MATE - Traditional calabash gourd

The calabash gourd is the best-known maté vessel, and also the most widely used. In Spanish it is called "calabaza".

Calabashes are plants of the cucurbit family or, more simply put, plant species very closely related to edible squashes. They are climbing plants with large leaves that produce fruit of various sizes and shapes. The calabashes are the fruit of these plants. They are harvested once they have reached the desired size and shape, then emptied of their flesh and seeds, and dried.

They can then be decorated or painted, and there are even engraved calabashes. It is important to note that a calabash must be cured before its first use. You can read more about this in our article on curing calabash matés (in the section