You're probably thinking that this can't be food-related, but in fact it is.
For the longest time, ancient Mesoamerican civilizations have used cacao as an important and integrative part of their daily lives.
To the Aztecs and Mayans, cacao is consumed for religious ceremonies and medicinal purposes.
This curious object is called molinillo [moh-lee-NEE-yoh].
It is a hand-carved Mexican wooden whisk that is used in the preparation of chocolate beverages.
More specifically, it is used to whip hot chocolate into a foamy concoction. Additionally, it can also be used to muddle fruits and herbs for cocktails.
To use it, you will need to do a little twist.
Hold the molinillo between the palms and rotate it by rubbing the palms together which in turn creates froth in the drink.
At this point, the molinillo whisks the hot chocolate ingredients inside a jarro, a special jug.
The design of the molinillo can be divided into two parts.
The first is a long handle with a ball or square at the end to make whisking easier while the rings at the end speeds up mixing.
Aesthetically-speaking, the older molinillos are more intricately designed than the newer ones.
Some may even feature colored detailing while others have ivory-like details.
