Hand-crafted Argan oil - a delectable gourmet oil, full of taste and rich in nutrients and anti-oxidants, is now available in the United States

Food & Wine Magazine calls it a favorite ingredient among chefs. Argand'Or Argan oil, the superb gourmet oil, hand-crafted by experienced artisans who use traditonal production techniques to provide the world with the finest flavoring oil. This oil, rich in essential fatty acids and nutrients, is gently cold pressed using only traditional stone mills. Thus, the flavor components and nutrients such as anti-oxidants and phytosterols remain fully intact. Due to the unparalleled quality and taste, hand-crafted Argand'Or Argan oil is the choice American and international gourmet chefs who use Argan oil in a wide variety of culinary sensations.
In 2005, just weeks after introduction to the European market, Argand'Or Argan oil won the prestigious "Product of the Year Award" at BioFach, the world's leading trade show for organic foods. In addition, Argand'Or Argan oil has recently received the “Superior Taste Award 2007” from the International Quality and Taste Institute and the "TASTE07" award of Anuga, the world's largest food trade event .
The Argan nuts of Argand'Or Argan oil come from wild growing Argan trees, never treated with chemicals. Only selected kernels of the best quality are used for making our oil. Different to conventional Argan oils, artisan hand-pressed Argand'Or Argan oil is USDA organic certified. Every batch is analysed for quality, purity and taste in a USDA certified facility in Germany.
Argand'Or Argan oil is produced by true artisans. Bucking the trend towards mechanical mass extraction of Argan oil, a group of Berber women of the UNESCO protected Arganeraie, the only region where Argan trees grow, formed cooperatives to jointly produce the oil entirely by hand. These twenty-two rural cooperatives, unified under the U.C.F.A. (Union des Cooperatives des Femmes de l'Arganeraie) enable women who have perfected the artisan hand-creation of Argan oil from generation to generation over centuries to use their craft to produce Argan oil of highest quality. The U.C.F.A. cooperatives are dedicated to keeping the ancestral art of hand-making this world heritage food in its entirety alive. Thus, these indigenous Berber women create a genuine Argan oil no machine can.
The U.C.F.A. Berber women’s cooperatives work closely together with Argand'Or GmbH, a German company founded by Engineer Mohamed El Karz, which provides strict quality control and bottles Argand'Or Argan oil in an USDA certified and Ecocert inspected facility in Germany. Argand'Or of Germany is a socially responsible company, pays fair trade prices well above market and supports the U.C.F.A. cooperatives in development and education initiatives.

Nutrition Information
Argan oil is very nutritious. It contains 80% unsaturated fatty acids and is rich in tocopherols, sterols and squalenes

* Antioxidant power through high levels of tocopherols. Argan Oil has twice the level of tocopherols compared to olive oil, and ten times as many gamma-tocopherols. The anti-oxidants fight free radicals, the main cause of cell aging.

* Argan oil is high in unsaturated fatty acids

* 45% Oleic acid (18:1) omega-9

* 35% Linoleic acid (18:2) omega-6, an essential fatty acid

* Argan oil has a unique and rare combination of sterols, including Schottenol and Spinasterol. Plant cholesterols are linked to the reduction of LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and the prevention of cardio-vascular diseases.


Argan oil is rare. Very rare.
Only ten years ago, very few people had access to this wonderful culinary ingredient. Luckily, this has changed. Since 2005, Europeans are enjoying ARGAND’OR hand-crafted Argan oil in growing numbers, and Japanese food aficionados followed in 2006. And now, finally, hand-crafted Argan oil is also available in the United States. ARGAND’OR Argan oil is a fine flavoring oil which features a light nutty taste, transforming even simple meals into great tasting culinary adventures.

At our tastings, people who try the product for the first time tell us how amazed they are by the flavor – intense, but at the same time very light. Almost all of these consumer who tried the oil tell as that they never tasted such a flavor before, and how much they are enjoying Argan oil. And how just a very small amount of Argan oil goes a long way.

