Atlantic Coast - Morocco - page 458

ARGAN OIL

Organic argan oil is 'the new olive oil', increasingly used in hip restaurants around the world to sea-
son salads with its nutty flavour. The wrinkled argan tree is unique to this part of the world and, as a
result, the argan forests of the Souss Valley and the Haha Coast south of Essaouira have been desig-
nated by Unesco as a biosphere reserve.
The tree, Argania spinosa, is resistant to heat and survives temperatures up to 50ºC, so is an essen-
tial tool in the fight against desertification in southern Morocco. It has become vital to the local eco-
nomy, providing firewood, fodder for the goats - you can see them actually climb into the branches -
and oil for humans. Berber women harvest the fruits in spring. They then feed them to goats, whose
digestive juices dissolve the tough elastic coating on the shell. The nuts are then recovered from the
goats' dung, and the kernels are split, lightly toasted, pulped and pressed.
To produce just one litre of oil takes 30kg of nuts and 15 hours of manual labour, solely done by
women. In a recent change to this tradition, some cooperatives have decided to cut the goats out of the
process and are hand-picking fruits from the trees to produce a more subtle-tasting oil.
The Berbers have long used argan oil to heal, but modern research suggests that the oil may help re-
duce cholesterol and prevent arteriosclerosis. In the kitchen its rich and sweet nutty flavour works
wonders as a salad dressing, or added to grilled vegetables or tajines. Berbers mix it with ground al-
monds and honey to make amlou, a delicacy believed to have aphrodisiac properties.
Cold-pressed oil from untoasted nuts is increasingly recognised as a prized cosmetic, particularly
for the hair. The oil has a high vitamin E content, which makes it a great addition to anti-wrinkle
creams.

Diabat

The sleepy Berber village of Diabat, just south of Essaouira, was once a dope-smoking
colony popular with hippies. Today it is the site of a major new tourist development, Golf
Mogador, not fully completed at the time of research. Comprising three luxury hotels and
villas, the resort has a golf course designed by Gary Player. Fortunately the grey water
from the complex will be used to water the course.

Activities
To try something more serious than the horse and camel rides on the beach, several com-
panies offer cross-country trekking and multiday rides in the countryside around Es-
saouira. Tailor-made horse trips can be arranged through the following outfits.

Zouina Cheval

HORSE RIDING