Where Does Pestle Come From?

A pestle is one of the instruments that make up the tool known as the mortar and pestle. It is a club shaped device or a tool that is held in the hand for grinding and mashing things kept within a bowl shaped mortar. The word pestle comes from the Middle English word "pestel" and was in turn taken from the Old French which derived it from the Latin word "pistillum".

The classic Latin word "pistillum" translated to "pounder", which was basically its function. The combination of the Mortar and Pestle were also used in medicine. Origins of its use are not clear but due to its simplicity it was probably used as one of the earliest tool that man devised. In Thai cookery tradition it is stated to date back to the thirteenth century.