Mezzaluna

Chopping knife, special knife for fine crushing ( " Weighing " ) of cooking ingredients. They consist of a curved blade (or two parallel-connected to each other ) of approximately 15 to 20 centimeters in length with vertical handles at both ends. A chopping knife is held with both hands, and the ingredients are crushed on a board with swaying movements. Today Wiegemesser are usually only used for chopping herbs and the like, or they have been largely replaced in the household of machines such as the meat grinder, hand blender or food processors.

Very large chopping knife, which are operated by two persons, called cradle. In its place the cutter entered.

In the artistic gravure printing a serrated knife cradle for roughening the plate surface for the production of a mezzotint used.