Brief
History of the Mortar and Pestle
A mortar is a bowl shaped container made of a hard wood, marble, pottery, or stone.
The pestle is a bat shaped tool that is used to grind inside the mortar (bowl) and
pulverize grains, herbs, and other food substances as well as medicines.
Italian frescoes of the 15th Century show Mortars and Pestles in use by Apothecaries
(ancient Pharmacists). The Molcajete, or Mexican version of the mortar and pestle appears
in Mexican pre-history in the Tehuacán Valley, as early as the discovery of our
hybridized present-day corn, 6,000 years ago.
How it
is used
Place the substance to be ground inside the mortar (bowl). Sit the pestle on top of
the substance and apply downward pressure, then grind using a circular motion. This action
forces the substance against the surface of the bowl and pulverizes it.
The grinding process releases the oils, and flavor essence of the substance. When
done carefully you will produce a product that is more flavorful than a product prepared
in a food processor. Depending on the food you are preparing the process can be
quite laborious. If you enjoy cooking, using a mortar and pestle will simply be part
of your "craft" of food preparation. If you just need to "get the job
done", reach for the food processor.
|
Molcajete y Tejolote
(pictured at the top of this page)
[mohl-kah-HEH-teh ee teh-hoh-LOH-teh]
The Mexican term for "MORTAR AND PESTLE"
— molcajete being the mortar, tejolote the
pestle. The black, rough texture of both pieces is a result of the fact that they're made
of basalt (volcanic rock). They are used in the traditional manner for grinding spices and
herbs and other mixtures. . (Definition by epicurioius.com)
According to an article by by Diego Delgado, "The word molcajete (mortar) derives
from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs: “molli” (seasoning or sauce) and
“caxitl” (bowl). The word tejolote (pestle) also derives from Nahuatl:
“tetl” (stone) and “xolotl” (doll)."Foods traditionally prepared in the molcajete include salsas and
mole's (mohl-LAY), as well as guacamole. It is also used for grinding chilies,
garlic or other herbs and spices for food preparation.
About Basalt / Lava Stone
The best quality molcajetes are made from basalt / lava stone with the
lowest possible sand content. This stone can have a very fine-grain,
smooth feel (see painted
pig below) or a very rough-texture. The coarser textured stone (like
the example at the top of this page, and the bull
and pig below) is made up of basalt with granite,
feldspar and quartz mixed in. This stone is hard rough and makes a good
grinding surface.
Read more about volcanic stone.
Inexpensive Molcajetes
You may find very inexpensive molcajetes on the web. These
molcajetes have a very "rounded appearance" with pear or
cone-shaped pestles. They are softer and easier
to carve and thus less expensive. Unfortunately they are terribly sandy
and no matter how you may try to cure them they will always be sandy. They
are also typically very shallow so they don't have a very usable
capacity. These pieces are fine for decoration or serving only but we don't
recommend using them as a preparation or grinding tool. (Also, see our
warning about fake molcajetes)
soft-stone inexpensive molcajete - image: by
gourmetsleuth.com
Other
Variations
While the traditional molcajete is a simple round bowl they may also found in the shape of
animals, most commonly a pig. We recently acquired the molcajete shown below (which
we've named "Moocajete"). It is a bull and measures 16" from the tip
of the nose to the edge of the bowl and it's 4 1/2" deep, 8 1/2" high and weighs
36 pounds. The tejolote is 8 1/2" long. The stone is very dark in color and finely
textured and looks like granite.
Our pig (Oinkajete) we show below is of the same type of volcanic stone as our bull.
Large Bull Molcajete (not for sale)
Pig Molcajete
- Both the pig and bull molcajetes show above are hand-carved, high
quality stone molcajetes and they are available in our Gourmesleuth store in
limited quantity. Good quality hand-carved pigs are very hard to obtain. As with all good
stone molcajetes they are time consuming to produce. This is a "cottage
industry". Families make the pieces and a local reseller buys them, then resells them
to other small vendors.
Painted Pig,
Smooth Basalt Molcajete
smooth basalt molcajete - painted pig
Smooth Basalt Molcajetes
- These caricature like pig molcajetes are made of a slightly softer
basalt stone that lacks the quartz and other minerals of the "rougher"
basalt stone. This is actually the molcajete preferred by Chef
Rick Bayless*. They tend to look "cast" because of the angled
carving. The carvers use power tools to rough in the shape. This
is a very common molcajete in Mexico. You might not be crazy about
the painting but it considered part of the charm of this style of
molcajete and is typically done by children.
