Argan oil - the next fashionable superfood

Argan oil – something that is so unique and only available in Morocco. I first read about Argan oil in a novel called ‘Cinnamon City’ - about the experiences of an English couple living in Andalucia but bought a Riad in Marrakech and their never-ending challenges of renovating the Riad and eventually turning it into a lovely dwelling for travelers. The lady author would always buy some Argan oil when she visits Marrakech. So what’s argan? It’s actually a nut tree, the argan nut looks almost like an almond. For facial applications, the oil is left ‘al naturale’ but for culinary purposes (dipping, salad oil etc), the nuts are roasted first before the oil is extracted. I was in the Ourika valley, 45 mins away from Marrakech when I visited a ladies cooperative of Argan oil production, the Cooperative Tiguemine Argan. This cooperative helps ladies who are divorced or widowed to help them make a living out of producing Argan oil. They showed a working process – the husks of the fruits are first removed (used for animal feed), then the nuts are cracked opened by hand and the seeds sent for extraction. Top quality argan oil is very pale in color and used for direct application onto the face or skin. Or the seeds can be roasted into a beautiful golden color and the oil extracted and used for culinary purposes. I tried my hand at cracking the argan nut on a hard stone (see picture) but had to pound at the seed a dozen times with the mortar before I cracked one open successfully. I was told of the tremendous health benefits of Argan oil – lowers cholesterol, treats psoriasis, great for dry skin, reduce muscle aches and pains etc. This oil has become very fashionable with culinary enthusiasts as well as cosmetic manufacturers in Europe.  When I think about all the health benefits of walnuts, I trust that the Argan nut would also have some of these great benefits too.