made of hardwood, metal, ceramic, or hard stone such as granite. The pestle (, also ) is a blunt, club-shaped object. 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.

Mortars and pestles have been used in cooking since the Stone Age; today they are typically associated with the pharmacy profession