If you are a repeat visitor to Cozumel then that means that there is something bringing you back again and again. There could be many great and valid reasons that you love and continue to visit Cozumel. Here at Discover Mexico Cozumel we hope that you are in love with Cozumel but also with our Native Mexican Culture. So due to our love for our culture we want to present you all to a very common item found in many homes everywhere in Mexico. So today we are talking about the Molcajete.
All about the Molcajete Bowl
The tejolote and molcajete play an important role in Mexican culture. These are antique Mexican kitchen utensils that represent the pestle and mortar. The kitchen utensil is extremely useful when you have to grind different types of foods like plant leaves and grains. Most Mexican spices are smashed using the molcajete. According to experienced chefs, this gives Mexican dishes a unique, authentic flavor and taste. When compared against many other kitchen utensils that are meant for blending, chopping and dicing, the molcajete is different and special.
The Beginning of Molcajete Bowls
One would be astonished to note that the molcajete has a history that dates back by thousands of years. To be more precise, the cooking utensil’s name is derived from Nahuatl words that were once spoken by ancient Mexicans. This proves the role played by molcajetes in Mexican cuisine and culture.
The molcajete is one of the very few kitchen utensils made of volcanic rock. The utensil has a very rough surface that makes it ideal for blending and grinding spices of different flavors. Apart from being a tool for blending and grinding, you can use the molcajete to serve dishes too. That makes the unique kitchen utensil a multi tasker!
The Knack in Using Molcajete Bowls
It is quite interesting to note that many Mexican restaurants specialize in preparing dishes using the molcajete. These restaurants use the kitchen utensil with lots of care and concern. For example, the molcajete is neatly filled to the brim and transformed into many scrumptious molcajete specials. This dish is ideal for preparing different varieties of seafood, beef, sauces, pork, shrimp, cheeses, chicken, cured meats and chorizo. Apart from handpicked meat varieties, the molcajete dishes are made of tomatoes, onions and napoles (cactus leaves). In the Molcajete restaurants you will be able to choose fresh tortillas and ingredients from the stone dish. These ingredients are neatly rolled into the tortillas and served. Of course, it would be a delight to see how the dish is prepared and served in its purest and most authentic form.
Serving in Style, Serving with Taste
Food from the molcajete bowl can be heated in a steaming hot oven. Moving on, the warm dishes are placed on traditional wooden trivets and served heartfully. Food on the wooden trivet stays fresh for a very long time. This is because molcajete bowls are designed to retain heat.
Well there you have some more information about the molcajete. They make for great souvenirs however if you want to take one back with you make sure you have plenty of space in your suitcase because they can be a little on the heavy side. So come find more Cultural Tours in Cozumel and your very own Molcajete on your next trip to Cozumel!