Argan
oil is beautiful golden oil with a slightly reddish tinge, which comes
from the Argan Tree of Morocco. For centuries, the Berber people of Morocco have used the oil for its numerous culinary, cosmetic and medicinal benefits. The argan tree is under the protection of UNESCO due to its dwindling numbers and difficult growing conditions. Argan is one of the most rare and expensive oils in the world because of its limited quantity and traditional production methods. For this reason it is often referred to it as…
The Argan tree is believed to have originated in the town of Argana, a village north east of the Moroccan city, Agadir. It lives longer than the olive tree and requires no cultivation. The trunk of the tree is twisted and gnarled, allowing goats to climb its branches and feed on the leaves and fruit. It is possible to see this magnificent site while driving in the southwest regions of Morocco. The fruit has a green fleshy exterior much like an olive but larger and rounder. There is a nut inside the fruit, which has an extremely hard shell and contains one to three almond shaped kernels.
The goats eat the fruit leaving the nut behind. The nuts are collected by farmers and produced into the argan oil by a very arduous process. The production of argan oil is still mostly done by traditional methods. The production of one liter of oil takes about 20 hours of hands on labor. The production of the argan oil is still a cottage industry, managed by co-operatives of women. It provides employment to many women and families in the region.
