The Mortar & Pestle

A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances (trituration). The pestle is a heavy bat-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, marble, clay, or stone. The substance to be ground is placed in the mortar and ground, crushed or mixed with the pestle.

It is used as medical as traditionally used in pharmacies to crush various ingredients prior to preparing an extemporaneous prescription. For pharmaceutical use, the mortar and the head of the pestle are usually made of porcelain, while the handle of the pestle is made of wood. This is known as a Wedgwood mortar and pestle and originated in 1779. It can be used as drug paraphernalia to grind up pills to speed up absorption when they are ingested, or in preparation for insufflation.

It also can be used in cooking to prepare ingredients as well as grinding spices into powder. Mortar and pestle is used in Mexican cooking. Native American use mortar carved into bedrock to grind acorns and other nuts. Japan use with wooden mallets to prepare mochi. Granite mortars and pestles mostly used in Southeast Asia as well as Pakistan and India. India use extensively to make spices mixtures for various delicacies as well as day to day dishes. It also traditionally used in various Hindu ceremony including weddings. Malay called it as lesung and use it to grind meat for a type of meatloaf or kibbeh as well as the hummus variety known as masabcha. But, now days the uses of mortal and pestle have decreases because people nowadays uses motorized grinders because it it faster for them to crush and grind the materials to be used for cooking. Thai called it as kruk and use it to make pestos, spice rubs, tapenades and vinaigrettes.

Mortar and pestle can be seen in many form. Rough ceramic mortars can be used to reduce substances to very fine powders. Porcelain mortars use for grinding some sand to reduce the particle size. Glass mortars are fragile and suitable for liquid. Wood mortars use to grinding salt and pepper and sometimes uncooked rice. Metal mortars are kept lightly oiled. There are even mortars made up of marble, stone, bamboo, iron, steel, brass and basalt.


My Mind Map Of Mortar & Pestle
First I managed to make a mind map about mortar and pestle in a piece of an A4 paper but then I created a new mind map by using Adobe Illustrator CS4 by myself so that it will be more neatly and looking good compare with one I have done on the paper. The picture below shows my own Mind Map of Mortar & Pestle.

3 Creativity Ideas Of Uses Of Mortar & Pestle In The Future
Mortar and pestle are commonly use for medical and cooking. But, creative people will use mortar and pestle for other things which have never been thought or done before. Based on my view and ideas of mortar and pestle after understanding about it form many sources, I have come up with 3 awesome ideas which are logic and possible for us to do in future. So, I have express my ideas in a form of drawing in A3 paper. I have capture the image of the drawing paper using my mobile phone. The picture below describe about my 3 fabulous ideas which is a possibility for us to do.

The 1st picture is about the mortar and pestle which can be use as a "Rescue Tool". The pestle have to be connected to the mortar by a thick rope. If a small or not heavy animal like kitten or puppy is drown into the big drain or river, we can use the modified mortar and pestle to rescue the animal. The pestle role is to pull the mortar and the mortar function is to hold or support the animal which is shown in the picture.


The 2nd picture is about the mortar and pestle which can be use as a "Music Tool". The pestle function is to produce sound by hitting it at the mortar. The mortar can be as same role as a dram. So, this modified mortar and pestle can be use as a new music instrument to compose a music or music background or even sound effects.


The 3rd picture is about the mortar and pestle which can be use as a "Game Tool". A ball must be place at a stick and it must be stable and both side must be equal even though one of the side have the ball and another side don't have. After that, the player must hit the end of the stick which don't have the ball by using the pestle. Then, after hitting it, the ball will jump to the air and fall to the ground. If the ball fall down into the mortar, it means that the player wins and able to earn points like how we play golf and other games. The pestle is used to hit the stick while the mortar is used to catch the falling ball. It is almost like a golf game but with different style and ways plus technique.


Avatar
We were asked to draw our partner's face and write about our partner's bio in a form of mind map. I have drawn my partner's face and wrote my partner's bio by using Adobe Illustrator CS4 which were shown below;

This is my partner. Her name is Dhivanhi.