Mate (Spanish: mate, Portuguese: matʃi ; sometimes spelled maté in English though not in Spanish or Portuguese), also known as chimarrão (Portuguese) is a traditional South American caffeine-rich infused drink, that was first consumed by the indigenous Guaraní and also spread by the Tupí people. In the last centuries, it became particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay (where it is defined by law as the "national infusion"),as also in Paraguay, the Bolivian Chaco, Southern Chile and Southern Brazil. It is also consumed in Syria, the largest importer in the world, and in Lebanon.
It is prepared by steeping dried leaves of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis, known in Portuguese as erva-mate) in hot water and is served with a metal straw from a shared hollow calabash gourd.