Famous gourmet chefs have been using Argan oil for quite a while. They have been creating sophisticated Argan oil dishes including lobster and scallops, lamb and tuna tartar, preserved rabbit and foie gras, hot and could soups, grilled vegetables, fish and meats, and even chocolate creams. It has been used as flavoring oil, for sautéing, even baking (the smoke point is 420 F). Argan oil is a true gourmet ingredient, cherished by food connoisseurs!

However, one does not need to be a trained chef to enjoy experimenting with and experiencing Argan oil. For people on the go, we created some simple Argan oil recipes that are easy to make, nutritious and great tasting. These recipes show that only a little amount of Argan oil transforms simple meals into exciting and surprising culinary treats.


Argan Oil for Breakfast

Argan Oil Honey SpreadMakes: ¼ cup (4 servings)
Start your morning with this nutritious breakfast spread. We guarantee that it takes only one minute to prepare. Tastes great on oven fresh bagels, toast and French baguette.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Argan Oil
2 tbsp Honey

Preparation:
Mix Honey and Argan oil in mixing bowl.
Serve.

Tip: Try Argan Oil Honey Spread on All American pancakes – a great alternative to syrup!


Amlou Makes: 1 cup (8 servings)
A Berber breakfast classic. Combines roasted almonds with Argan oil and honey. Amlou tastes fantastic on bagels, toast and crepes.

Ingredients:
4 ounces roasted almonds
4 tbsp Argan oil
2 tbsp Honey

Grind almonds in a food processor to paste
Put almond paste in mixing bowl
Stir in Argan Oil
Stir in Honey
Serve.

Tip: If you want to have a real Berber experience, try Amlou on Mediterranean style pita bread.
Another Tip: To make this recipe even simpler, use Almond Nut Butter instead of roasted almonds



Salads

Arugula salad with Feta and Argan oilServes 2
Sophisticated, but easy to prepare. Ideal nutritious and delicious late night snack after a long day at work.

Ingredients:
3 ounces arugula leaves
3 ounces feta cheese
3 tbsp. Argan oil
Salt
Coarse ground pepper

Preparation:
Dice feta cheese
Drizzle 2 tbsp. Argan oil on top of diced or crumbled cheese
Let feta cheese sit for 5 minutes
Mix arugula and feta cheese in mixing bowl
Stir in remaining Argan oil
Add salt and pepper to taste
Mix well
Serve.

Tip: Tastes great with all types of feta cheese – however, absolutely divine with goat cheese feta.



Asparagus SaladServes 2
Nutritious salad, prepared in less than 30 minutes

Ingredients:
12 ounces fresh asparagus
1 large egg
4 tbsp Argan oil
1 tbsp Aceto Balsamico (balsamic vinegar)
1 tsp Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Fresh basil, chopped

Preparation:
Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add asparagus spears, butter and salt. Cook asparagus for about 6 - 10 minutes until tender crisp.
Boil egg until hard.

Prepare vinaigrette by mixing Argan oil, Aceto Balsamico, mustard, salt and ground pepper in a bowl.
Stir in two tablespoons of asparagus jus (water used to boil the asparagus) to finish vinaigrette.
Peel hard boiled egg and cut in small cubes.

Arrange whole spears on plates. Pour vinaigrette over asparagus.
Finish by sprinkling egg dices and basil over asparagus.
Serve lukewarm.

Tip: for a more European version, try to get hard to find white asparagus (do not forget to thoroughly peel spears before cooking), use white balsamic vinegar and replace basil with chives.


