The Library's Bitter Mate
A green, bitter infusion of yerba mate, drunk piping hot through a bombilla, refilled with water and passed from hand to hand. A daily and friendly drink, never sweetened among purists.
A green, bitter infusion of yerba mate, drunk piping hot through a bombilla, refilled with water and passed from hand to hand. A daily and friendly drink, never sweetened among purists.
You see, mate is not quite a drink: it is a habit, almost a grammar. You heat the water without letting it boil — boiling, it seems, burns the soul of the yerba — you tilt the gourd, slide in the bombilla, and drink, bitter, without a grain of sugar, for sugar is a concession of the lukewarm. I drank it at all hours, between two pages of Schopenhauer, and whoever prepares the mate never drinks it first: he keeps the first muddy sip for himself, out of courtesy. It is, I believe, one of the few things that Argentina invented without copying from anyone.
- •Dried yerba mate — enough to fill two-thirds of the gourd (bitter infusion, base)
- •Spring water — as needed, simmering (extraction)
The Library's Bitter Mate
A green, bitter infusion of yerba mate, drunk piping hot through a bombilla, refilled with water and passed from hand to hand. A daily and friendly drink, never sweetened among purists.
Why this dish? Borges lived surrounded by this national drink, which he cited as one of the few simple pleasures of the cultivated Argentine middle class; mate accompanied his hours of reading and dictation at the National Library where he was director.
You see, mate is not quite a drink: it is a habit, almost a grammar. You heat the water without letting it boil — boiling, it seems, burns the soul of the yerba — you tilt the gourd, slide in the bombilla, and drink, bitter, without a grain of sugar, for sugar is a concession of the lukewarm. I drank it at all hours, between two pages of Schopenhauer, and whoever prepares the mate never drinks it first: he keeps the first muddy sip for himself, out of courtesy. It is, I believe, one of the few things that Argentina invented without copying from anyone.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried yerba mate — enough to fill two-thirds of the gourd (bitter infusion, base)
- Spring water — as needed, simmering (extraction)
Ingredients
- Yerba mate (grocery or organic aisle) — 50 g (≈ 2/3 of a gourd) (bitter infusion)
- Water — 1 thermos at 70–80 °C (extraction, to refill)
Method
- Fill the gourd (or a mug if necessary) two-thirds full with yerba mate.
- Cover the opening with your hand, turn it over and shake gently to remove the finest dust, then tilt the yerba to one side.
- Pour a trickle of warm water onto the lower part to awaken the yerba without drowning it.
- Insert the bombilla (filtered straw) on the moistened side, without moving it further.
- Pour water at 70–80 °C — definitely not boiling — and drink. Refill with water as many times as the yerba retains flavor (often 8 to 15 times).
How it was made : Mate is inherited from the Guaraní, massively adopted by colonists and then by all of Argentine society. In the 20th century, in Buenos Aires families, it is still prepared with a gourd and a metal bombilla, the water heated in a pava (kettle) and removed before boiling. Sharing the same bombilla is a strong social code.
The contemporary twist : For hesitant palates, a mate cocido tea bag, a 'mild' version in the style of porteño cafés, or a few dried orange zest strips slipped into the yerba.
Jorge Luis Borges · Charactorium
