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StillnessWomen's craft knowledge fact

Argan oil comes from the nuts of the argan tree, which grows naturally almost only in southwestern Morocco. Making it by hand means drying the fruit, removing the pulp, cracking the hard nuts between stones and grinding the kernels, skills passed down among rural women.

Argan oil

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The argan tree is adapted to the dry land between the Atlas Mountains and the Atlantic, and UNESCO declared the area the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve in 1998. The hardest-looking step is cracking the nut between two stones, but the knowledge covers the whole chain: when to gather the fruit, how long to dry it, and whether to roast the kernels. Roasted kernels give the nutty oil used in cooking and in amlou, a spread made with almonds and honey; unroasted ones give the oil used on skin and hair. Women knead the ground paste by hand with a little water until the oil separates. In 2014 UNESCO listed these practices and know-how as Intangible Cultural Heritage, and many women now work through cooperatives.

Türkçe oku
Argan yağı, neredeyse yalnızca Fas'ın güneybatısında kendiliğinden yetişen argan ağacının çekirdeklerinden elde edilir. Elde yapımında meyve kurutulur, etli kısmı ayıklanır, sert çekirdekler iki taş arasında kırılır ve içleri öğütülür; bu beceri kırsaldaki kadınlar arasında kuşaktan kuşağa aktarılır.

Argan ağacı, Atlas Dağları ile Atlas Okyanusu arasındaki kurak topraklara uyum sağlamıştır; UNESCO bu bölgeyi 1998'de Arganeraie Biyosfer Rezervi ilan etti. En zor görünen iş çekirdeği iki taş arasında kırmaktır, ama asıl bilgi bütün sürece yayılır: meyvenin ne zaman toplanacağı, ne kadar kurutulacağı, çekirdek içlerinin kavrulup kavrulmayacağı. Kavrulmuş içlerden yemeklerde ve bademle bal katılarak yapılan amlou ezmesinde kullanılan, fındık kokulu yağ çıkar; kavrulmamış olanlardan ise cilt ve saç bakımında kullanılan yağ elde edilir. Kadınlar öğütülmüş ezmeyi az suyla, yağ ayrılana kadar elle yoğurur. UNESCO 2014'te argan üretimiyle ilgili bu uygulamaları ve bilgiyi Somut Olmayan Kültürel Miras listesine aldı; bugün birçok kadın kooperatiflerde çalışıyor.

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