We are all quite aware of how the Americas were discovered and by whom. We know the Spanish, French, British, Scottish and Portuguese all made their marks on the indigenous cultures. Livestock was introduced to the continents, changing the entire diet of the Mesoamerican Indians, Mayans and Aztecs. Spirituality changed, architecture changed, the agriculture even changed. Surprisingly there were three little things that did not alter through the course of time and tumult of invasion: the metate, the molcajete and the molinillo.
The indigenous peoples of South and Central America had already been using grains and seeds for cooking for hundreds of years, so they knew the best way to grind them up. That was the metate, a type of mortar. Examples of the metate or mealing stone have been found by archeologists all over the globe, but in what is now Mexico it was one thing the Spanish did not take away or change. It was too useful, too efficient and too easily found in the natural environment.
A metate can be any hard, flat stone surface usually at least a foot wide and a couple of feet long. It is accompanied by a long cylindrical stone, although a hand-sized graspable flat rock can also be used. Calcified maize, nuts, grain or seeds are placed on the flat surface and the hand held stone is pushed or rolled on top of the grains to crush them. Some metates have a shallow bowl hollowed out at one end of the flat surface to catch the 'flour' once it is ground.
Similar to the metate is its relative, the molcajete. Some speculate the molcajete is the evolution of the metate into a bowl shape, others think it was simply the mobile version. In any case, the molcajete is a stone bowl on three legs accompanied by a tejolote. It is very like the well-known mortar and pestle, but usually made from volcanic rock. In Mexico the molcajete is usually used for making salsa or guacamole, and sometimes even for serving hot dishes as the volcanic rock is very good for holding heat.
The final traditional cooking tool that has stayed authentic through the centuries is the molinillo, or whisk. Made from wood, the whisk end is carved in graduated disks with the final end disk having pointed teeth. The molinillo is used for preparing hot beverages such as atole and champurrado. Holding the handle between the palms with the whisk end in the beverage, one rubs the palms together to rotate the molinillo which creates froth.
We often take for granted the items we used every day in preparing foods. Next time you eat out at a restaurant or visit Mexico, consider the tools used to prepare the meals and what their origin may be. It will certainly be a lesson in history and perhaps a bit of anthropology.
The indigenous peoples of South and Central America had already been using grains and seeds for cooking for hundreds of years, so they knew the best way to grind them up. That was the metate, a type of mortar. Examples of the metate or mealing stone have been found by archeologists all over the globe, but in what is now Mexico it was one thing the Spanish did not take away or change. It was too useful, too efficient and too easily found in the natural environment.
A metate can be any hard, flat stone surface usually at least a foot wide and a couple of feet long. It is accompanied by a long cylindrical stone, although a hand-sized graspable flat rock can also be used. Calcified maize, nuts, grain or seeds are placed on the flat surface and the hand held stone is pushed or rolled on top of the grains to crush them. Some metates have a shallow bowl hollowed out at one end of the flat surface to catch the 'flour' once it is ground.
Similar to the metate is its relative, the molcajete. Some speculate the molcajete is the evolution of the metate into a bowl shape, others think it was simply the mobile version. In any case, the molcajete is a stone bowl on three legs accompanied by a tejolote. It is very like the well-known mortar and pestle, but usually made from volcanic rock. In Mexico the molcajete is usually used for making salsa or guacamole, and sometimes even for serving hot dishes as the volcanic rock is very good for holding heat.
The final traditional cooking tool that has stayed authentic through the centuries is the molinillo, or whisk. Made from wood, the whisk end is carved in graduated disks with the final end disk having pointed teeth. The molinillo is used for preparing hot beverages such as atole and champurrado. Holding the handle between the palms with the whisk end in the beverage, one rubs the palms together to rotate the molinillo which creates froth.
We often take for granted the items we used every day in preparing foods. Next time you eat out at a restaurant or visit Mexico, consider the tools used to prepare the meals and what their origin may be. It will certainly be a lesson in history and perhaps a bit of anthropology.
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