Yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil., Aquifoliaceae) consumption is commonly associated with some parts of South America; but do you know that Syria is the world’s second-largest importer of yerba mate?

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 actual paper in Economic Botany investigates the social and cultural importance of this beverage among Syrian residents and diaspora, and analyzes the reasons and motives behind the yerba maté consumption in Syria, thousands of kilometres away from its center of origin.