More on How to Buy a Simple Grindstone (Metate)
Grindstones made in the town of Comonfort, state of Guanajuato, Mexico. Left to right, one for spices, one for corn, and one troughed for chocolate
The commonest question I have in my contact section is “How can I buy a Mexican grindstone (metate) or mortar and pestle (molcajete) in the United States?” Clearly I have readers who love trying out culinary tools that are new to them.
Thus I was delighted to get this letter from Michael Nguyen about his smart way of tracking down a simple grindstone (metate) in the United States.
Hi, Rachel! I’ve been referring to your article about buying metates and wanted to provide a couple tips that might be useful for readers.
I’ve been wanting to obtain a metate for a while, and I thought I could only get one by going to Mexico or Texas.
As luck would have it, I asked my local (I’m located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast) Mexican grocer about possibly getting one locally, and she replied that her store could obtain one for me. The store is part of a chain (La Michoacana).
I didn’t have high hopes for a quality one, and I expected it to be the trough-style (raised edges) metate, which I was avoiding, but my order came in yesterday, and the metate is very nice! Non-trough with a two-handed mano that’s wider than the porous metate. And it was nicely priced too (although that could have been my grocer pricing it at or near the distributor price as I don’t think the store has ever sold a metate, and she was shocked when I told her how much they go for on the Web).
I checked the label of the distributor, and they’re called El Mestizo La Mejor. They have locations in Chicago and Atlanta. No useful website to order from, but perhaps the metates could be ordered through phone.
I’d recommend asking a local Mexican grocer to see if he or she could order one or point one in the right direction. Barring that, perhaps the distributor mentioned above would be helpful to potential metate buyers.
In terms of judging quality, if you are thinking about buying a Mexican grindstone (metate), you might also look at the hints my post on buying a Mexican mortar and pestle (molcajete).
Thanks Michael.
