Grain mortar

Traditional Mossi mortar (province of..., Burkina Faso)

The mortar is a double-use instrument. First, it is used to separate the grain from the bran using a pestle, in a process that lasts between 4 and 5 hours. Later, the same mortar will be used to reduce millet, sorghum or any other cereal grains to semolina or flour, after beating it for three hours.
There is no doubt: its origin is Neolithic and today it is a widely used instrument in Africa south of the Sahara (north of the desert it is replaced by the hand mortar, while the Tuareg use both grinding methods).
The one we offer at Black Market is a large Mossi mortar, carved from dense wood and which can be distinguished from those used by Fulanis and Tuaregs, by maintaining brutalist manners, with no other decoration than the partial hollowing of the base.

Height: 63 cm; Diameter: 42 cm; Weight: 38 Kg