Terere

terere and mate

I gotta tell you all about terere and mate since i spend the majority of my day drinking it! Terere and mate is yerba which you drink out of a cup (called a guampa) with a straw with a mini strainer attached to the bottom (called a bombilla). Terere is served cold and mate is served with boiled water. It is a paraguayan staple and something that each and every Paraguayan drinks multiple times a day… whether it be on a bus, while driving, sitting around the house with family, or just something you do when you’re bored. You can add an assortment of herbs to your terere or mate like mint, eucalyptus, and many more and all of these are home grown and can be found in your very own backyard! There’s always one person who serves the yerba and each person in the terere or mate circle takes turns drinking from the same straw. For all you germaphobes out there, it would probably be your worst nightmare, but hey… this culture is all about sharing. So someone pours water from a thermos or pitcher and passes the cup. It’s not as easy as it sounds because there is a strict terere and mate etiquette. You must never touch the straw while drinking, you should never say “gracias” unless you don’t want anymore, you must never eat while drinking the tea, you can’t shower right after drinking mate or you’ll become really sick due to the extreme temperature change, and never eat watermelon before, during, or after terere consumption. Terere-ing has become one of my favorite hobbies because it enables me to meet the Paraguayans, chat with neighbors, and become really hydrated in the process! You can sit for hours drinking terere and that is completely and totally acceptable here. It’s a great social experience and something that opens up a lot opportunity for conversation. I highly recommend you Americans start buying some terere gear and start the trend over there, because it’s an awesome tradition and it’s actually quite tasty!