What is tereré, Paraguay's national drink

The guampa (a cup of horn, wood, metal or plastic) is filled with yerba mate, the bombilla (metal straw) is pushed in, and very cold water is poured from a thermos or pitcher where pohã ñana herbs, such as menta'i, burrito or lemon verbena, have been crushed. There is a fruit-juice version, tereré ruso.

With hot water, the same yerba is mate, more common on cool mornings and in winter. And cocido quemado, made with a live coal and sugar, is the classic breakfast.

One guampa and one bombilla pass from hand to hand; one person, traditionally the youngest in the group, pours (the cebador).

• Accept the guampa the cebador offers; nobody serves themselves.
• Drink it all, until the bombilla makes a slurping sound.
• Hand the guampa back to the cebador, not to your neighbor.
• Do not move the bombilla: it clogs and spoils the yerba for everyone.
• Saying "thanks" when you return it means you want no more; if you are still thirsty, return it silently.
• Eat something first: it is not advised on an empty stomach.
• If you would rather not share the bombilla, decline politely; nobody takes offense.

At Asunción's Mercado 4, the yuyeras (herb sellers) offer fresh bunches and crush them on the spot in a wooden mortar. Tell them what you want: to cool down, to help digestion or just flavor. Go in the morning, when the herbs are freshest. Some have contraindications, for example during pregnancy or with certain medications: ask before trying new mixes. August 1 is National Pohã Ñana Day.

Before drinking you eat something, the tereré rupa. The classics are chipa (a bread of cassava starch, cheese and anise, best warm), chipa guasu or guazú (a fresh-corn cake) and sopa paraguaya, which despite its name is a cornbread. There are about seventy varieties of chipa. Coronel Bogado is the National Chipa Capital, chipa Barrero was born in Eusebio Ayala, and the second Friday of August is National Chipa Day.

You do not need a special place: it is drunk in any plaza. A good plan is the Costanera of Asunción at sunset, with repellent. In Bella Vista (Itapúa), on the yerba mate route, the Mate Bar serves fruit tererés. To take home: yerba from Bella Vista's factories and leather thermos covers from Atyrá.

A legend says Ka'a Jarýi is the owner of the yerba, which is why it is shared as a gesture of hospitality. Another story says the Chaco War made it popular; that is tradition, not a proven fact.