Wet grinder
Encyclopedia
A wet grinder is a grinder used with water. Wet grinders have a wide application in industry, workshops, and commercial and domestic kitchens throughout Africa and Asia. Kitchen wet grinders are very popular tools in the South Indian kitchen and are used to make paste out of soaked cereal
s and lentil
s.
At one time, a wet grinder consisted of a large rock with a hole in it, where a cylindrical rock with a wooden handle fit in. The grain and lentil mixture was poured in with water and the cylinder rotated by the handle on the top to grind the food together. The ground paste is used for various food items like idli, dosa
, sevai
and vada
.
The evolution of grinders has seen a dramatic change in their working. The earlier form of wet grinder, called attu kal, used mechanical energy in which the user had to rotate the top stone, called kullavi, to grind the medium. The harnessing of electricity led to the development of electric-powered wet grinders. This electric-powered wet grinder was invented by Mr. Sabapathi of Coimbatore
. By this invention, the powered wet grinders have both the top and the base stone rotating. These electric models were first introduced in restaurants, and later moved into homes.
Most modern models still have stone components for the grinding action. The stone is usually granite
. The old manual grinding stones used to be refinished for better results. Modern stones usually don't need refinishing, as they last much longer. The wet grinder industry is largely confined to Coimbatore because of the fact that the stone used is exclusively available only in this region.
The Indian government is planning to get Geographical Indication
for Coimbatore wet grinders.
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s and lentil
Lentil
The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...
s.
Dosa
Dosa or Dhosai is a fermented crepe or pancake made from rice batter and black lentils. It is indigenous to and is a staple dish in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, as well as being popular in Sri Lanka...
, sevai
Sevai
Sevai or Santhakai is a type of rice noodles popular in Southern India, particularly Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Santhakai is made out of other food grains like wheat, ragi, etc. also are increasingly becoming popular....
and vada
Vada
Vada ; also known as wada or vade or vadai , is a savoury fritter-type snack from South India.-Description:Vada can vary in shape and size, but are usually either doughnut- or disc-shaped and are about between 5 and 8 cm across. They are made from dal, lentil, gram flour or potato.Vada is a...
.
The evolution of grinders has seen a dramatic change in their working. The earlier form of wet grinder, called attu kal, used mechanical energy in which the user had to rotate the top stone, called kullavi, to grind the medium. The harnessing of electricity led to the development of electric-powered wet grinders. This electric-powered wet grinder was invented by Mr. Sabapathi of Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
. By this invention, the powered wet grinders have both the top and the base stone rotating. These electric models were first introduced in restaurants, and later moved into homes.
Most modern models still have stone components for the grinding action. The stone is usually granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. The old manual grinding stones used to be refinished for better results. Modern stones usually don't need refinishing, as they last much longer. The wet grinder industry is largely confined to Coimbatore because of the fact that the stone used is exclusively available only in this region.
The Indian government is planning to get Geographical Indication
Geographical indication
A geographical indication is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin...
for Coimbatore wet grinders.