A marble mortar and pestle. Photo courtesy RSVP. Product information.

Says chef Johnny Gnall: “One of my favorite such examples is the mortar and pestle. This tool has been around so long that it is mentioned in the Old Testament and in papyrus scrolls from ancient Egypt dating back to 1550 B.C.E.

“You are likely to find a mortar and pestle in most professional kitchens today, as well as in the homes of many chefs. Grinding with a mortar and pestle allows you to combine ingredients in a way that no other tool does. In a food processor or blender, ingredients get moved by the spinning blade at the bottom of the machine. While the speed does help the ingredients to combine, there is still a blade chopping everything to smithereens.

”With a mortar and pestle, on the other hand, ingredients get mashed together, combining in a completely different way. The texture is different, the nuances are different, the ingredients are more clearly articulated.

“Granted, there are limits to what you can combine (dense, hard ingredients such as raw carrots probably won’t work without a lot of sweat). But in general, you are able to get results that no other tool will yield. In fact, in many traditional South American, Indian and Asian recipes, the procedure specifically calls for a mortar and pestle to combine spices and other ingredients.”

We find pesto made in a mortar and pestle to be more lively than that made in a food processor, and that grinding herbs and spices by hand is preferable to spinning them in a machine.

There are different materials from which a mortar and pestle can be made, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

A Mexican molcajete. Photo courtesy Vasconia. Product information.

 
HOW CHEF JOHNNY USES HIS MORTAR & PESTLE

 
NEXT STEP

Pick up a mortar and pestle. What kind of material you go with is a personal choice as is the size: from two-inch diameter minis used to grind spices to eight-inch diameter all-purpose versions.

Connecting with this ancient tool will show you a new way to taste and flavor familiar ingredients. Create spice mixtures and aromatic pastes by grinding them with your hands, enjoying the mouth-watering aromas that waft up to your nose. Let’s see a Magic Bullet blender do that!
  

[1] A great way to have your breakfast eggs…or lunch…or dinner (photo © Pizzeria Otto | Chicago).

[2] Grated Parmesan cheese (photo © Microplane).

Not in the neighborhood? Make one yourself.

Eggs in Purgatory is an Italian dish (similar to the Israeli dish, shakshuka) where eggs are baked in a spicy red sauce. “Purgatory” refers to the heat in the recipe.

The classic recipe is an egg dish, not a pizza. But the pizza dough eliminates the need for bread on the side, and the egg yolks running over the spicy sauce and crust are a delectable combination.

Find more of our favorite pizza recipes by using the pull-down menu in the right column.
 
 
EGGS IN PURGATORY PIZZA RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. DICE the onion. Heat a saucepan with olive oil; sautée onions and garlic over medium heat until soft.

2. ADD the tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, purée mixture with an immersion blender.

3. ADD the salt and basil, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for 25 minutes or until desired thickness is reached.

4. PLACE the pizza crust on a baking sheet and par-cook at 500°F for 2 minutes until dough is puffed but not brown. Add sauce and raw eggs and sprinkle top with Parmesan.

5. BAKE at 575°F until eggs whites are cooked (yolks are medium) and crust is browned.

If you’re looking for a special box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day, head over to the website and take your pick.

Gift boxes filled with heavenly chocolates are available from 2 pieces to 24 pieces, $7.00 to $64.00.

Read our review of Chocolat Céleste.

[2] Or bake and decorate your own. You can dip them in chocolate instead of the fancy icing (photo © Taste of Home)

[3] St. Valentine—Valentinus in Latin (photo © Communio).

For the Valentine whose heart desires two-and-one-half pounds of solid milk chocolate, the creative chocolatiers at Choclatique suggest Chocolate Man (in photo) or Chocolate Girl (she has long eyelashes and a hair bow).

There’s no gingerbread underneath—it’s 100% solid chocolate (plus decorations).

Each Chocolate Man and Girl is custom made and decorated to order.

It can be inscribed with a name (include the information in the special notes section at checkout).

Chocolate Man and Girl are 13″ tall, 10″ wide and 1/2″ thick, and are made of all-natural, premium chocolate. Get yours now:

 
They’re $50.00 each and nicely packaged.
 
 
> The history of Valentine’s Day is below.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of gingerbread.

> The history of gingerbread men.

> The history of gingerbread houses.

> The different types of ginger cookies.

> The history of cookies.

> The year’s 44 cookie holidays. (National Gingerbread Day is June 5th.)

> The year’s 11 ginger-related holidays.

> The 10 basic styles of cookies (gingerbread men are rolled/cutout cookies, whereas gingersnaps/ginger cookies are drop cookies).

> The different varieties of of cookies: a photo glossary.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY

This holiday for lovers has roots in an annual Roman celebration called Lupercalia, held on February 15th.

Men stripped naked, grabbed goat- or dog-skin whips and spanked young maidens, with the goal of increasing their fertility.

The pagan celebration remained wildly popular well into the fifth century C.E.—more than 150 years after Emperor Constantine had made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Church leaders were unable to put a stop to the celebration, so scholars contend that they converted it into a Christian festival with this story:

The third century C.E. Roman Emperor Claudius II, seeking recruits for his army, forbade young men to marry before serving.

In defiance, the priest Valentine performed marriages in secret (he also helped martyrs at the time of persecution, and when in prison converted guards and their families to Christianity).

He was executed by beheading on February 14, 270 and ultimately became Saint Valentine (his relics repose in the Church of Saint Praxedes in Rome).

Valentine greetings for loved ones were popular as far back as the Middle Ages. According to Wikipedia: “The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.” Poems were written to one’s beloved; in the 19th century, they were replaced by mass-produced greeting cards.

In 1850, Esther Howland, an American printer and artist, was among the first to publish and sell Valentine cards in the United States. In the early 1900s the Norcross card company became one of the first companies to manufacture Valentines. With the exception of Christmas, Americans exchange more cards on Valentine’s Day than any other time of year.

In 1861, chocolate manufacturer Richard Cadbury created the first heart-shaped box of chocolate for Valentine’s Day; and commercialization took over.

2026 Update: Total spending on Valentine’s Day in the USA is projected to reach a record $29.1 billion, up from $27.5 billion in 2025. On average, consumers plan to spend approximately $199.78 per person, with more than 55% of Americans celebrating. Key categories include jewelry ($7 billion), evenings out ($6.3 billion), and the remainder candy/flowers/cards. More than half of shoppers—56%—buy candy.

 

[4] If you prefer gingerbread teddy bears for your Valentine, here’s the recipe (photo © Steve’s Kitchen).
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

One of five alternatives to Valentine
chocolate. Photo courtesy Williams-Sonoma.

Solution: five recommendations for delicious food items that aren’t chocolates.

Our Valentine Top Picks include:

1. Godiva Chocolate Vodkas & Chocolate Liqueurs

2. Patron XO Cafe Dark Cocoa, a chocolate- and coffee-infused tequila.

3. Cakeslider Creations push-up pops filled with buttercream-frosted cake.

4. Richart Chocolate Chocomacs, innovative macarons filled with ganache and topped with a chocolate paillette.

5. Two Hearts Bakery Heart-Shaped Pies On A Stick (a Williams-Sonoma exclusive)