Socio–Cultural Significance of Yerba Maté among Syrian Residents and Diaspora

Abstract

Socio-Cultural Significance of Yerba Maté among Syrian Residents and Diaspora. Syria is the world's second-largest importer of the dried leaves of Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil., commonly known as yerba maté. The unique story of yerba maté in the Syrian beverage culture started at the beginning of the twentieth century when Syrian migrants returning from South America brought the beverage with them. The overall aim of our study is to understand yerba maté use among Syrians and its role as an essential part of the Syrian beverage culture. We compare yerba maté consumption on spatial, gender, and religious bases through semi-structured interviews with 50 respondents, with equal participation among genders, place of residence, and cultural-religious groups (Sunni, Alawite, Christian, Druze, and Ismaili). We found that the Alawite and Druze groups have the highest yerba maté consumption, and that men drink more than women. Yerba maté was the most preferred stimulant drink among participants, followed by coffee and tea, respectively. Interviews reveal social and cultural factors, perceived addiction, perceived pleasure, and perceived health properties as the drivers behind yerba maté consumption in Syria.

Daily Mate Drinking Is Associated with a Low Level of Depressive Symptoms among a Sample of Syrian University Students

“…We found no recent research on yerba mate consumption patterns among Syrian university students, although Syria is the world's second-largest importer of dried leaves of Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil (Aquifoliaceae) (Sulaiman et al, 2021). The average consumption of mate in our study was consistent with previous research which found that the daily consumption can vary between 1 and 6 Liters per person (Bastos et al, 2007).…”

Food Behavior in Emergency Time: Wild Plant Use for Human Nutrition during the Conflict in Syria

“…In Syria, as a part of the Mediterranean basin, cooked vegetables and salads made from wild greens have been particularly important as local traditional foods since ancient times [ 17 ]. However, wild food plants (WFPs) have not been widely studied in the Syrian context [ 18 , 19 ], and while teas prepared from wild plants have been marginally covered [ 20 , 21 , 22 ], there are no studies about the use of wild plants with a focus on the effects of the conflict. On the other hand, studies from surrounding countries, such as Lebanon [ 23 , 24 ], Cyprus [ 25 ], Iraqi-Kurdistan [ 26 ], Palestine [ 27 ], and Turkey [ 28 ] clearly show the importance of wild plants in the food culture of the East Mediterranean region.…”

Cultural vs. State Borders: Plant Foraging by Hawraman and Mukriyan Kurds in Western Iran

“…Rheum ribes (24) Mentha longifolia (23) Allium paradoxum (21) Tragopogon collinus (16) Eremurus spectabilis (17) Prangos aricakensis (14) The results showed that Kurds in Iran have a slightly higher diversity in ethnobotanical knowledge compared to the Hawramani Kurds in Iraq when considering the results of both groups together [23]. However, by comparing each group separately, we find a roughly similar ethnobotanical diversity.…”

“…The social fabric of the Middle East, especially in the Fertile Crescent region, is highly diverse, with many linguistic, religious, and cultural groups, where Kurds represent an essential part of this mosaic [21]. Mesopotamia, and the regions around it, is a unique hotspot for biocultural diversity and for investigating patterns of traditional wild food plant foraging, considering that this area was home to the first Neolithic communities and has been, over millennia, a crossroad of different civilizations and cultures [16].…”