Rich in anti-oxidants, natural vitamin E, carotenes, essential fatty acids and other beneficial ingredients, oil extracted from the nut of this tree is a nutritive, cosmetic and medicinal powerhouse. Traditionally used for skin ailments and burns, it is now made into anti-aging products; as well as cooking and dipping oils, and a delicious nut butter called Amlou.
Despite surviving for about two million years, this tree – that lives for about 200 years – was literally being burned out of existence as firewood and overeaten by goats. Recognizing its value, UNESCO created a 26,000 kilometer reserve, near the High Atlas Mountains, in southern Morocco, and Berber women are now exclusively supported to grow and harvest the trees.
I was eager to visit one of the many women’s fair trade cooperatives that produce argan oil products, and knew we were close when we saw goats in the branches of trees, by the side of the road. Although nuts for the commercial market are now harvested in a more sanitary way, they used to be gathered (and still are, by local people) once they had been expelled from the goats!
We entered a low, cool white building to see half a dozen women sitting on the floor, in a row along one wall. The women pulled off the tough prune like casing to reveal long thin nuts, which were hammered open to reveal the pits inside. These would be roasted and then pressed to release the oils. The first pressing was used for cosmetic products, the second for cooking.
One woman smiled at me, and patted the empty space beside her. I joined them, legs splayed out on either side a large wooden bowl full of harvested nuts. I was shown how to knock them against a dark, flat stone to release the nut from its casing and practiced till the task became easier. Moving to a long table, we rubbed raw oil on the back of our hands, dabbed creams on our arms and dipped bread into roasted oil and amlou – delicious!
Inspired by what we saw (and to support the women, who share the profits and use them for their healthcare and education), we were ready to shop. After perusing the shelves lining the room, neatly stacked with jars and bottles, we were stunned by the prices: a very small bar of soap, for instance, was $10; and bottles of oil started at $50.
Even after learning that it takes several days of work to make a liter of oil from 32 kilograms of fruit, it was just too expensive for me, and most of the others on the tour. Regretfully, we left but days later, in the souks in Marrakesh, I wandered into a herbalist’s shop and did succumb to buying a very small bottle.
I’m told a little goes a very long way.