The Caveman-Era Mortar And Pestle Finally Gets A New Look
Multifunctional and endearingly low-tech, the mortar and pestle definitely gets points for longetivity (it's one of the oldest-used kitchen tools, dating as far back as the time of the Egyptians). Less impressive is how much the grinder and bowl combo still looks straight out of the stone age.
Like the basic wooden spoon, this simple tool for crushing, grinding, husking and dehulling has never required much by way of performance enhancements, however its antiquated, heavy shape, usually fashioned from stone or ceramic, has been well overdue for a design upgrade. And Toronto-based designer Tahir Mahmood is already on it.
Mahmood, an artist, designer, and creative director who won the Canadian Design Exchange Award in 2010 for his "Chattoo Watta" mortar and pestle, blends clean, modernist lines informed by the German Bauhaus movment with the ornate curves and flourishes of 16th-century Indian architecture. The result? A colorfully distinct collection of new-school mortar and pestle sets. Every style, from the sleek brass and rosewood "Gutta" to the bright, yellow resin–covered "Jeth," boasts a sprightly look that may just have you reconsidering that center shelf space currently occupied by your standard-looking food processor. See some of Mahmood's offerings (available for sale on his website, starting at $110), below:
Tool for the modern cook: Mahmood's "Gutta" design is a refreshingly contemporary take on this basic manual tool.[/caption]
