread on the surface.