- published: 21 Jan 2013
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Quern-stones are stone tools for hand-grinding a wide variety of materials. They were used in pairs. The lower, stationary, stone is called a quern, while the upper mobile stone is called a handstone. They were first used in the Neolithic to grind cereals into flour.
Quern-stones have been used throughout the world to grind materials, the most important of which was usually grain to make flour for bread-making. They were generally replaced by millstones once mechanised forms of milling appeared, particularly the water mill and the windmill, although animals were also used to operate the millstones. However, in many non-Westernised, non-mechanised cultures they are still manufactured and used regularly and have only been replaced in many parts of the world in the last century or so.
In early Maya civilizations the process of nixtamalization was distinctive in that hard, ripe kernels of maize (corn) were boiled in water and lime, thus producing nixtamal which was then made into unleavened dough for flat cakes by grinding with a handstone on a quern (metate).
Rotary grinding stone in use in Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania.
The sound of grinding grains in quern-stones. The recording was realized in the National Museum of Agriculture and Agricultural-Food Industry in Szreniawa (Poland). Quern-stones were used to grind grains in order to obtain flour.
this is a short video of a quern stone that i picked up at a yard sale .... it is shaped from solid granite .. and i would estimate its age at somewhere round the 1840s.. at about that time it was illegal to own one!-- you were expected to buy your flour from the company mill ,,(thirlage ) and company men would break peoples querns to effect the monopoly ... it is hard to find any left in countrys like scotland just on a green organic note fresh milled grain contains the wheat germ ... whereas factory produced flour the wheat germ , part is removed (the most healthy part ).. because it becomes rancid after 2 or three days ... therefore fresh milled grain is far more healthy p.s. you woudnt want a mill stone round your neck
Jack Greene shows off one of his quern stones, with Gabriel and Caleb providing the muscle power. The resulting flour was then made into pancakes and cooked over a camp fire.
These are a few mostly Quartzite querns or grindstones with good grips and smooth,flat grinding areas on base. All these clips are of artefacts from the same collection in the Pleistocene Thames valley,now the Colne Valley Herts.
Quern-stone Quern-stones are stone tools for hand-grinding a wide variety of materials.They were used in pairs. =======Image-Copyright-Info======= Image is in public domain Author-Info: Rosser == Licensing == Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Quernupper.jpg =======Image-Copyright-Info======== -Video is targeted to blind users Attribution: Article text available under CC-BY-SA image source in video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4_W0tan-Qk
Huleh Valley Museum, Israel. Neolithic grinding experiments, as part of the Beisamoun project.