Argan

The argan tree (Argania spinosa) is endemic to a relatively small area of southwestern Morocco, where it has been a cornerstone of Amazigh (Berber) food culture for centuries. The tree is remarkably drought-resistant and plays a critical role in preventing desertification in the region. UNESCO designated the argan forest as a Biosphere Reserve in 1998.

Culinary argan oil is made from lightly roasted kernels and has a rich, nutty flavour used in Moroccan dishes, dressings, and dipping sauces. It is distinct from cosmetic-grade argan oil, which is cold-pressed from unroasted kernels. Argan oil remains one of the most expensive edible oils in the world due to the labour-intensive extraction process and the limited growing region.

Wild & Farmed Source
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's produced

Argan trees grow both wild in their native Moroccan forests and in managed groves. The fruit resembles a large olive and ripens in summer. Traditionally, fallen fruit is collected by hand — often by women’s cooperatives — and the fleshy outer pulp is removed. The extremely hard nut is then cracked open by hand using stones to extract one to three small kernels inside. For culinary oil, the kernels are lightly roasted before being ground and pressed. Mechanised pressing has become more common, but hand-cracking the nuts remains the bottleneck. Some plantations have been established outside Morocco, though production is still overwhelmingly Moroccan.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈3.8kg
Freshwater ≈600L
Land ≈12m²

≈ Estimated from its category — typical for vegetable oils, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →

What comes from this

Argan, kernel (harvested)
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