By Porter Lang
Start with the labels, because that is where the trouble begins. A molcajete is the bowl; the tejolote is the hand-held grinder that goes with it. Wikipedia says both words come from Nahuatl, and that the pair is the traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle, used for grinding spices and making salsas and guacamole.
What a real one is made of
Wikipedia states it plainly: although true molcajetes are made of basalt, imitations are sometimes made of a mixture of pressed concrete and volcanic rock particles. It describes the traditional piece as carved from a single block of vesicular basalt, usually round and supported by three short legs, with a tejolote of the same stone. Vesicular means full of tiny bubbles, and that matters later, because those bubbles are the whole point of the tool.
A cooking blog, My Slice of Mexico, adds a reading tip about the wording on a listing or label. It says “carved from volcanic rock” suggests a single carved block, while “made with volcanic rock” often means molded gravel and cement. The blog treats this as a hint, not a rule.
The tests, and where they disagree
The same blog offers several checks. Color alone settles nothing, it says, because volcanic basalt runs from black to many shades of grey, and grey pieces are common in Estado de México, where it says black rock is becoming scarce. A key or coin run over the surface will scratch cement easily and may leave a chemical smell, while volcanic rock has a mineral, sometimes sulphur-like scent. Cement pieces look very smooth with uniform pores; volcanic ones have irregular pores, slight asymmetry and visible mineral flecks such as feldspar. The blog also says to be wary of stacks of identical pieces.
Another blog, Cocina Xicana, gives a different test. It says to give the molcajete a quick grind: if it releases a lot of powder, it may be cement. It says cement molcajetes are for decoration only. We show both tests and do not rank them. They are blog advice, not laboratory methods, and neither blog says how often its test is right.
Why it needs curing
Wikipedia says a new basalt molcajete needs to be broken in because small grains of basalt may come loose and make the first dishes gritty. Its simple method is to grind uncooked white rice in the bowl, a handful at a time, until the rice flour shows no visible grains of basalt. Some rice flour may stay in the surface, it says, and that causes no problems.
Cocina Xicana lays out a longer routine. In its steps you soak the bowl face down and the tejolote in water for three to five hours, scrub, rinse, and let them dry. Then you grind rice to a coarse powder and discard it, add a few dry beans or maize kernels and repeat, grind equal parts rice and coarse salt until the powder is bright white (about three rounds), grind rice with a little water until the liquid is no longer grey, and finally grind garlic cloves one at a time. It says to re-season a couple of times a year.
My Slice of Mexico describes a middle path: wash with water and a brush, set the bowl on a damp non-slip cloth, grind raw rice or dry corn with a little water, scrape out the paste, and repeat, with the author doing four rounds, until the rice looks powdery and white with few black speckles. Seasoning with herbs, spices or garlic is optional in that version, and the author did not use salt.
Side by side
- Wikipedia: rice only, until the flour is clean of basalt grains.
- My Slice of Mexico: rice or corn, with a little water, several rounds; garlic and spices optional.
- Cocina Xicana: soak, rice, beans or maize, rice and salt, rice and water, then garlic.
On soap, the guides do not match either. Cocina Xicana uses soap and water in its first and last steps but says to rinse with water only in the middle one. My Slice of Mexico says to rinse until the water runs clear and air dry. We repeat what they say and make no care recommendation of our own.
What the stone does for you
Wikipedia says the rough basalt surface maintains itself over time as the tiny bubbles are ground down, exposing fresh texture. It also says that because porous basalt cannot be fully cleaned and sanitized, molcajetes are known to season, much like cast iron skillets, transferring flavors from one preparation to another. It adds that salsas made in a molcajete are known for a distinctive texture and a subtle difference in flavor from blender versions. Cocina Xicana says a well-seasoned molcajete should hold water without seeping, and if the level drops, it is too porous and needs more rice and beans ground into it.
Heat and decoration
Wikipedia says a molcajete may be heated over an open fire or hot coals and used to heat food placed in it. Because of its thermal mass, it says, a stew can still be bubbling half an hour after serving. It also says many are carved with an animal head on the rim, and that since the arrival of Europeans the pig is the most common. The pig-head design, it notes, is popular in the taquerías of Mexico City.
Where they come from
My Slice of Mexico names Estado de México as a main crafting region for both black and grey molcajetes. Cocina Xicana says they are traditionally made in central Mexico near volcanic fields, naming Michoacán, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Puebla and Mexico City. We found no source that ties a named workshop to these claims, so we name none.
Questions a buyer would ask
- Can color prove it is basalt? According to My Slice of Mexico, no: basalt ranges from black to many shades of grey.
- Should I use a cement one for food? Cocina Xicana says no; it calls cement molcajetes decorative only.
- Is there one correct curing method? Not in these sources. Wikipedia, My Slice of Mexico and Cocina Xicana each give a different one.
What kind of sources these are
Wikipedia (open encyclopedia, one article); My Slice of Mexico (a food blog); Cocina Xicana (a food blog). No museum or trade body page on molcajete authentication turned up, so all the buying tests above are blogger advice.
What we left out
We left out prices, sizes, weights, brand names and the pre-Hispanic history, which the sources treat only briefly. We also left out sanitation claims, since we found no source that tests them.
Quick answers
- What is a real molcajete made of? According to Wikipedia, true molcajetes are made of basalt; imitations are sometimes pressed concrete mixed with volcanic rock particles.
- How do you cure a new molcajete? Wikipedia says to grind uncooked white rice until the flour shows no visible basalt grains; Cocina Xicana’s longer routine adds beans, salt and garlic.
- How can you tell cement from stone? My Slice of Mexico says cement scratches easily with a key and looks smooth with uniform pores; Cocina Xicana says it sheds a lot of powder when ground.
Related on this site: morelia-michoacan-pink-stone-historic-centre, canela-mexican-cinnamon-ceylon-versus-cassia, agua-de-jamaica-hibiscus-mexico-origins
Roam first. Shop later.