Oso
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The Aztec Blender
The molcajete: an emblem of Mexican cuisine
NOTIMEX
Querétaro - Molcajetes, or mortars, that were once used to pestle sauces Aztec emperors and even the Conquistadors enjoyed, have endured over time and
continue to be a symbol of Mexican gastronomy.
Molcajetes have been used to prepare foods since pre-Hispanic times, although their use is currently under scrutiny in California, which has a large
Hispanic population, because health officials fear the porous nature of the volcanic rock or clay they are made from is unhygienic. This could be
connected to the recent salmonella outbreak in the United States.
Referring to Mexican restaurants, Mike Garcia, Health Supervisor in Riverside County, recently pointed to the dangers implicit in eating sauces made
in molcajetes.
"Because of their porous composition that does not guarantee a genuine and profound cleanliness, customers run the risk of suffering stomach
infections because of ingesting bacteria," Garcia said.
However, molcajetes are a basic cooking tool in Mexican indigenous communities and those who use them show they are true epicures, because, as the
saying goes, "there´s nothing better than a taco made with a freshly prepared tortilla with hot sauce made in a molcajete."
From codices and other documents, historians have ascertained that Emperor Moctezuma employed highly specialized cooks who were experts in preparing
delicacies they dressed with sauces from molcajetes.
Throughout history the molcajete has been significant in Mexican culture, to the degree that indigenous women first needed to learn the proper use of
this cooking utensil before they could get married.
So, even though the blender has taken over many tasks in modern-day kitchens, the mortar or molcajete continues to be key to Mexican cuisine.
Molcajetes today are also valued export handicraft items. The molcajete, with its three legs for stability, is used to make sauces, purees, moles and
other succulent blends or mixtures. The traditional molcajete comes with a fist-sized stone, called a tejolote, which is the pestle that serves to
grind or crush ingredients of whatever foods are made. The word "molcajete" comes from the Náhuatl language, and it is composed of two linguistic
roots: "molli" meaning sauce; and "caxitl," which is a "cajete," or bowl, receptacle or cavity, that is to say, the vessel in which sauce is made.
And the term "tejolote" comes from "tetl" which is stone, and "xolotl," which is a figurine or doll, that is to say, a figurine used to grind
materials.
The durability of molcajetes is impressive, since they can be handed down from generation to generation without suffering the least damage.
Blenders, to the contrary, are fragile, their blades become blunted, their jugs can break and when there´s no power, they´re literally useless.
It is not uncommon to find molcajetes that are more than 100 years old; though of course, they might show some signs of wear.
Before being used, a new molcajete must be cured. The curing process consists of washing it with kitchen soap and scouring it with a brush of natural
bristles until water, when washing the mortar out, flows clear.
Afterward, the tejolote is used to grind a hard grain such as rice or corn, which must be completely dry, in the molcajete, so that tiny bits of
volcanic rock break off the surface and tiny pores are sealed. The material that is left over, a kind of dirty flour, should be discarded, or it can
be used as chicken feed.
Don Juan Matías, a 70-year-old molcajete vendor in Querétaro, said his father taught him all about making molcajetes, including the first step which
is to find the right kind of rock, in the area of Jurica, and the final carving method.
Squatting on his knees, don Juan explained that his craft requires patience and luck; especially so that the piece of rock chosen does not crack
before the molcajete is completed. A steady hand is also needed, to carve evenly, and also good taste, since making molcajetes is artisan´s work, he
said.
Don Juan added that he makes from three to four molcajetes a day, and sells them for 20 pesos apiece at the General Pedro Escobedo market in
Querétaro.
écording to don Juan´s wife, doña Juana Rico, foods prepared in a molcajete have a very different taste from those made using blenders.
"All the properties of chilies, garlic and tomatoes stay in a sauce when it´s prepared in a molcajete, and that gives it a special taste," said the
woman, aged about 60.
Doña Juana said that selling molcajetes is still good business since Querétaro families preserve the 1,000-year-old tradition of preparing certain
foods in the original way.
"Sometimes foreigners come to the market for gorditas and quesadillas, and when they put hot sauce on what they´re eating, they ask how it is made,
and when they´re told that it was made using a molcajete, they buy one, or even two to take with them," she said.
écording to an Internet Web site on Mexican gastronomy, volcanic rock does not react chemically with ingredients that go in molcajetes, so foods do
not absorb any kind of taste from the material itself.
Also, the surface of the molcajete becomes impregnated with the remains of spices and condiments such as cinnamon, salt and garlic, and it is those
ingredients that give sauces a unique flavor - the "molcajete flavor."
