The Mezzaluna is a staple of Italian kitchens, named after its shape Half-Moon this knife is used for cutting herbs and making pesto. The mezzaluna also makes cutting onions and celery a joy. The rocking action of the blade cuts much like the action of a cooks knife. It"s perfect for chopping, dicing, and mincing of veggies, herbs and spices. It"s quicker and safer than a straight-bladed knife. You use a rocking motion when using this knife. Place food on a cutting board and rock the blade back and forth. A skilled chef will never remove the blade from the cutting surface. This is a quick and safe form of mincing. Wusthof uses a special blend of German steel through out the whole length of the knife. Wusthof not only uses the best materials to make a fine knife, but it is also crucial that each blade is precisely tempered. This tempering allows the knife to hold its edge for an extremely long time. Mezzalunas also resemble the Alaskan Ulu knife