Beef Carpaccio on bed of summer salads and Argan oilServes 4

Ingredients:
8 ounces beef tenderloin
2 tbsp Aceto Balsamico
3 tbsp Argan oil
2 tbsp soy oil
1 tbsp water
Salt
Pepper
2 ounces field salad
2 ounces Lollo rosso
1 stalk of celery
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preparation:
Prepare vinaigrette by mixing Argan oil, balsamic vinegar, soy oil, water, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Slice beef tenderloin in 8 thin slices.
Slice Parmigiano-Regiano in small, thin slices.
Arrange beef slices, salads and celery on plates.
Sprinkle vinaigrette over salad and beef.
Season with pepper.
Garnish with cheese.
Serve.

Tip: Freeze the beef for one hour before slicing, and use bread machine for slicing the frozen beef into thin slices


Pasta

Farfalle Colorata Olio di Argan

This is a simple but great tasting pasta dish. We love it with colored pasta shapes, but Olio di Argan (Argan oil) works as well with uncolored Semolina pasta

Ingredients:
Farfalle Colorata (or other naturally colored pasta shapes)
Argan Oil
Pepper
Salt

Preparation:
Boil pasta in lightly salted water for for 8 – 10 minutes
Drain.
Add Argan oil.
Add coarse ground pepper.
Serve.

Tip: Olio di Argan (Argan oil) is a great companion to your favorite pasta made from semolina wheat, whether they come shaped, in rods, tubes or ribbons or any other form


Fish

Salmon Tartar with Argan oilServes 4

Great appetizer.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of fresh, sushi grade salmon, skin removed
5 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
4 tbsp chives, finely chopped
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp argan oil
salt
ground pepper

Preparation
Cut salmon into small pieces of about 1/8 inch.
Thoroughly mix half of the chopped chives, shallots, lemon juice, argan oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add salmon and mix thoroughly. Cover bowl and place salmon tartar in refrigerator for two hours.
After two hours, arrange salmon tartar on plates, garnish with remaining chives and serve.

Tip: Potato pancakes or small boiled potatoes are perfect complements to the Salmon Tartar


Monkfish Fillet Arrabbiata.Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 medium monkfish filets
4 pounds plum tomatoes, finely chopped
2 small red chili peppers, finely chopped
2 large garlic gloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of Argan oil
Salt
Pepper
Fresh parsley

Preparation:
Mix chopped tomatoes, chili peppers and garlic in bowl. Add argan oil, salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly.
Pour half of arrabbiata sauce in baking form. Lightly season fish fillets with pepper and salt.
Place seasoned fish fillets in baking form. Cover fish fillets with remaining arrabiatta sauce.

Preheat oven at 400 C. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes.
Arrange fish fillet arrabiata on plates, add fresh parsley.
Serve with basmati rice or wild rice.



Dessert

Vanilla Ice Cream and Argan oil.

Ingredients:
Favorite Vanilla Ice Cream
Argan Oil

Preparation:
Drizzle Argan oil on vanilla ice cream
Enjoy!

Tip: Works on other ice cream flavors too!

Nutrition Information
Organic: Certified USDA and EU organic by Ecocert

Mono-unsaturated Fatty Acids
Oleic 18:1 44.0 – 48.0 %
Other < 1%

Poly-unsaturated Fatty Acids
Linoleic 18:2 30.0 – 36.0 %
Other < 1%

Saturated Fatty Acids
Palmitic 16:0 13.0 – 14.5%
Stearic 18:0 5 - 6.5 %
Other < 1%

Tocopherols (per kg)
alpha 40 – 50 mg
beta 1 – 2 mg
gamma 480 - 550 mg
delta 35 – 50 mg
Total Tocopherols 580 - 660 mg

Sterols (per kg)
Spinasterol 950 - 1550 mg
Schottenol 1350 - 1650 mg
Other 350 – 450 mg
Total Sterols 2700 - 3700 mg

Squalene 3000 – 3300 mg/kg

Technical Data
Density at 15° C:0.917
Refractive Index: 1.471
Crismer Value: 69° - 70°
Smoke Point: 215° C / 420° F
Sapponification Index 189 – 193
Peroxide Index 1.0 – 1.5

pojemno¶æ 250ml.