“No journey in Paraguay can start without tereré,” smiled José Acosta Perez, my encyclopaedic guide, as he watched the street vendor meticulously select different herbs and then pound them together in a stone bowl. “It all starts with yerba maté,” he explained, pointing to a leafy green substance nestled among dozens of similar-looking herbs.
“Oh, the Argentinian drink,” I replied somewhat instinctively, causing him to visibly rumble in frustration.
“No, no, no! Yerba maté is originally from Paraguay; even its botanical name is Ilex paraguariensis. The local Guarani people were drinking it as a herbal infusion long before the Argentinians claimed it as their own!” he declared while pressing yet another herb into my hand. “And this natural sweetener, stevia, is another one of our famous exports,” he smiled, taking…
