I am posting this a little early because of all the e-mails I receive asking for information on mortars and pestles. I am working on a longer article on Indian food processing. Mortars and pestles were used to grind seeds and nuts into meal. A mortar is like a bowl and a pestle is a blunt stick or stone you hold to push or pound the seeds or nuts in the mortar.
Meal is the ground up nuts.
The Indians used this meal much like we use flour today. They mixed it with water and made bread with it. This was probably flat bread and looked like tortillas do today. In fact corn tortillas are an ancient form of American Indian bread. Mortars and pestles come in many sizes.