The advance of industrialization changed the way our great, great, grandmothers used to cook. The electricity also made that the long hours spent in the kitchen were reduced drastically thanks to the invention of new kitchen appliances.
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The food industry created new food buying habits, and all those changes made some traditional cooking items end up as ornaments or in museums. Here are some of those Mexican Cooking Utensils that few people will ever think of buying and that others will display them as antiques. As for me, these items still have a use in my kitchen.
Mexican Cooking Utensils
The Metate ( Náhuatl: Metlatl)
It is a rectangular shaped stone with three legs used to finely grind the nixtamalized corn to make tortillas or atole, It is also used to grind seeds or dry peppers and spices. It has an inclination to one end. Like the more popular Molcajete, it is made out of black or dark gray porous basalt volcanic stone.
When the Metate is used the woman will face the higher end of the stone, and she will be kneeling on the floor. At the other end of the metate, she will place a wooden or clay tray where the finished product was placed. The Metate is used with the Metate Stone or Hand Metate. The Náhuatl name is "Metlapil"; Metate’s son.
This stone has tapered ends and is used to grind the grains against the Metate's surface. With the introduction of industrialization many years ago and many products ready to use in the markets, the Metate is hardly used even in rural areas. Funny thing is that even in the early 1940’s a Metate was considered as an excellent gift for a newlywed woman, now it will be a more sophisticated Kitchen Aid, I guess.
Molinillo de Chocolate or Chocolate Frother
In México we had so many varieties of drinking chocolate as you can see in this picture, but outside the country, the "Abuelita" and "Ibarra" brands are the ones commonly found. Drinking a cup of chocolate with a thick layer of foam is one of our pleasures. In Pre-Hispanic times it was a symbol of hospitality and wealth. Before the Spaniards arrived in America, the natives created the foam using 2 small gourd cups, pouring from the top of one another, repeating this process until the desired foam was formed.
The Molinillo we used today was created around the 1700’s in Colonial times and is made up of a single piece of turned wood, the lower part has two rings around a striate and hollow sphere. The Molinillo is used by rubbing the palms of your hands together. The foam will form with the twisting motion of your hands.
Spaniards loved chocolate so much that later on, they started serving it in Spain as Hot Chocolate.
The Molcajete
A word that comes from Molcaxitl, which means bowl for salsa, from the Náhuatl mulli, like a mole, salsa and Caxitlán for bowl, is the mortar of México, dating back several thousand of years ago. El Molcajete is made from a volcanic stone carved in one piece, with a hand stone used for grinding, called temachín or tejolote from the Náhuatl words : tetl, and xolouia meaning stone that is used for crushing or grinding.
Isn't it amazing that we use a tool that was used since Pre Hispanic times? Because it is so handy in any Mexican home, having been invented 6000 years ago in Mesoamerica, the bowl with three legs has not changed much and for a Molcajete to get out of shape or get broken, well .... it will take many generations, in fact a Pre-Hispanic Molcajete and its pestle was found in tombs in Tehuacán Puebla, in perfect conditions.
The Molcajete is used to grind spices, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, etc. to make sauces and condiments.
It is said that a salsa or a guacamole made in a molcajete has a better flavor that one made in a blender, It is also used to serve the salsas and the famous guacamole. It is easily cleaned with a brush and water.
Comal
From the Nahuatl word “comalli”. It’s a basic cooking utensil in the Mexican kitchens. Griddles are not only used to cook or heat tortillas but also to toast seeds and roast peppers, almost every kitchen in Mexico has a comal. The Clay griddle is round shaped with an unglazed finish, it is very fragile and it needs to have a light coat of cal and water mix (Calcium Hydroxide). This type of griddle is used in rural areas in
Central Mexico and they were the standard griddles during the Pre-Hispanic time.
Nowadays, metal and non-stick griddles are popular on the market, some round others in an oval shape. This last one specially designed for the stoves that have a burner in the center to cook the tortillas. I have three griddles, the ones you see in the above picture; the clay one for thick tortillas, the long oval shaped for days when I have to make several tortillas and need a larger work surface, and finally the large nonstick round griddle for flour tortillas and crepes.
Mexican Cooking Utensils.
References: Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana, Gastronomía & Compañía and The Universal.
Hilda
Hi Mely. I came across your blog by accident and so glad I did. Do you know where in Dallas or a nearby town or city near D that I can buy a Metate? I saw one on offer up but looks damaged. I also saw one one the Walmart app and although it says it’s made of volcanic rock, I am still a bit leery. Any info would be greatly appreciated. I buy heirloom organic corn from macienda.com and also bought a manual grain mill bit does not seem to grain field dent corn well at all. Thanks for your help.
~Hilda C.
Mely Martínez
Hello Hilda,
Yes, in order to get a finer texture in the masa you need the final bringing using a metate.
Go to the Grand Prarie Flea Market, there are 3-2 vendors that sell Mexican cookware, including metates. Also, the Saver cost plus store in Irving, sometimes they have them too. And, if none of those work, check the Ancient cookware website. They ship to TX.
Kat
LOL ... you make me feel old. I still use metate and metlapil in my kitchen. It's more attractive than the kitchenaid and weighs about the same. Dark better than light colours -the light coloured ones "shed". And yeah. I own a good molcahete. But the stick blender usually wins unless the suegra is coming. Vitamix wins for grinding dry chiles and seeds. But for tortillas de nixtamal ... nothing beats the metate. And a good hot soak and some muscle rub. Ahhhhhh the things we do to keep the suegra happy 😂
Mely Martínez
Hello Kat,
You are right about the metate, it is the best thing to make a very fine and smooth "masa" to make tortillas.
John
Where can you find these Items to buy
Like bean smasher nd the others please reply
With address to store or site I remember the kitchen
Items like the ones you talk about thank you
mmartinez
Hello John,
Nowadays, most of these items can be found on Amazon. I wrote about it last December, you will find the links in that post.
Check this link: Gift Guide
margaret Gaeta
My husband showed me a cooking tool his mother had. She passed away and he kept it, because he remembered his mom having it. It was a metate so I googled it up and found your website. I have enjoyed reading it and I am going to use some of the recipes I found on Mexico in my Kitchen. I can picture my grandmother's mother using the metate. I remember my grandmother making tortillas all the time on her store. But I think the old fashion way on your knees using the metate would be much harder and strenuous and yet these women used it everyday. I'm glad I didn't make tortillas that way. LOL
Unknown
Thank you for helping me understand better the kitchen utensils I saw used in El Salvador. Que dios te bendiga!
From Wisconsin, United States
Mary
This was a great post. While I'm way too late for the contest, I found your blog by chance and just wanted you to know how interesting I found this entry. I'll check back often. Have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary
Mexico in my kitchen
Hello, Nichole
We still use this kitchen equipment. Specially in rural areas or cooking aficionados. The one in the picture is the one I use at home.
Saludos,
Mely
Nichole
We have one like the Metate but it's made of wood instead of rocks. The Metate is so unique and such a wonderful work of art. Do Mexican still uses them today?
Now Serving
This is a wonderful post - These look a lot like our Indian dry and wet grinders - these were the kind of kitchen gizmos we grew up up and I actually saw the transition happen as I grew up and now I go back to India and these are like antique and cost as much because no one makes them any more and it has been a fashion statement to own these, forget using them!
Lovely memories brought back - Mucho Gracias for that 🙂
Irish
Very informative. I love seeing the tools used to make traditional dishes. Thank you for taking the time to post this.
Lana
Mely, thanks so much on sending me info on preparing the molcajete. Now I am looking forward even more to preparing Latin American food:)
Sonia
Hola...This is one of the finest idea to reconnect the present generation with the past cooking techniques. The contemporary hi tech kitchen gadgets just cannot replace the authentic aroma and flavor of the food which comes from the traditional molcajete. My white stone mortar and pestle is so dear to me and makes my dish a huge success, always. So I would certainly vouch for the umpteen benefits of the traditional devices used by our mothers and grannies.
Its a superb idea to get it as a giveaway and that too made in Mexico, can have the best homemade goucomole in the world !!!
Anita
Very interesting and lovely pictures. We love to make homemade salsa, but do use the blender.
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