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 Anyone who travels to Argentina will inevitably experience the mate tea ceremony. And he will take with him not only the packaging of the coveted mixture, but also the taste of tradition, atmosphere and mood that mate generously gives to its admirers.
As they say - do not deny the traveler a glass of water. In Argentina they add - and in a cup mate too. In a small calabash with this drink, you can taste joy, catch flavors that immerse you in thought, or create an inspiring atmosphere of communication and unity. Mate is not just brewed tea, it is a magical ritual that makes it unique.
Mate has incredible health benefits: it contains more antioxidants than any other tea, leaving even green behind, and is among the top ten foods with a high content of these miracle elements; its effectiveness in counteracting the deposition of cholesterol and high blood pressure is also known, not to mention the fact that the drink is an excellent energy drink.
In Argentina, mate is declared the national drink. There it is consumed in quantities that exceed the consumption of any other beverage, including mineral water.
Tasting mate is like tasting wine. Not only connoisseurs, but also beginners are able to grasp the flavor characteristics inherent in this or that variety.
In addition, manufacturers strive for the originality of the composition of the mate brewing mixture. What is this intricate mixture? Leaves and stems are fine and coarsely ground, and even powdered to a consistency. Varying the amount of each of the constituent components gives originality to a particular brand of tea. Slightly more or slightly less of these ingredients makes the mate taste softer, more intense, or balanced. In fact, this is a whole craft. The principle of granulometry is applied to create a unique recipe.
The mate should be stored in sealed packaging, protecting it from light and moisture, and also separately from food products and household chemicals with strong odors that will only spoil it.
The shelf life is about 2 years from the date of packaging. After that, mate loses its properties, and, above all, taste. Perhaps someone will not notice this, but the expired mixture begins to taste very bitter, acquires a sour taste and burns the mucous membrane of the mouth. A high-quality mate, even after numerous brewing, has a sweetish tint.
As for additives, artificial substitutes are absolutely unacceptable, connoisseurs and tea lovers say. But natural, such as dried orange, lemon, tangerine peels are welcome.
A good mate is unthinkable without a suitable container - carefully processed calabash, in no case covered with leather, and a comfortable bombilla. What is considered ideal bombilla? Made of stainless steel, cupronickel or silver, and should be thoroughly cleaned every two weeks. Experts say that this is the secret of delicious tea. There is nothing complicated in the procedure - put the bombilla in boiling water with the addition of baking soda: this will remove the plaque that gives the brew a sour taste.
Calabaza also needs to be "treated" from time to time. Fill it with fresh mate mixture, pour water at 80aboutC and leave for 12 hours. Then pour out the contents, scrape the walls with a spoon, refill the mate, brew, and so repeat the procedure 10 times. Then dry in the sun. But in our time, with a slight disappointment in their voices, experts share, rarely anyone uses this method.
Mate has its secrets. And for any secrets there will always be those who want to "decipher" them.There are some kind of taboos in the ceremony of brewing and drinking tea. Do not put too much tea leaves, it increases in volume, the drink becomes thick and it is no longer convenient to drink it. It is necessary to brew the mixture only 3/4, and in no case stir it with bombilla!
The use of mate in food preparation opens up new horizons of taste, not only for gourmets. It incredibly enriches the taste and aroma of food, giving it a unique originality. Mate perfectly complements recipes for various types of bread, flans, casseroles and puddings. On its basis, sauces, syrups and gravies, and even alcoholic drinks are prepared. Its inherent variety of flavors offers a wide field for culinary imagination and allows you to create the most incredible recipes.
Enjoy the mate, and let it remind you of the distant but so multifaceted Argentina. As unique and mesmerizing as her national drink.
Yarmolenko V.O.
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