5 Facts About Mortar And Pestles You Might Not Know

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Mortar and Pestle are not a beautiful but also a functional pair of tools to have in your kitchen, especially if you do
a lot of cooking with herbs and spices. But as you already know, I always want to know more about the tools I use, so I
decided to dig up some facts about this interesting contraption you might not have known before:

5 Things You May Not Know About Mortar And Pestles

1. Did you know in some places there were used for meat preparation? Large stone mortars with wood pestles were used in West Asia to grind meat for a type of meatloaf called kebbeh as well as a type of hummus called masabcha.

2.Here is a non-food use of the mortar and pestle: It is traditional in various Hindu ceremonies such as weddings and
upanayanam to use the mortar and pestle to crush turmeric.

3. Mortar and Pestles are a big part of Thai history: The Thai mortar and pestle dates back to the Sukhothai period which was the 1st Kingdom that was founded in 1238 A.D. and was used to grind foods and medicines.

4. the results of your grinding depend on the material of the mortar and pestle. I will get more into the details of that
in a moment.

5. The oldest mentioning of the mortar and pestle stems from Ancient Egypt, in a medical manuscript called the
Papyrus Ebers, which dates about 1550 BCE.

What are the best Mortar And Pestle material for which use?

Ceramic:
stains easily used to create powdered substances

Stone/Granite:
very heavy, durable and sturdy, look for a not so porous mortar for best use. Good for general cooking uses

Wood:
best for griding seeds and salts. Do not use with moisture. Never leave in water so it won’t warp. Delicate.

Porcelain:
Easy to clean, usually dishwasher safe, need salt in order to make grinding easier. General household use

Marble:
the heaviest of them all. Easy to clean, very sturdy, easiest to use. does not absorb odor.

 

Maxam Mortar and Pestle Available on Amazon now

I was recently given the chance to review the Maxam Marble Mortar and Pestle, and here are my thoughts:

My first impression was, that is was as heavy and beautiful as I expected from a marble piece. Of all Mortar and Pestles, I prefer marble as the material, as it is the most functional, as well as aesthetically pleasing, allowing me to leave  in full display, rather than hiding it in the cupboard somewhere. The Maxam Mortar and Pestle is not exception to that rule. With a large bowl,  it is  wonderful to use for the larger patches of spice mixes I tend to make, cutting my work time.  It is almost completely white, with the slight colors I also expect and love from marble. The pestle rests well in my hand and is well balanced, which makes working with this item easier and more convenient. Overall I am very happy with this item, which is available on Amazon at a very reasonable price.

Disclaimer: I was given the Maxam Mortar and Pestle for free in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Stay tuned for some more interesting facts about every day items, you might not have thought about before.

This post is a part of the following blog hops:

Weekend Blog Party

Wednesday Blog Hop

Inspire Me Wednesday

Too cute Tuesdays

Amaze Me Mondays

The Boot – A Flash Fiction

“The Boot” Vintage Design by Avalon Media
http://shrsl.com/?~8ptp

“Look what I found!”

Her voice was filled with such sweet excitement, that the older man could not hold back a smile. At one point he had dreaded to bring this young student with him to the site, not looking forward to the lack of knowledge an inexperienced person would surely bring along, but her enthusiasm made up for all of that and more. He reminded her of who he used to be, not too long before her arrival,  hoping to explore those hidden treasures, left by the civilizations before the Great War.

There was so much more to find, but the tedious work had taken his toll on him. So had the grim prospects of finding leftovers that showcased the detailed and widespread cruelty,  humankind had brought upon one another.
Her view was not tainted by such sights, not yet, and he hoped it would never come to that.

“What is it, Natasha?”, he answered, putting as much smile into his voice as its deepness allowed him to display.
“Behind that heavy broken thing you call furniture, I found this.”
She pointed at a faint painting, placed directly upon the aged wall and looked half questioning, half filled with pride.
“I have no idea, why anyone would use such a monstrously looking boot as a vase, yet in it’s strange composition it is quite pleasing, don’t you think?”
He glanced at the surprisingly well-preserved image in front of them and nodded softly. What alight-hearted, pleasing surprise, indeed.

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015

The above image “The Boot” is available as a framed art print on RedBubble. Thank you for your support.

Fate – A Flash Fiction

In my hands lays the power of fate, the fate of all in our society.
A move of my pen, and someone lives or dies, falls in love or will never find the connection they search for.
I did not ask for this job, just as much as those who’s lives I control did not ask for me to be in charge.
While some might enjoy this power, I abhor the role of the Seer.
Watching those whom used to be my friends play at the edge of the shore, I sit at my desk alone, grasping for the glimmer of hope, that one day, a new Seer would be chosen and my torture would end.

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2014

This post was inspired by the Flash Fiction prompt “Glimmer” and the writing challenge “Hindsight is 20-20”. 

 

Alexander (The Movie) – A Review

 

Movie: Alexander

Release Year: 2004

Director: Oliver Stone

Rating: 5/5 Stars

I have always been fascinated by Ancient History. It was my favorite subject in school, and is my favorite subject to teach. Out of this reason, and many others, I decided to watch Alexander, directed by Oliver Stone, in its extended cut version, today.

While of course this is a movie rather then a documentary, produced by an epic, and larger then life director, it is essentially the story of a great man. There are sure ways the execution of it could have been done better – rather then switching back and forth within the time line, it could have been done linear, but the care it showed for each individual character was superb. As a fan of Jared Leto, I was drawn to his performance, which was as I expected exceptional, as the best friend, and essentially true love of Alexander. Colin Farrell gave an charismatic, emotional and convincing performance, even if it was considered controversial, and I have a feeling not well received because of that. Glad, that I had only heard of a hint of the controversy about the movie and its main characters relationship with two males, to whom he was closer then any woman, I saw only the depth of their relationship, rather then the dissatisfaction that others have expressed about the film, because of it.
The fight scenes where epic and grant, nothing less is to be expected by an Oliver Stone project. Sometimes the gore was much, but war is not pretty, and should not be described as such, and back then it was even more personal and therefore more explicit. Maybe it also hinted on stereotypes when it expanded to include the people of Asia, but it is after all a movie from the view of a limited worldview, of the times of the beginning of exploration, rather then after it.

In all I really enjoyed the movie, I enjoyed the care of portrayal of each characters, the emotion, the visual execution, and its depth. Having one of my favorite actors, and musicians in its cast (Jared Leto), was the icing on the cake.