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A ''mezzaluna'' (; ) is a
A ''mezzaluna'' (; ) is a knife
A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evid ...
consisting of one or more curved blades with a handle on each end, which is rocked back and forth chopping the ingredients below with each movement. They most commonly have a single blade, but are sometimes seen with two or three blades.
It is typically used for mincing herbs or garlic, but it can be used for chopping other things such as cheese or meat. Very large single blade versions are sometimes used for pizza
Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, on ...
. Common uses in Italy include preparation of a soffritto or a pesto, etc.
Name
Mezzaluna means "halfmoon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
" in Italian, after the curved shape of the blade, and is the most common name used in the UK. Other names used include herb chopper, ''hachoir'' (from French) and ''hokmesser'' (from Yiddish).
Cutting board
Mezzalunas may be found sold with a cutting board that has a shallow indentation in it, marketed as a herb chopper.See also
* Kitchen utensil * Tumi *Ulu
An ulu ( iu, ᐅᓗ, plural: ''uluit'', 'woman's knife') is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit, Iñupiat, Yupik, and Aleut women. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a child's hair, cu ...
* Drawknife, a type of knife with two handles
References