A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances. The mortar is a bowl-like vessel used to contain the substance to be ground. Mortars have smooth, rounded bottoms and wide mouths. The pestle is the pounding and grinding instrument.
The English mortar derives from classical Latin mortarium, meaning, among several other usages, receptacle for pounding and product of grinding or pounding. The classical Latin pestillum led to the English pestle, meaning pounder. The antiquity of these tools is well documented in early literature, such as the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus of 1550 BCE (the oldest preserved piece of medical literature) and the Old Testament. Mortars and pestles were traditionally used in pharmacies to crush various ingredients prior to preparing an extemporaneous prescription.
For pharmaceutical use, the mortar and the head of the pestle are usually made of porcelain, while the handle of the pestle is made of wood.
Marble mortar and pestle
Mortar and Pestle - The Kitchen Tool
Mortars and Pestles are tools that have been used in cooking for thousands of years.
Mortars are also used in cooking to grind spices into powder. This kitchen helper is indispensable to grind herbs like cilantro, mint, basil, pills, crack nuts, make curry pastes from scratch, grind ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and galangal. This simple but useful tool is also used to grind roast spices like green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, roasted coriander, fennel seeds etc. To grind spices, one should normally apply a decent amount of force in a way that causes the spices to get dragged under the sideways-moving pestle.
Mortars have been used widely in Aztec, Mayan and Native American cultures several thousands of years back as an aid to their cooking. It likely evolved from the more primitive grinding slab. In Japan, very large ceramic mortars called Suribachi are used with wooden mallets to prepare a dish called mochi. The mortar and pestle, called the jom and modaqqa in Lebanese, is used by Middle Eastern cooks to prepare hummus, made from cooked chickpeas and sesame seeds. In Thai cuisine, the mortar is used to crush dry chillies, a key ingredient in popular national dishes. The Mexican mortar called molcajete, made of rough-textured basalt, also is used to crush both dried and fresh chillies for salsas and moles, the complex sauces that are a hallmark of the country's cuisine.
Granite mortars and pestles are used in Southeast Asia, as well as Pakistan and India.
In India, it's used extensively to make spice mixtures for various delicacies as well as day to day dishes. Indian cuisine celebrates spices, and these enhance curries, stews and sauces. The key to extracting the essence of the spice is to lightly toast the whole spice, then grind in a mortar. Grinding fresh spices for each recipe, rather than buying ground spices and storing them, adds pure flavour to a dish. The mortar is preferred over a modern food processor since it gives the dish some coarsely ground texture, not the paste-like consistency created by the food processors.
Also in various traditional Hindu ceremonies (such as weddings, and Upanayanam or thread ceremonies) the mortar and pestle are used to crush turmeric. However, with the advent of motorized grinders or food processors, the use of the mortar and pestle has decreased in India.
Types of Mortars
Mortars and pestles come in a variety of designs and materials, often utilizing local materials or designed to perform a specific task in a culinary tradition. Good pestle and mortar-making materials must be hard enough to crush the substance rather than be worn away by it. They cannot be too brittle either, or they will break during the pounding and grinding. The material should also be cohesive, so that small bits of the mortar or pestle do not get mixed in with the ingredients. Mortars and pestles are generally made out of stone, hard wood, stainless steel, marble or clay. Small wooden ones are fairly cheap, but a really good, stone or stainless steel mortar and pestle are on the expensive side.
Rough ceramic mortar and pestle sets can be used to reduce substances to very fine powders, but stain easily and are brittle. Porcelain mortars are sometimes conditioned for use by grinding some sand to give them a rougher surface which helps to reduce the particle size. Glass mortars and pestles are fragile, but stain-resistant and suitable for use with liquids. However, they do not grind as finely as the ceramic type. Marble and porcelain mortars do not retain flavour. Wooden mortars wear down and must be carefully cleaned, but can attain a wonderful patina over the years.
The size and use also play an important role in choosing a small or a large mortar and pestle.
Also the porosity of the mortar is important. Smooth and non-porous materials are chosen that will not absorb or trap the substances being ground. Those made from a non -porous material like granite, are best - as a rough or absorbent material may cause the strong flavour of a past ingredient mingling with current ones, thus entirely changing the taste.
How to clean a Mortar
The food particles left in the mortar and on the pestle may support the growth of microorganisms so regular cleaning is essential.
• Wipe the mortar and pestle clean with a cloth or paper towel, then wash in warm water with a little soap.
• Rinse several times, then dry with a towel and place upside to drain any water that may be trapped in uneven surfaces like granite or lava stone.
• To remove any residual flavour grind uncooked white rice or coarse salt and dried bread in the mortar.
• A thin coating of mineral oil, which will not go rancid, can be applied to wooden mortars.
