Batán

A heavy stone slab and a rocker: ají, herbs, and peanuts ground the Peruvian way.

Also called batán andean, batan · From The Andes

An Andean batán with a rocker stone, crushed ají, and a handful of peanuts.

The journey

A batán is the Andean metate — a thick stone and a half-moon rocker. Peruvian kitchens still crush ají panca, huacatay, and peanuts on it so a sauce holds oil instead of turning into a blender foam. The sound is part of the recipe.

A molcajete is a volcanic cousin from Mexico. The batán is flatter and meant for a rocking weight.

An 1818 map of Peru — the Andes whose sauces still start on a batán. — John Pinkerton, map of Peru (1818) · Public domain. Source

In the kitchen

Work wet. Add salt first to grip the chile. Stop when the paste is coarse enough to still show seed.

The Peruvian volume's sauces assume this stone more than they name it. A mortar can stand in for a small batch.

Used in these ComidaTime kitchens

Find a batán on Amazon