Morocco's nutty, decadent spread is made from the prized oil of the argan tree | Hacker News Reader

Morocco's nutty, decadent spread is made from the prized oil of the argan tree

atlasobscura.com

58 pointsDoreenMichele16 comments

> Argan trees grow exclusively in Southwestern Morocco, making them so rare that UNESCO has worked to conserve them by establishing a 2.5 million-hectare reserve.

I'm sure there's a reason they can't replicate the conditions and grow them elsewhere, but I'm surprised that doesn't seem to be an option with all of today's technology. This region seems particularly small.

I bet argania would grow fine in other regions, like southern california and mexico. It sounds like the restriction is the traditionally labor intensive mode of producing the oil. From wikipedia: "The most labor-intensive part of oil-extraction is removal of the soft pulp (used to feed animals) and the cracking by hand, between two stones, of the hard nut".

Cashews and vanilla are similar.

That seems to be the consensus, and I seem to agree. I think the article is incorrect by using the word "exclusively".

I was going to verify it myself before posting here, but I think I learned more from HN'ers than I would have from my own research. Such as they do grow in other areas, and there are other crops that are seemingly constrained by geography but are, in fact, constrained by labor or something similar.

Thanks all!

Not that unusual. Almost all vanilla is grown in northern madigascar, etc.

But how many crops are like Vanilla --that is constrained to a limited geography-- but in the case of vanilla, also constrained by the intensive labor required. I mean, maybe Saffron?

I think that there are exceptions such as these is proof that they are unusual.

Tons! Even mushrooms are mostly grown in one county in the US https://modernfarmer.com/2014/05/welcome-mushroom-country-po...

Interesting, yet I don't think they are hemmed in by geography but rather by happenstance. That's to say, the industry sprouted there and has had a positive feedback loop and bloomed, but it doesn't seem to me that it could not happen in Oregon, or some other place --though of course not every place in the US but several regions anyhow.

I mean the GP was talking about crops which appeared to be restricted to small geographies due to special circumstances and could not be easily replicated elsewhere.

Wiki says the Argan tree also grows in Israel [0]. They would probably do quite well here in Australia.

0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argania

I have no idea what percent by volume is actually in a bottle, but I have seen a great deal more shampoos recently with "argan oil" on the bottle label.

https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=arg...

Argan oil is also in a lot of beard oils. You can make your own beard oil at home pretty easily. Mix 50% Argan oil and 50% Jojoba oil, then add 5-10 drops per oz of your favorite essential oil (Cedarwood, Lemongrass, Mango) and you have yourself homemade beard oil whenever you need it.

Argan Oil has been used for thousands of years for treating skin and hair. By far the best stuff I've found moisturizing my skin. I would suggest avoiding the infused shampoos and what not, and go for the pure stuff sold in little bottles applied directly to scalp and hair.

If you want some high quality Argan oil, I recommend this brand: https://munskin.com/products/argan-pure-argan-oil. They source directly from Morocco and don't compromise on quality. Their other products are amazing as well.

130$ per liter, that must be the price in the US. Because in Morocco it's around 20$ (which is still considered expensive bu local standards).

I'm dissapointed with the lack of pictures, either of the tree or the food.

http://www.mymoroccanfood.com/home/2015/amlou

Thank you. It was more a complaint directed toward the article (no pictures), rather than a general lack of pictures on the subject available on the web.

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