-TRANSLATED BY ANGELA MOSCARELLA
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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shari
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Gracias for this post...I used my molcajete for many years when I lived in a tent in Scammons Lagoon...no power, no blender...the old man who picked
up garbage there would come to my camp to eat and I found it facinating that he could easily tell a salsa that had been made in a molcajete....he
loved my salsa because of that and was upset his wife had a blender and said the salsa tasted awful....like metal. I just washed it out with salt
water and left it in the sun to dry and it was fine.
Oh by the way....it makes DIVINE mojitos too!
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Udo
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Great history lesson on the MOLAJETE, OSO.
I helped an elderly lady in Fresno that makes fabulous tamales with new MOLCAJETE that I brought all the way from Ensenada. Her old one was passed
down through four generations, and showed major wear on the side that is next to your body where the pestle is used (if you know what I mean). I got
her one of the largest one I could find. She still uses the small one (about three cups in size) for making small batches of sauce.
I actually have and use two very large ones for some sauces, but they are used a lot for presentation of certain foods.
SHARI:
I love mojitos! I think that a mojito made with a MOLCAJETE would really look wild while making it.
Would you mind U2U me the procedure you use for the MOCAJETE MOJITO?
Catchy name, HUH?
I'll return the favor with my recipe that won second place at CALLE OCHO festival in Miami in 2003. The judges said I had a better tasting Mojito, but
got points deducted because I did not make it 100% in front of them. I had to pull some strings just to borrow some bar equipment from some chefs near
the festival.
Thanks!
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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oxxo
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| Quote: | Originally posted by shari
Oh by the way....it makes DIVINE mojitos too! |
Ohhhhh, Shari, you are a devil! We're going to have to spend a couple of nights at your place!
Salud!
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shari
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Hey Udo, you would probably win a mojito making contest if you made it in the molcajete!!! Ya start by grinding some sugar first, then add the fresh
mint from Juan's sisters garden...spearmint is best.....then add some water...then the booze...should probably strain it and serve over chipped
ice....delicioso and has gotten me into trouble more than once!!
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Udo
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AY...AYAYAYIIIII!!!
Thanks for SHARI-ing you recipe...
I'm going to try it this weekend. Tomorrow (Saturday) is our Mojito night, and I'll do some experimenting.
I'm very much a showman when entering food contests. Yes, food is a serious business for me, but I've almost won as many showmanship trophies as for
the food contests.
Check your U2's
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Cardon Man
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Man, this thread is digressing from the original subject but I can't help but to praise the Mojito also. What a fantastic c-cktail. Making one in a
molcajete is great spin on the tradition. Shari, udo, and other mojito fans...what is your favorite rum for mojito? I like 4 year, flor de Cana
"extra dry" white rum.
[Edited on 8-31-2008 by Cardon Man]
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bacquito
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Thanks for the history lesson on the molcajete Oso.
bacquito
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Paula
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Thanks Oso, interesting post!
Does anyone remember a few years back when American sanitation experts said to use plastic cutting boards because they were more sanitary than their
wooden counterparts? A short time later they discovered that plastic harbored all sorts of icky stuff, and wood seemed to have some mysterious
property that actually killed or neutralized harmful elements. We were instructed to use wooden boards, but never to wash them with soap so that
whatever the "substance" was we would not destroy it.
Because I have this great maple cutting board that was recycled from the dance floor of the Fillmore West, I wasn't about to change to plastic. I
just kept using my board and cleaning it with hot soapy water. But then, my cutting board probably has some magical properties not to be found in
just any old piece of wood. Perhaps the same is true of the molcajete I found in a dusty corner of a shop in Loreto.
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Udo
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cardon Man
Man, this thread is digressing from the original subject but I can't help but to praise the Mojito also. What a fantastic c-cktail. Making one in a
molcajete is great spin on the tradition. Shari, udo, and other mojito fans...what is your favorite rum for mojito? I like 4 year, flor de Cana
"extra dry" white rum.
[Edited on 8-31-2008 by Cardon Man] |
| Quote: | Unlike the margarita, where the tequila one uses doesn't really change the flavor much, small subtle changes in the Mojito make a huge difference. The
rum, as well makes a huge difference. I go along with the extra dry rum as being one of the best because it doesn't mask the fresh mint flavor.
I generally buy the best white rum available from either Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands. My second place mix did use some Cuban rum. But my best
rum that I use for distinguished visitors is my Fijian rum. Flavor & 180 proof! |
This could be considered a hijacked thread, but the whole thread is related to the original MOCAJETE story thanks to Shari and her Mojitos. There are
several U2's you are not aware of.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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