"Paul M. Cook" wrote:
>
> "Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
> ...
> > It's got to be something to do with manipulating
> > dough or pie making, that's what I think:
> >
> > http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=150260011112
> >
> > But I can't figure out what. It looks German
> > to me, probably early 20th century.
>
> I used to have one. It was used to make Mexican hot chocolate. You spun
> the handle between your hands to whip the milk into a froth.
>
> Paul

That was my first impression as well. Our molinillo is wood, but no
reason it couldn't be ceramic.