SEMANA FARROUPILHA EM DAVIS, CALIFÓRNIA

Acompanhando pela internet (a 10.220 km) as notícias da Semana Farroupilha de Lages fiquei feliz com o formato deste ano. Parabenizo os organizadores pela grandiosa dimensão que deram ao evento. Sim é possível valorizar nossa cultura com os entes vivos da sociedade. Este é o caminho gastronomia, música, arte e cultura ao mesmo fim. São nossos valores históricos que devem ser promovidos, prata da casa em talento. Esta é a grande indústria sem chaminés e poluição, temos coisas maravilhosas para mostrar e a Semana Farroupilha é uma prova disto. Aqui no primeiro mundo a cultura local está acima de tudo, esta é uma diferença que notei por aqui.
Neste lado do mundo mais ao norte, me pilchei como aprendi com o “Vovô”, o Amigo Fabio também e fomos ao Farm’s Market com um mate bem topetudo, imprimi um texto (abaixo) de outro Gáucho Amigo o André Soares. Reunindo Amigos que fizemos por estas bandas. Chineses, Iranianos, Espanhóis e Turcos, fizemos uma roda internacional de mate, esta foi nossa maneira de comemorar a Semana Farroupilha.
O mate com seu sabor de encontro nos apresentou um casal de Argentinos estudantes da Universidade da Califórnia. Apesar dos continentes e diferentes povos, os valores são semelhantes, um sorriso franco com um mate aproximam as pessoas, em um galpão enfumaçado ou na costa oeste dos Estados Unidos.




CHIMARRÃO

André Brugnara Soares


Chimarrão? What’s this?
The chimarão (Portuguese) or mate (Spanish) is a typical infused drink from South America prepared from steeped dried leaves of mate tree in hot water.
Where does it come from?
The Spanish who landed in Cuba, the Mexico, and came down to Paraguai river mouth, funded in 1536 Assuncion del Paraguay City, one of the oldest cities of Latin America. There the explorers far away from their wives and missing them, had to drink a lot. Every morning they woke up with a hung over and they figured out that by drinking that strange tea from the Guarany Indians, they felt better. This is why they carried mate herb on their horses back towards south reaching regions like Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and South Brazil. They used segments of bamboo as calabash gourd and another one much thinner as a straw with little openings at the buttom to filter the tea.
How do we get the herb?
The leaves of Ilex paraguariensis tree are harvested manually during the winter, and therefore they are dried in an electric or wood-powered oven and mowed in a guinder.
Where do people usually drink chimarrão?
Chimarrão drink is very common in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and South of Brazil. In those countries they use to drink with hot water. In Paraguay they drink with cold water, that chimarrão is called Tererê. Every time is a good time to drink chimarrão, some people prefer early in the morning, other prefer just after or before lunch, or in the evening.
What is it for?
The chimarrão contains caffeine and acts as a stimulant. There are some digestive properties. The students use this drink to burn the midnight oil. Chimarrão is used in two main ways; on one hand It is used to greeting to get friendship, like a social activity. On the other hand, drinking chimarrão alone is an invitation for insight moments of meditation, reflexion, etc.
How is it prepared and served?
We use a calabash gourd, made from Porongo fruit (Lagenaria siceraria). Previously dried and treated. In Argentina the use of a tea cups is also common. The straw is called bomba (Portuguese) or Bombilla (Spanish), wich is being comprised of both the straw and sieve. Generally it is silver-made which has at one tip a filter to avoid the herb particles to come out to the month and in the opposite tip there is a gold jacket that acts like a bactericide. First the gourd is half-filled with herb. Then, warm water is poured in and two minutes are allowed to the herb to soak. After we put the bomba in. The hot water comes from thermos but traditionally a rude kettle was used. Finally we pour hot water (70°C) and just enjoy.