Before cuisinart, there was the Ulu.

[trof]

The ULU knife (pronounced ooloo) is the most renowned knife in Alaska. Native people of northern Alaska invented this knife centuries ago. It is used for hunting, fishing, skinning, filleting and every other imaginable domestic cutting need by the Inuit (Eskimo) people.

The traditional ULU was an Eskimo cutting tool made of slate and bone, with a sharp edge for cutting or carving. The Eskimos made them in all sizes, from a small blade for cutting skins to a cleaver for carving meat. But, today's version is manufactured from stainless steel and provided with a hardwood handle for ease of use.

The ULU has a rounded blade topped with a handle and is usually grasped between the middle and ring finger of the hand. The Eskimos still use them, but non-Natives haven't had much access to them. The instrument is, however, now available in contemporary, functional form through Alaska's largest ulu knife manufacturer "The Ulu Factory Inc.".

It's actually a pretty neat kitchen tool for chopping.
'Ask the man who owns one.'

[GalleryGod]

1. I've owned one for 20 years.

Mom brought it back from her trip to...Duh? Alaska!:patriot:

[Zookeeper]

2. We have one...

sent from Alaska by a family member. I haven't really used it, but didn't know ('til now) how it is supposed to be held. If I ever find it, I'll try again.

[trof]

3. Works best in a shallow wooden bowl.

Man, can you MINCE!

[Maddy McCall]

4. I have this one. Paid $50 for it at Williams-Sonoma...

I have this set:



It's on sale now at www.cutleryandmore.com for $30--knife and board.

Henckel Twin Select Mezzaluna. I highly recommend it.

[trof]

6. Ooooo...a DOUBLE bladed Ulu.

Everything old is new again.
;-)

[InternalDialogue]

5. You've brought back memories of sixth grade.

Seeing that ulu makes me think of the educational film we watched to learn about the daily lives of Aleuts. It was called the "eyeball" movie and spoken of in reverent tones by the sixth-graders before us. "Wait till the scene when they eat the eye!" we were all warned. Kind of a letdown when that scene came, but such is sixth-grade folklore.

[QMPMom]

7. I regret that I didn't buy one when I was in Alaska a couple

of years ago. I do have a mezzaluna, though, and it is wonderful. I think I paid $10.00 for it at the Italian market and it's stayed in perfect shape through lots of use.