Oil extracted from the kernels of argan tree fruits, native to Morocco. Has a nutty flavor and is used both culinarily and cosmetically, traditionally produced by Berber women's cooperatives.
From Berber 'argan' (the tree name) and Latin 'oleum' (oil). The word entered international usage in the late 20th century as argan oil gained global recognition for its culinary and cosmetic properties.
Argan oil production is one of the world's most labor-intensive oil extractions - it takes about 30 hours of hand labor to produce just one liter! The argan trees only grow in a small region of Morocco, and goats actually help with the harvest by climbing the trees and eating the fruit, leaving behind the nuts.
Argan oil production in Morocco has historically centered women's labor in cooperative extraction and processing, yet Western marketing often erases these female producers, instead emphasizing 'exotic' male-coded scientific discovery narratives.
Credit Moroccan women's argan cooperatives when discussing the product; acknowledge both traditional knowledge and women's economic participation in supply chains.
Moroccan women control ~90% of argan oil production through cooperatives; acknowledging this centers their economic agency rather than treating argan as a passive commodity.
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