Creative Studies Blog: Mortar and Pestle

A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances. The pestle is a heavy bat-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, marble, clay, or stone. The substance to be ground is placed in the mortar and ground, crushed or mixed with the pestle.

It is used as medical as 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. This is known as a Wedgwood mortar and pestle and originated in 1779. It can be used as drug paraphernalia to grind up pills to speed up absorption when they are ingested, or in preparation for insufflation.

It also can be used in cooking to prepare ingredients as well as grinding spices into powder. Mortar and pestle is used in Mexican cooking. Native American use mortar carved into bedrock to grind acorns and other nuts. Japan use with wooden mallets to prepare mochi. Granite mortars and pestles mostly used in Southeast Asia as well as Pakistan and India. India use extensively to make spices mixtures for various delicacies as well as day to day dishes. It also traditionally used in various Hindu ceremony including weddings. Malay called it as lesung and use it to grind meat for a type of meatloaf or kibbeh as well as the hummus variety known as masabcha. But, now days the uses of mortal and pestle have decreases because people nowadays uses motorized grinders because it it faster for them to crush and grind the materials to be used for cooking. Thai called it as kruk and use it to make pestos, spice rubs, tapenades and vinaigrettes.