Consumption of Yerba Mate Infusions

In South America the consumption of mate is the habit most closely related to man's daily life. In Argentina as well as in Uruguay and Paraguay every morning eight out of ten people wake up in search of this infusion which has transcended the region in different ways spreading to the six continents. This infusion was originally used by the Guarani who cultivated the yerba mate plant and later passed on this habit to the Jesuits in the Misiones who using rudimentary germination techniques managed to cultivate the plant in the area that is currently the largest producer of yerba mate in the world comprising the province of Misiones part of Corrientes and Paraguay. In the Chaco and Mesopotamian plains mate is a drink that has become the almost exclusive breakfast of country people who wake up with the first rays of light. This infusion has spread its consumption throughout the country to the point that it has become a representative symbol of any Argentine anywhere in the world.