The traditional Mexican stone mortar and pestle used for grinding spices and making salsa is called a molcajete.
A molcajete is a bowl traditionally carved from porous basalt, accompanied by a matching hand-held grinder called a tejolote. Its rough volcanic surface is well suited to crushing chiles, garlic, spices, tomatoes, and herbs into textured salsas and guacamole. The tool can also be used as a serving vessel.
Molcajetes have roots in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica and were used by cultures including the Aztec and Maya. Archaeological examples show that the form has existed for several thousand years. Traditional versions are often round and supported by three short legs; some are decorated with animal-head carvings, especially pig heads in later designs.
A new basalt molcajete usually needs to be seasoned or “broken in” before cooking. Repeatedly grinding uncooked white rice helps remove loose stone particles. It is commonly confused with a metate, which is a larger, flatter stone tool used with a mano to grind maize and other foods. A comal, by contrast, is a griddle.