1. Plural of metate; flat stone slabs used in Mexico and Central America for grinding corn, spices, and other foods with a hand-held stone roller called a mano.
Usage: Borrowed from Spanish; commonly used in Mexican and Central American cooking contexts; Often used in the singular form 'metate' as well

Examples

• The traditional kitchen featured several metates for preparing corn masa.
• She ground the chiles on the metates using a mano, just as her grandmother had taught her.
• Metates are still used in many Mexican households for authentic food preparation.
• The artisan crafted beautiful metates from volcanic stone.
• Ancient metates have been discovered at archaeological sites throughout Mesoamerica.