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.

Yerba Maté 在叙利亚居民和侨民中的社会文化意义。叙利亚是世界第二大巴拉圭冬青干叶进口国A.St.–Hil.，俗称马黛茶。yerba maté 在叙利亚饮料文化中的独特故事始于 20 世纪初，当时从南美返回的叙利亚移民带来了这种饮料。我们研究的总体目标是了解叙利亚人使用马黛茶及其作为叙利亚饮料文化重要组成部分的作用。我们通过对 50 名受访者的半结构化访谈，比较了空间、性别和宗教基础上的马黛茶消费，其中性别、居住地和文化宗教团体（逊尼派、阿拉维派、基督教、德鲁兹和伊斯玛仪派）的参与度相同。我们发现阿拉维派和德鲁兹派的马黛茶消费量最高，而且男性比女性喝得更多。Yerba maté 是参与者最喜欢的兴奋剂饮料，其次是咖啡和茶，分别。采访揭示了社会和文化因素、感知成瘾、感知快乐和感知健康特性是叙利亚马黛茶消费背后的驱动力。