Liquid Gold Argan Oil - Ingredient Spotlight

Earlier this year we splurged on a bottle of Moroccan argan oil, and it sits in our pantry like a bottle of liquid gold, used sparingly and savored deeply. At first we were merely curious about the intensely nutty flavor of this oil, which we had associated with cosmetics more than cuisine. As we learned more, we were captivated by the details of its history and production involving rare trees, goats, and the Berber women's cooperative movement.. read more at thekitchn.com

What's Argan Oil?

What's Argan oil?

Argan oil comes from the argan tree (Argania Spinosa), an endemic tree in southwestern Morocco. Used locally for centuries, nowadays argan oil is attracting increasing interest from outside of Morocco, thanks to both its cosmetic and dietary properties.



Ancestral method of argan oil extraction

Once ripe, argan fruits are typically collected by women and brought to village where they are broken down the traditional way between two stones, (left shells are usually used to feed needed fire).
After getting rid of the shells, the almonds are then closely crushed along with some water in a handmade mill called Azerg. Then the obtained dough is kneaded repeatedly and pressed by hands to extract argan oil. The residue is conserved and used to feed own livestock. Using this traditional way, it takes more than 10 hours to produce just one liter of argan oil.

Argan almonds are gently roasted before being crushed yielding an oil used in daily kitchen recipes. For cosmetic purposes, we should use argan oil that comes from the not roasted almonds.

The production of Argan oil has always been a merely matter of those Moroccan local families. But recent exploitations of argan fruit has taken it to an even more crafty, let alone industrial level because of the publicity that has been made on the virtues of argan oil. Local women's cooperatives have joined forces to produce more of this miraculous oil the traditional way.

A part of argan oil production is intended for export to Europe, Canada and the United States, which reinforces the local socio-economical role of this magically precious oil. Some of argan oil production is meant for high level cosmetic usage after further processing in laboratories.


A summary of Argan oil benefits

• For centuries, Argan oil has been used locally for therapeutic, cookware and cosmetic purposes, today the whole world is appreciating this oil.
• Argan oil is highly rich in essential fatty acids oleic and lineoic acids (47%) as well as in vitamin E (60-90mg/1OOg) , which positively boost our skin regenerating capabilities.
• It repairs and protects the skin against droughts and external aggressions, preventing its premature aging thanks to its essential fatty acids.
• Argan oil vitamin E richness, gives its antioxidant qualities
• It protects muscles from degeneration associated with aging.
• It can be used both for internal and external purposes.
• some argan oil internal usages: Massage, for rheumatism, against hair loss, to eliminate dandruff, against acne, burns, wrinkles, to protect against skin drying.
• some argan oil internal usages: positive effect against cholesterol and atherosclerosis.
• some argan oil culinary usage: in dressings, its aroma couples very well with crudites.
• Its nutty after-taste enhances so many dishes: whether with fish or goat's cheese, with puréed sweet potatoes or a salad of carrots and oranges.
• A simple argan oil drizzle will enliven your soups, cooked dishes and even desserts.
• It adds a touch of nut and sesame, bringing an oriental flavor to your cooking,
  

• It enhances the prostaglandins synthesis. Argan oil contains no cholesterol, which makes it very suitable in the context of any cholesterol-free diet.
• It protects the cardiovascular system.
• For a cosmetic use, it softens the skin, revitalizes the tired and wrinkled parts by rehydrating and giving the skin its lost youthful elasticity.
• Argan oil is also highly effective as a relief middle in cases of burns, scars and the like.
• Argan oil has a strengthening effect for nails and hair.
• Argan oil is widely used in the local recipes as well as in traditional medicine as a treatment of skin diseases such as acne and chickenpox (varicella).
• Currently, it is used as a medicinal product and active ingredient in many cosmetics and increasingly used by international and famous beauty specialists.
  

Argan Oil Production

Argan oil constitutes an important source of lipidic fat. It's estimated that argan oil production is between 3,000 and 4,000 tons, that is 1.6 percent of total Morocco oil consumption.

You would appreciate knowing that to produce just one liter of argan oil you need, in good years, no less than eight argan trees. A long day of labor is needed to get such precious liter of oil : argan fruits drying, pulping, getting rid of argan nuts shells one by one and by hand, crushing and grinding roasted almonds the traditional way and finally hand-persing and extracting this legendary oil. Added to argan fruit scarcity, comes the difficulty of production. (see argan oil production steps in photos).

Enjoy this majestic Moroccan oil !

Peppers and Argan oil

Pimientos en aceite de Argán, originally uploaded by escribirconlacabeza.

Argan is an endemic tree of the zone of Essaouira (Morocco), in barren zones occupies more than 650,000 has. in form of clear forests that they do not exceed the 1,500 ms of altitude. Tree of great vitality, of twisted trunks and foliage persistent of small and extended leaves, its fruits, nuts similar to the olives, that have a hard bone that contains almonds of which an orange oil very perfumed is extracted: argan. Its persistent foliage offers to the cattle a true hanging grass, to the goats it enchants to them, and they do not doubt in climbing for upper ramonear in of the tree, offering a singular image that does not happen unnoticed to the step visitor. The nuts are harvested of form similar to the harvesting of olives, of the almonds that there are inside the bone is extracted the perfumed oil, is an oil of strong flavor, that is used as much in the Moroccan gastronomy within the kitchen as in crude. Also curativos powers are attributed to him, reason why we found it in herbolisterias and the stores of homeopatía. The almonds of the bones are extracted and they are ground in stone mills of small size that there is in the Moroccan rural houses. They do lack 100 kg of mature fruits and ten working hours with a homemade mill to obtain a liter of oil.

By escribirconlacabeza