Whisk

A rudimentary whisk, the name for which in Polish – mątewka – has many regional variants, including rogalka, rogal, kłótewka, mątwica, kołotuszka, kwirlejka, and koziołek, to name but a few. The whisk is made from a tree twig with offshoots, known in the botanical world as suckers. As the name suggests (in both English and its Polish variations), it is used for mixing various kitchen ingredients, and its utility is far easier than any description would suggest. The twig-cum-spindle is placed between the hands, which is then rubbed to provide the desired mixing effect. This is done all too efficiently by the mixer-suckers at the base of the spindle, which whisk up the milk and flour, mix water with eggs, or beat the whey during cheesemaking.

Before whisks started to be industrially manufactured and available in kitchen stores, they were made manually from natural pieces of wood. Archaeological research has shown that a tree’s natural forms were already well-known in centuries gone by, and the trend is seen globally. One of the of the natural varieties used in the territories which now form Poland is the so-called ‘anchored’ form which is top of a young tree, usually a conifer, which has actiniform offshoots radiating from the stem. As such, this natural form is ideal for making a whisk. Likewise, a multiplied ‘anchored’ form, which uses a whole tree, was used as a stake for drying hay or would be used as a ladder or a harrow.

Crafting a home-made whisk is not difficult. Raw material for the mixer can be found in the form of a Christmas tree, which is usually thrown out after the Yuletide season comes to an end. It is enough to cut off the top end of the tree, strip it down and with some handy knifework turn it into a whisk. Such ecological and economic use of the Christmas tree was often used way back when in many homesteads. A famous TV chef in Poland also recently promoted such re-usage of Christmas trees on one of her shows.

It is worth remembering that the Museum’s collection numbers some several dozen such whisks, including some artefacts from South America and Africa. The natural whisks are of varying dimensions, and the number of suckers also ranges from four to seven. The longest whisk in the collection is over 60 cm long, while the shortest is just 25 cm in length. The vast majority of them are made from the tops of spruce or fir trees.