A pestle is a tool used to prepare ingredients or substances by crushing and grinding them into a fine paste or powder in the kitchen, laboratory, and pharmacy. It is a blunt, club-shaped object that is used in conjunction with a mortar, which is characteristically a bowl made of hard wood, metal, ceramic, or hard stone such as granite. The substance to be ground, which may be wet or dry, is placed in the mortar where the pestle is pounded, pressed, or rotated into the substance until the desired texture is achieved.
Pestle and mortar have been used in cooking since the Stone Age, and today they are typically associated with the pharmacy profession due to their historical use in preparing medicines. They are also used in chemistry settings for pulverizing small amounts of chemicals, in arts and cosmetics for pulverizing pigments, binders, and other substances, in ceramics for making grog, and in masonry and other types of construction requiring pulverized materials.
It is important to note that the term "pestle" can also refer to other devices for pounding, stamping, or pressing. However, in the context of preparing ingredients or substances, it is typically used in conjunction with a mortar.
It is worth mentioning that the term "PESTLE" can also refer to a management framework and diagnostic tool used to study the key external factors (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental) that influence an organization.
