''Suribachi'' (, lit. "grinding-bowl") and ''surikogi'' (, lit. "grind-powder-wood") are a

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

mortar and pestle A mortar and pestle is a set of two simple tools used to prepare ingredients or substances by compression (physics), crushing and shear force, grinding them into a fine Paste (rheology), paste or powder in the kitchen, laboratory, and pharmacy. ...

. These mortars are used in Japanese cooking to crush different ingredients such as

sesame seed Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for it ...

Form

The ''suribachi'' is a

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

bowl A bowl is a typically round dish or container generally used for preparing, serving, storing, or consuming food. The interior of a bowl is characteristically shaped like a spherical cap, with the edges and the bottom, forming a seamless curve ...

, glazed on the outside and with a rough pattern called ''kushi-no-me'' on the unglazed inside. This surface is somewhat similar to the surface of the ''

oroshigane , also known as , are graters used in Japanese cooking. differ significantly from Western-style graters, as they produce a much finer grating. Traditionally, these graters were tin-coated copper plates with many small spikes gouged out of t ...

'' (grater). The ''surikogi'' pestle is made from wood to avoid excessive wear on the ''suribachi''. Traditionally, the wood from the sanshō tree (Japanese prickly ash) was used, which adds a slight flavor to the

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

, although nowadays other woods are more common. The bowls have a diameter from 10 to 30 centimeters (3.9 to 11.8 inches).

Use

To use the ''suribachi'' the bowl is set on a non-slip surface, such as a rubber mat or a damp towel, and the ''surikogi'' is used to grind the material. Recently, plastic versions of the ''suribachi'' have also become popular, but they have a much shorter life-span.

History

The ''suribachi'' and ''surikogi'' arrived in Japan from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

around A.D. 1000. The mortar was first used for medicine, and only later for food products. A larger sized Japanese mortar used to pound

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

is an '' usu'' with a pestle called ''kine.''

In culture

The highest mountain on

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

Mount Suribachi is a -high hill on the southwest end of Iwo Jima in the northwest Pacific Ocean under the administration of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. The hill's name derives from its shape, resembling a '' suribachi'' or grinding bowl. ...

, was named after this

kitchen A kitchen is a room (architecture), room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a Kitchen stove, stove, a sink ...

device.

References

External links

{{Japanese food and drink Food grinding tools Japanese food preparation utensils Japanese pottery

Form

Use

History

In culture

See also

References

External links