Morocco Land of Spices - The Argan Oil

Morocco Land of Spices

Argan Oil – Everything you need to know about Morocco’s most precious oil

The oil of Argan nuts has been used in Morocco for holistic reasons externally and internally for a very long time. However it’s only the past few years that this precious oil is starting to gain fame in the West: especially in terms of its beneficial effects to hair! Today there are hundreds of products advertising themselves with their content of Argan oil and hair oils made out of Argan are also widely available. However Argan knows way more than solely being good for the hair. In this article I’d like to tell you the whole story behind Argan. Starting ( or ending? ) with the goats.

The Origins of Argan Oil

Argan has been used for centuries especially by the indigenous people of Morocco ( collectively we call them Berbers but it’s not a favored word in Morocco)  Argan trees are very similar to Olive trees and they love the warm desert air and soil that makes them specifically grow in this country ( Sous Valley in the Southwestern part of Morocco- is the main place where the Argan Tree – Argania Spinosa grows ) the valley protects the trees from extreme wind. Quite interestingly Argan tree can grow in the desert too. The argan trees are taken care of VERY HIGHLY. The reason for that is, that one argan tree will only start fruiting from an age of 50 (!) years. This is a very-very long time as we can see.

Argan trees are grown in triangular areas or patches between three cities and the whole area is now an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve enjoying high protection.

The goats cannot resist the taste of the Argan seeds

One seed’s overall content is called one kernel containing up to 3 seeds at a time with each one having 30-60% Argan oil content inside. No wonder the goats are crazy for it too!

The making of the Argan oil:

Traditionally extracting the oil from the kernel is the task of local Berber women and this is a long lasting hard work. To be more statistic for 1 Liter of argan oil there needs to be around 30 kg (66 kbs) of „fruit”. This takes around 15 hours of work to extract with the usage of traditional tools. So no wonder Argan oil is expensive. Now, perhaps you would be ready to pay even more for it.

The extraction of oil from the kernel is a process that cannot be made mechanical. It must be made manually. Then, it will be decided what sort of Argan oil there is to be from the kernels. As the production of cosmetic argan oil differs from the edible cooking oil.

For gaining cooking oil the kernels must be first roasted and cooled down. This roasting will give that specific nutty odor why argan is so much loved in the kitchen. Then they will be grinded and pressed hard with the traditional stone mill called “Azerg” or “Rha” which I am featuring down below. The unfiltered brown substance (the pure argan oil) will then be transmitted into vessels, where it’s left to rest for a couple of weeks. This helps in the natural extraction process, whereas the heavier substances would settle down leaving the pure oil on the top.

Argan Mill

Cosmetic Argan oil is produced pretty much the same way but with the usage of raw kernels to avoid the extra odor (which smells good in the kitchen it may not smell good on your hair or skin, just think of garlic ) . Make no mistake! Cosmetic Argan oil is not edible. Please do not try to eat it.

Beneficial effects of edible Argan oil:

Edible argan oil has a deeper golden brown color which is considerably darker than that of the cosmetic type. Argan oil is especially rich in anti-oxidants which means it’s really anti-aging both when eaten and when used externally. Edible argan oil has been used as a holistic medicine by the Berbers for lots of centuries to heal rheumatic disease, heart conditions and skin conditions too ( note that similarly to our aspirin argan was more or less used for curing anything or everything universally, the good thing is, that it worked most of the time ). The oil has a 80% of fatty acid content and its also used to keep the levels of cholesterol low.  Nowadays, Argan capsules are also used as complimentary vitamins to a daily healthy diet and also to cure weight loss issues.

Argan oil has a very high content of Vitamin E and Omega 3 acids. This means it’s enough to consume it in very low quantity. Read more on the benefits and risks of overtaking Vitamin E by clicking here.

There are various ongoing research studies concerning the positive, healing effects of argan to cancerous cells and on how argan products can be used in terms of cancer prevention.   

Interestingly the oil is not used for cooking per-se. It is rather used as a finisher on salads and other meals and it is frequently used as a dip (often all alone eaten with Moroccan bread (Khobbz) in the morning) it’s also often poured on boiled eggs and on some desserts.

Note that Argan oil is also very precious and expensive in Morocco, therefore it’s definitely not used as our cooking oils in the West, but rather as a delicacy on its own right.

The Amlou: This is a dip used for meats especially in the Southern areas of Morocco where they make it with Argan Oil, ground almonds (always blanched) and honey. It is not only delicious but also highly copious and healthy encompassing all the beneficial effects of the three substances.

Beneficial effects of Cosmetic Argan oil (external use only) :

Thanks to its high fatty acid content and antioxidant qualities Argan oil has very strong restoring qualities when used externally on the hair or for the skin as it restores the water lipid layer. Use only a very few, tiny drops on your hair though! Put the drops on your hands, rub your palms together, to warm it up then lightly spread it over on your hair or concentrate on your ends. Trust mem it’s more than enough.

Again, I’d like to emphasize that something is not healthier when consumed in higher quantities. In terms of Argan the best way is to limit your use to very small or tiny quantities.

Where do goats come in the picture?

It is not the whole fruit that can be used for extraction. Therefore the whole kernel is first dried to make the process easier, then they remove the flesh which will then be used in animal feed. So poor goats won’t make a difference when wanting to get to the fruit J Note however that all argan trees are protected from the law by the goats (which basically means that you see a whole bunch of goat criminals doing goat crime up on the pic  ... I wonder if there are goat prisons btw.)

Last but not least, if you would like to see a step by step presentation on how Argan oil is extracted from the very beginning click here to do that.

Thank you for reading this article, I do hope I could include everything what is important to learn about Argan oil from its origins to its various forms of use. 

Special thanks to Foodrepublic and Nargisse whose great blog gave me lots of help for me to make my article happen. Click here to visit her very insidious piece on Argan oil. Special thanks to the ever wonderful site of Christine Benlafquih owner of Moroccanfood.about.com.