Argan oil is the latest drizzle to find its way into the chef’s armament in some of Europe’s top restaurants; whilst argan based beauty products are being touted as the ‘next big thing’ amongst those trying to postpone the loss of their youthful looks. Although relatively unheard of, argan oil is not a new product; it has been used by Berbers in Morocco for hundreds of years – as culinary oil as well as a beauty product.
The Argan tree is unique to southwest Morocco and Unesco has designated a large area there as a Biosphere Reserve. The Argan tree is extremely important to the region; due to its high heat resistance it helps fight desertification and the cooperatives where the oil is produced supply jobs and help with the local economy.
Women-run cooperatives are opening across the region; these cooperatives help keep traditional methods of production and share their profits with the workers. These jobs are desperately needed; Morocco is listed as 127th in the UN Human Development Index and has an illiteracy rate nearing 50%. Without the argan oil cooperatives there would be very little to financially sustain the region and help with its development. Many of the women working in these cooperatives would not be able to send their children to school without this new source of income.
The process of making argan oil begins by harvesting the fruit in July and August, which is then dried in the sun; this makes the skin easier to remove. The skin is removed by hand and fed to goats. The next step is to crack the nut open to reveal the kernel; the kernel is used to make the oil, whilst the nut is used as firewood. The kernel is gently roasted for the culinary oil or left as it is for the skin product. To make the oil the kernel is ground down to a paste in hand operated stone mills. The paste is then mixed with water to separate the oil; the left over paste is used to make argan soap. Every part of the argan fruit is used with no waste at all.
Some cooperatives have introduced machinery into the making of their oil because they feel this gives them a more consistent product with a higher shelf life and by not using water they have a purer oil. Local women still work in these cooperatives cracking the nut between two stones to reveal the kernel and because of the increased production, these machines have not displaced any people from their jobs. Proof in this oil being of a high quality is in Cooperative Amal, which uses this method, receiving the International Slow Food award for biodiversity in 2001.
Argan oil is expensive, but definitely worth the price – it takes 15 hours of labour and 30kg of nuts to produce just a single litre of argan oil. The health benefits of argan oil are numerous; the culinary oil is high in essential fatty acids as well as being high in unsaturated fats, whilst the beauty product is high in vitamin E and antioxidants. Both products have been used for centuries to keep Berbers healthy and protect their skin and hair from the harshness of their environment.
Argan oil has a sweet hazelnut like taste and goes well as a salad dressing, especially with goat’s cheese. It can be used drizzled over roasted vegetables, to add further depth to couscous, as a dip for bread, or my favourite, Amlou: argan oil mixed with honey and toasted almonds, which is spread on toast for breakfast. Always add argan oil after cooking to preserve its health benefits.
Argan oil is a useful weapon to add to your store cupboard arsenal; you can buy it in specialised stores and delis or online from the following websites:
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