Molcajete Box

There’s a reason every household in Mexico has a molcajete, and your grandmother would swear upon her life that a salsa made in a molcajete is better than one made in a blender. It’s the original blender and food processor, a kitchen staple from the beginning of cooking with fire and preparing food. It’s how the Aztec turned corn into masa and masa into a tortilla. How cacao became chocolate. How dried chiles became salsa and mole. It’s rustic, simple, and works!

Molcajete comes from the Nahuatl word molcaxitl, a combination of the words molli (seasoning/sauce), and caxitl (box/bowl). It along with the tejolote, the hand-held part you crush and grind with, is used to grind whole spices, dried chiles, fresh herbs, and much more. Your Molcajete MyCajita comes with some fresh, whole, spices so you can get started on some delicious food. Use the classic metal lemon squeezer to make the best guacamole and salsa’s ever! We’ve also included a traditional, natural, escobeta de raiz (hand held brush) to help keep your molcajete clean. So, let’s get the party started. It’s time to machucar and grind up some delicious sabores of Mexico!

 

 

 

 

 What’s in the box:

• (1) Molcajete and Tejolote (Stone Pestle)
  • 8 in x 7 in
• (1) Exprimador de Limon (Lemon Squeezer)
  • 7 in
• (1) Escobeta de Raiz (Hand Held Brush)
• (1) Whole Peppercorn Packet
• (1) Cumin seeds Packet
• (1) Annatto seeds Packet

 

Molcajete and Tejolote (Stone Pestle)

The pieces are made from volcanic rock from the sierra’s outside of Puebla, Mexico. Every morning, los Canteros, artisans who carve rock, wake up at 6 am and head up the nearby sierras with their burro (donkey) to find and excavate 10 rocks to carve that day. Why 10? Because that’s the weight, the donkey can safely carry down in one haul. By 11 am the Cantero and his burro are back home and that’s when the work really starts. They used to carve them by hand, but they were only able to make 4-5 a day that way. With modern tools, they can now carve 8-10 molcajetes a day. The town is busy by noon, you can hear high powered saws buzzing from all corners of the pueblo. This is how the town makes its living. Your molcajete is handmade, from using pick and shovel to break the rock from the mountain, to the Cantero’s masterful hammer, chisel, and saw. No two pieces are alike. They measure approx. 8” across and 7” tall.

 

  

  

 

Exprimador de Limon (Lemon Squeezer)

If you’ve ever stepped foot in Mexico, you’ve been introduced to this kitchen and cantina staple. It’s not pretty. There’s no design or ergonomic handle. But it will squeeze every last drop of lemon/lime that there is, into whatever it is you’re making. Guacamole, Michelada, Margarita, Limonada, and on and on. Made of casted steel and measures 7”.

 

 

 

Escobeta de Raiz (Hand Held Brush)

From its humble roots in Michoacán and Guerero, the Zacaton plant is grown and harvested to make this iconic brush. The wild grass has strong and deep roots, hence their use in brushes and brooms. Once dried, the roots are bundled and used to help clean the comal and the molcajete for the following meal.

 

Whole Spice Packets

Grinding your spices fresh preserves their flavors and essential oils. We wanted to get you started with some fresh whole spices for you to kick off your Mexican feast. Whole peppercorns, cumin seeds, and annatto seeds are the basics to many Mexican meals. Enjoy!

 

Artisans: Oscar Rojas & Israel Rojas

Learn more about Oscar & Israel, also view a short clip of them creating a beautiful molcajete.

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