Dalokh

There was a time when the sound of stone against stone was a familiar part of everyday life in many Baloch homes. Before electric grinders and modern kitchen appliances became common, families relied on simple tools, one of which was the Dalokh, a hand operated stone grinder used to crush and grind grains. Dalokh consists of two circular stones placed one above the other. Grain is poured through an opening in the upper stone and ground into finer particles as the stones rotate against each other. While similar grinding stones have existed across different cultures for thousands of years, the Dalokh had a special place in Baloch households.

It was an essential part of food preparation, particularly for traditional dishes such as Batt-o-Maash / Maash Brinj, often enjoyed during the rainy season. According to local knowledge from the Makran region, the stones used to make Dalokh were collected from the shores near Jiwani. People believed that the sea naturally brought these suitable stones to the shore and they were mindfully selected and shaped for use. Today, such stones are difficult to find, which makes the Dalokh among the many traditional tools slowly disappearing from everyday life.

The story of the Dalokh is not simply the story of a household object. It speaks of a time when meals took longer to prepare, when tools were built to last for generations, and when everyday life moved at the pace of human hands rather than machines. It reminds us that heritage is often found in ordinary objects, the ones that quietly served families for decades without ever being considered remarkable.

Though the Dalokh is no longer part of everyday life, it stands as a reminder of a time when food, labor, and family life were closely intertwined.

Object Information:

Object Name: Dalokh (Rotatory Quern Stone)
Category: Household Utensil / Food Processing Tool
Local Name: Dalokh
Material: Natural Stone
Region: Makran, Balochistan
Approximate Age of Object: Unknown
Ownership History: Passed down from the owner’s grandmother to his mother.
Current Custodian: Family of Ahmed Khan
Shared By: Ahmed Khan
Location Documented: Gwadar, Balochistan
Photograph Credit: Ahmed Khan
Documented By: Kónj Studio
Date Documented: 20 December 2025