My object is a Pilon. In English it is known as a garlic crusher. This object is important to me because it has been in my family for almost 100 years from Bayamon, Puerto Rico. I believe it was originally my great grandmothers and it was passed down from my grandma to my mom and eventually will be mine. A Pilon is a Puerto Rican piece of cooking equipment known for making various kinds of dishes.The Pilon is a wooden cup sort of thing and a wooden smasher along with it. Its main purpose is to smash garlic and to create traditional sauces. But there are many other things you can use the Pilon for, like making mofongo. The Pilon smells like garlic from it, well smashing garlic for almost 100 years. It feels greasy or oily and it seems like it's a layer of protection in a way. At the foot of the Pilon it is slightly broken on. I do not know who, what, when, where or how it broke but it's been like that for as long as I have been alive. The pilon is also originally from Puerto Rico but other countries such as Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba and other Caribbean countries. Some recipes you can make with the pilon are Mofongo, Mangu and Sofrito. The Pilon symbolizes cultural heritage, is used for crushing garlic and spices, has indigenous Taíno roots, and is often sold as a souvenir near the popular hiking spot Charco El Pilon.

– Quinn

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more