I am from West Africa more precisely in Dakar, Senegal where pestle and mortar are a must in each household. Mortar and pestles have been used since ancient times to prepare ingredients by crushing and grinding them into a fine paste or powder in the kitchen.  In Senegal, the mortar and pestle usually originates from a mango tree. But it is more than just a kitchen appliance. The mortar and pestle is considered sacred in many African countries. Coming back to how the pestle and the mortar represents me, well this object is connected to my tradition, culture and my identity all at once, simply due to the fact that I am a Senegalese girl, where back home we all use pestle and mortar in households to finest our cooking. It is important to me because I use it all the time when I cook to grind my condiments. Even though I currently live in The U.S which is a developed country where we have blenders… I still try to stick to my roots by using the pestle and mortar even though it makes a lot of noise, on the other hand, everywhere in Africa the sound of this object lets people know that cooking has begun. Last but not least, in Africa, pestle & mortar will forever play a major role in our culture, hoping that these upcoming generations won’t be fooled by new technologies leaving behind their unique tradition.

– B.K

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant