Brazilian tea culture
Encyclopedia
Brazilian tea culture has its origins with teas made by the indigenous cultures of the Amazon region. It has evolved since the Portuguese colonial period to include imported varieties and tea-drinking customs.
, made from the leaves of the native yerba mate
plant. In Brazil, it is called erva mate or chimarrão, and is associated with the southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul
. Mate is a popular beverage in other South American countries as well, including Argentina
, Paraguay
, and Uruguay
. As in other South American countries, mate is customarily drunk from a hollow gourd using a silver straw, a tradition that continues from indigenous cultures who introduced mate to colonists.
has been used by traditional healers to cure headaches, fevers and flu. Graciela Rocha, in research conducted for Newcastle University, found the tea to be as effective as a synthetic aspirin-style drug, Indometacin:
and "Uniao do Vegetal
". It has purgative, nauseating and hallucinogenic properties.
Due to its hallucinogenic effects, its legal status in Brazil has met with controversy from authorities outside Brazil. The active ingredient that produces hallucinations, DMT
, is considered a Class A drug (the same label given to heroin and cocaine) by the U.S. and the U.K. However, in 2010 Brazil's national anti-drug body approved the consumption of the drink for religious rituals after decades of studies and talks with religious institutions.
and India
. Prior to this time, only Chinese tea varieties had been grown in Brazil.
Brazil's largest tea-producing region is near Registro
, a coastal city near Sao Paulo
. Registro is in the Brazilian Highlands
and forms a terrain of low rolling hills that are ideal for mechanized tea production. The growing season in Brazil is from September to April; the climate is hot and humid. The relatively low altitude of most of Brazil’s tea plantations, however, produces a tea which is less flavorful than high altitude teas. For this reason, Brazilian teas are most often produced for blending. The tea is used for both iced tea and hot tea blends with about 70% of the total tea production being sold to the United States.
Erva mate
A popular tea variety is mate (beverage)Mate (beverage)
Mate , also known as chimarrão or cimarrón, is a traditional South American infused drink, particularly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern states of Brazil, south of Chile, the Bolivian Chaco, and to some extent, Syria and Lebanon...
, made from the leaves of the native yerba mate
Yerba mate
Maté, yerba maté or erva maté , Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay...
plant. In Brazil, it is called erva mate or chimarrão, and is associated with the southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
. Mate is a popular beverage in other South American countries as well, including Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. As in other South American countries, mate is customarily drunk from a hollow gourd using a silver straw, a tradition that continues from indigenous cultures who introduced mate to colonists.
Modern varieties
Imported teas are popular in Brazil, either as a hot beverage or as iced tea. Brazilians also have their own local modern variations of tea beverages. Lemongrass teas are popular. Lemongrass is a plant imported from south east Asia, which grows well in Brazil's climate. Lemongrass is called capim-santo and capim-limão. It is generally consumed in teas and health drinks, which is its primary culinary use in Brazil. Like many tea varieties in Brazil, lemongrass beverages are considered more medicinal than culinary. One iced tea drink made of lemongrass and pineapple peelings is called Chá de abacaxi com capim-santo.Indigenous teas
There are many indigenous tea varieties in Brazil, which often have traditional medicinal uses. Some tea varieties are consumed as part of native religious rituals.Mint tea
Mint tea made from the brewed leaves of the plant Hyptis crenataHyptis crenata
Hyptis crenata is a shrub species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family. The genus Hyptis is commonly known as the bushmints. It is traditionally used for pain relief in Brazil. Its analgesic qualities have been supported by a study....
has been used by traditional healers to cure headaches, fevers and flu. Graciela Rocha, in research conducted for Newcastle University, found the tea to be as effective as a synthetic aspirin-style drug, Indometacin:
Ayahuasca tea (Wine of the Souls)
Ayahuasca tea, which means "wine of the souls" in an Andean ancient language, has a history going back to ancient times. It is a traditional drink used in spiritual and healing rituals. The tea is used in the religions of Santo DaimeSanto Daime
Santo Daime is a syncretic spiritual practice founded in the 1930s in the Brazilian Amazonian state of Acre by Raimundo Irineu Serra, known as Mestre Irineu...
and "Uniao do Vegetal
União do Vegetal
União do Vegetal is a Christian religion based on the use of Hoasca in a program of spiritual evolution based on mental concentration and the search for self-knowledge...
". It has purgative, nauseating and hallucinogenic properties.
Due to its hallucinogenic effects, its legal status in Brazil has met with controversy from authorities outside Brazil. The active ingredient that produces hallucinations, DMT
DMT
DMT may refer to:In chemical substances:* Dimethyltryptamine, a psychedelic tryptamine* Dimethyl terephthalate, a polyester precursor* Desoxymethyltestosterone, a designer anabolic steroid...
, is considered a Class A drug (the same label given to heroin and cocaine) by the U.S. and the U.K. However, in 2010 Brazil's national anti-drug body approved the consumption of the drink for religious rituals after decades of studies and talks with religious institutions.
History
During the colonial era, imported tea varieties were first cultivated in Brazil in 1812. Throughout the 19th century, the tea industry, much like the coffee industry, was heavily dependent on slave labor to work on the plantations. When slavery was abolished in 1888, the tea trade collapsed. In the 1920’s, the tea industry was revived by Japanese immigrants, who introduced tea seeds from Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Prior to this time, only Chinese tea varieties had been grown in Brazil.
Brazil's largest tea-producing region is near Registro
Registro
Registro is a city on the Atlantic coast of São Paulo, Brazil. Registro in Portuguese means register, and this name was given to the city because it was the port from which the earlier settlers registered the gold that was leaving on ships from Brazil headed to Portugal.The population in 2004 was...
, a coastal city near Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. Registro is in the Brazilian Highlands
Brazilian Highlands
The Brazilian Highlands or Brazilian Plateau are an extensive geographical region, covering most of the eastern, southern and central portions of Brazil, in all approximately half of the country's land area, or some 4,500,000 km²...
and forms a terrain of low rolling hills that are ideal for mechanized tea production. The growing season in Brazil is from September to April; the climate is hot and humid. The relatively low altitude of most of Brazil’s tea plantations, however, produces a tea which is less flavorful than high altitude teas. For this reason, Brazilian teas are most often produced for blending. The tea is used for both iced tea and hot tea blends with about 70% of the total tea production being sold to the United States.
See also
- TeaTeaTea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
- Mate (beverage)Mate (beverage)Mate , also known as chimarrão or cimarrón, is a traditional South American infused drink, particularly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern states of Brazil, south of Chile, the Bolivian Chaco, and to some extent, Syria and Lebanon...
- Traditional medicineTraditional medicineTraditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...
- Health effects of tea