chop-chop…

Whenever I am out and about, I seem to find myself in kitchen supply stores. I always end up buying some gadgets or the latest cheflebrity cook book. More on those books on a future post.

On my latest trip to Canada, I happened to chance upon a souvenir shop that specialized in crafts made by local artists.  Among them were hand-knitted sweaters, sculptures, paintings, and jewelry. The one thing that really caught my attention was the mezzaluna.

A mezzaluna, Italian for “half moon,” is a curved knife that makes chopping fast and efficient. Also known as an “ulu” in Alaska and Western Canada, it is the best tool for chopping and mincing. This is done by simply rocking the blade back and forth over herbs, onions, garlic, and other small vegetables. And probably its best feature is that it keeps both hands safely wrapped around the handles while chopping furiously. No more missing fingers!

I owned a mezzaluna before, but this one was expertly crafted and came with a matching maple wood bowl. The bowl itself is concave which works extremely well with the knife’s design.

The mezzaluna is double-bladed and measures six inches. Forged from high carbon stainless steel, the blades are secured with matching maple handles.

This weekend, I was finally able to use it when I needed chopped Italian parsley for my rigati con acciughe. In no time, I had perfectly chopped parsley without the bruising commonly caused by straight-edged knives.

To prevent the maple bowl from cracking and developing odors, I season it with mineral oil. By doing this every after use, I can ensure I would be chopping for many more years to come.

Check out the before and after photos below: