Posts Tagged ‘argan oil’
Monday, March 29th, 2010
Early March, I stumbled upon an article by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) dealing with the successful socio-economical impact of a food cooperative in Morocco. Aside from being an overall interesting article, it caught my interest because it was about the “magical” argan oil and about the very definition of fair trade, if I may say so.
 Moroccan women gather in cooperative to extract the coveted oil from argan seeds. To access social dignity and economic integration, local women in the arid Southwest Essaouira region of Morocco founded a female-exclusive cooperation to capitalize on their “liquid gold’s” know-how. Besides generating income for poor women, the cooperation contributes to environment protection since its members help replant argan trees. The argan forest provides a “green curtain” against the relentless desertification. Moreover, the community is an outstanding marriage of traditional skills and progress. The difficult, time-consuming and century-old extraction techniques have been put to sustainable economic use. The tree has medicinal properties, its oil both nourishes and beautifies and the final argan oil product is being sold on their own website and throughout the world.
 The techniques of argan oil extraction are ancestral There you have an inspiring illustration of successful local community involvement that actually goes beyond fair trade and helps the economic activity to take off while protecting the environment. We are proud to carry argan oil and promote their business.
Tags: argan oil, argan oil cooperative, community involvement, economic sustainability, fair trade, hair care, Moroccan oil, skin care, skin care oil, sustainable food business, traditional skills
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Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Two years ago, I had the pleasure of attending a friend’s Thanksgiving celebration at her New York home. It was my first Thanksgiving dinner; the humble tradition of food and family and friends is distinctly American and I loved it! At that first celebration, there was a rather large turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, and a lovely green bean dish with pine nuts sprinkled on top. I brought a bottle of French Bordeaux.
This year, I’m back in Paris for the American holiday, but I already have in mind a dinner for my own family here -we won’t be celebrating Thanksgiving like my American friends, but I love the tradition of sharing a long, savory meal with my closest and dearest, so I’ll be doing it nonetheless. Here’s what’s on my menu:
Starter: oven goat cheese and honey crostini, which features my own stash of Alilli Morocco lavender honey.
Main Course: Duck Confit with oven roasted semi-sliced potatoes, each with a side of black truffles. My duck confit has a secret ingredient that my family can never quite name, but they love nonetheless: Nutmeg! A tiny bit of freshly grated nutmeg gives it “un je ne sais quoi”…
Salad: Red and Gold beet salad, with fennel, and a lovely Alili Olive Oil, with fresh squeezed lime juice and fleur de sel.
Dessert: Ricotta Lemon Cheesecake.
Enjoy your holiday! Oh, and don’t forget the little dishes of ultra healthy argan oil for dipping bread.
Tags: Alili Morocco, argan oil, cheese, cheese cake, cheesecake, fleur de sel, French fleur de sel, French salt, French sea salt, goat cheese, honey, lavender honey, olive oil, sea salt, thanksgiving, thanksgiving menu, Thanksgiving menu idea
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Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
The delicious, golden, lightweight oil is extracted, traditionally by the berbers, from the rare Argania Spinosa Tree. The seed grows and is fairly traded only in one geographic location: the dry, arid plains off the coast of Southern Morocco, in a region called Essaouira.
Argan Oil is high in essential fatty acids and vitamin E, making it great for all sorts of skin conditions such as eczema, wrinkles, and dry skin. This exceptional oil is also high in phenols and carotenes. But “food-grade” argan oil is also being purchased by the ladies for cosmetic purposes since it is so rich in fatty acids (oleic). It is said to be nature’s anti aging skin food, beneficial to the skin’s overall structure and elasticity, efficient against UV exposure and in treating psoriasis as well as reducing sebum production (National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.S. National Library of Medicine). As delicious as it is healthful, Argan Oil is perfect sprinkled on salads, couscous, or with grilled fish. Moroccans have used it for bread dipping for decades, and it’s recently become one of the culinary world’s latest ‘cult’ ingredients. The slightly orange color and distinct aroma and delicate flavor makes Argan Oil a delightful replacement for truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil in any recipe.
Try our organic Argan Oil by Alili Morocco. Currently on sale for a limited time only.
 Organic Argan Oil
Tags: argan oil, Argania spinosa tree, bread dipping, cosmetic oil, couscous, EVOO, extra virgin olive oil, fatty acids, gourmet ingredient, high in carotenes, high in phenols, natural cosmetic oil, olive oil, organic argan oil, organic oil, psoriasis, seasoning, skin care, source of vitamin E, tagine, truffle oil, UV protection, vitamin E
Posted in Deals, Food News | 2 Comments »
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