How to polish a molcajete?
How to polish a molcajete?
To watch a video, click on the image below:
Molcajetes are ancient stone mortars, usually volcanic stone (basalt), used for more than 3000 years ago in Mexico and Mesoamerica.
When molcajetes are made of volcanic stone, its surface is very rough and should be tamed or cured and subsequently polished; to help the mortar ground to be more homogeneous and to close its pores, preventing stone permeability and preparation fluid loss.
To polish a molcajete, you must follow this procedure:
Wash with water and wait for it to dry in the sun.
Choose hard seeds or hard grains, such as rice.
Once the molcajete is dry, pestle the rice seeds to a fine powder. You should make circular movements, pressing from the center outwards; trying to fill the pores.
Rewash the molcajete with water, and allowed to dry in the sun again.
Repeat the procedure: Once the molcajete is dry, pestle the rice seeds to a fine powder.
Rinse with water and let dry in the sun.
To “cure” the molcajete:
Put 5 cloves of garlic and coarse salt, and pestle from the center to the edge. Let stand the resulting garlic paste for half an hour and pestle again the mixture of garlic and salt.
Finally, rinse with water and let dry in the sun.
To watch a video, click on the image above or here: