Mate or maté () also known as chimarrão or cimarrón, is a traditional south american caffeine-rich infused drink. it is made by soaking dried leaves of the yerba mate ilex paraguariensis, in hot water and is served with a metal straw in a container typically made from a calabash gourd (the mate proper), but also in some areas made from a cattle horn (guampa). mate was consumed by the guaraní and tupí peoples. it has been drunk in south america since before the arrival of europeans. its consumption was exclusive to the natives of paraguay, more specifically the departments of amambay and alto paraná. some ethnic groups that consumed it are the avá, the mbyá and the kaiowa, and also, to a ...

Source: Wikipedia