*March / 2007 - we attended a cooking demonstration by Rick Bayless.
Rick used one of these pigs in his demonstration and prefers this style
molcajete for making salsa and guacamole. In fact, many
restaurants prefer these pieces because they tend to be much deeper with
a superior capacity and because they are smother they are easier to
clean.
If your primary use for your molcajete is guacamole and salsa then you
may want to consider one of these deep pieces.
Beware Of Fakes
Many of the pieces available on the market today
both plain and pig heads are inexpensive
reproductions cast of a combination of concrete and crushed stone or a
different type of non-basalt river rock. These products are very sandy
or dusty and don't make good grinding mortars.
Make sure to contact the vendor before you buy to make sure your
molcajete is the authentic, basalt lava, hand carved Mexican molcajete.
**Update: March, 2007
Almost "exact" copies of the
inexpensive molcajetes
are now being made in China and distributed within the U.S. and Mexico.
They are not marked in any way so if they are not sold in the boxes
provided by the manufacture you will not be able to tell them from the
Mexican pieces. One slight difference is a slight "flare" to upper
top rim. See Image Of Chinese
Molcajete
How To Season or Prepare
Your Molcajete Before Use
It is necessary to season the molcajete prior to using it or you'll get grit in your
food.
1. Wash and scrub the interior of the molcajete and the tejolote with
water and a stiff brush. Let both objects air dry. Now proceed to steps 2 and
3. We like the combination of both methods or you may select one or the other.
This process only needs to be completed one time.2. Put a handful of uncooked rice in the
molcajete. Use the tejolote ( the pestle) and grind the rice into the surface of the
molcajete (bowl). Discard the pulverized rice. Repeat the process until the
pulverized rice is white, rather than gray or ash colored.
3. Add 4 cloves of garlic (peeled), 1 teaspoon of cumin (comino) and 1
teaspoon salt, kosher is good, and a teaspoon of pepper. Grind the mixture evenly
around the interior of the molcajete. Remove and discard the mixture. Rinse
the molcajete and tejolote with clear water and allow to dry before storing. Note
that these ingredients and quantities can be adjusted to your liking and for the size of
your molcajete. |
Maintenance
Simply wash the molcajete and tejolote in warm water after each use. Don't use
detergents because the soap and any perfumes may be absorbed into the stone and taint your
food.
Caution: We have noticed several web sites and auction
sellers promoting molcajetes made of a type of integral color concrete. The surface
is then painted to look like lava. We don't recommend these products for cooking
use. They should be used for decoration only. Make sure to ask the dealer you are
buying from to confirm the material your molcajete is made from.
Salsa en
molcajete
Photo by LaMejor Kitchens
Metate y Mano
Metate y
Metlapil (or Mano)
This tool is related in lineage to
the molcajete. The word metate comes from the Nahuatl word
metlatl. The rolling-pin shaped grinding tool is called in
Nahuatl a metlapil which means son of metate but in
Spanish it is referred to as a mano. The metate is used to grind corn and for mashing ingredients to make salsas
and purees. According to Deann and Rick Bayless in their book Authentic
Mexican : Regional Cooking, the metate was "The last of the techniques that set
Mexican cooking apart is the grinding. It began millennia ago with corn crushed on a
rock slab (metate) to make the dough for tortillas. The slab proved good for
grinding rehydrated. chiles, for nuts and seeds, for cacao beans and even the tender curds
of fresh cheese".
The traditional Aztec metate
was a slanted slab with three short legs. The Mayan version sits flat on the ground with a
slightly indented top grinding surface. Metates are rarely used today and have been
replaced in the home by hand corn grinders and electric blenders.
How to Use
The metate should be seasoned prior to use using the same process used to season the
molcajete. (See above).
To use this tool place the food to be ground in the center of the metate. Roll the
mano back and forth over the food to grind it to the desired consistency.
If you are using a metate that is on legs then you sit behind the
metate with the high end of the metate closest to you and you grid
downwards.
Read
more about the metate y mano including more photos
Olive wood Mortar
and Pestle 
This beautiful piece is solid olive wood from
Tunisia. It is approximately 5" across and 3 1/2" tall. The pestle is 6
1/2" long. In stock now at GourmetSleuth.com
Wood
Mortar and Pestle
The wood mortar and pestle is a
less versatile tool. It is perfect to grind seeds, grains, or salt.
Grinding foods with any moisture content should be avoided as it will eventually cause the
wood to split, no matter how hard the wood is. |
