Oil of the Berbers - now available to you...

We’ve talked about Moroccan Argan oil before (seriously, read the article, this stuff is amazing). A brief recap: has tons of tocopherols (vitamin E) and good oil parts (EFAs for those of you who know what those are). It’s harvested by women’s cooperatives in the Essaura region of Morocco. Oh, and it’s tasty and one of the latest trends of the global chefarati.

We’ve found a great producer: Alili Morocco. This oil is organic, has an amazing nutty aroma and is a great price. (They also have a lot of other great Moroccan products there, too – harissa, olive products, etc).

100ml = $18

Yes, it's still really good for you

We were discussing an article on green tea that had popped up recently. We had forgotten what a super healthy super food this is. The article (which of course we can’t find any longer, though a bunch of data is on wikipedia) discussed numerous health benefits and studies that had turn them up. One of the great things about studying tea is that there is a ton of green tea drinkers in Japan and China. So they can really do studies on it.

Some of the purported benefits:

• Anti-cancer benefits (studies support numerous types including prostate and lung)
• Reduction of abdominal fat (heart benefits)
• Increased metabolism
• Anti-fungal
• Anti-inflammatory (heart benefits, arthritis and other inflammatory disease benefits)
• Anti-bacterial
• Stops bad breath
• Reduction of stress hormones

Additionally, studies were done comparing longevity and other things among non-tea drinkers and those who drink tea. One particular study from northern Japan done with 40,000 people – a huge sample – showed that those who drank 5 cups of tea a day (no small amount, granted) had a significant reduction in heart disease. 31 percent lower incidence of heart disease for women and 22 percent for men.

Teavana has a great selection of teas including this one: Dragonwell Green Tea. And they are having a big sale right now as well.

$10 for 2 oz. (25-30 cups)

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The next miracle food/skin product?

On a recent trip to New York City, I had dinner at a restaurant called WD50. If you’re not familiar with it, it is the flagship of chef Wylie Dufresne and is renowned for the style of cooking he uses: molecular gastronomy. That is, using science in the kitchen (we have written about this before). At any rate, the meal was fantastic and one item in the desert was argan oil foam. Now getting oil to foam I will leave to Wylie and the molecular gastronomists, however the flavor of the argan oil was amazing.

We were familiar with argan oil before as it is touted to be amazing for one’s skin and hair. Argan oil skin products abound, but word has it the pure argan oil is the best. Apparently argan oil has an amazingly high concentration of tocopherols (vitamin E) as well as phenols (like the amazing resveratrol that is in wine) and essential fatty acids (EFAs). It also has some phytosterols which are allegedly great at healing scars. At any rate, users have touted it as clearing up acne and rosacea, as well as alleviating eczema and the general bragging of silky hair and smooth luxurious skin.

Did I mention it tastes nutty and subtly sweet with a hint of acidity? In Morocco and increasingly in Europe, which has used it for centuries and now the U.S., this oil is used as a flavoring oil – not a cooking one – to add its nutty contribution to all sorts of dishes.

It gets even better though. The oil is extracted from the nut (read: renewable!) of the endemic argan tree. Goats will actually climb to the top of the smaller tree to pick at the nuts (see picture at NY Times Travel). It grows only in Morocco and many of the trees are 150-200 years old. It is ground by hand and – get this – ALL of the argan oil sold is sold through a cooperative that shares its profit with the Berber women who process it by hand (read: very woman friendly) and donates portions of its profit to reforestation (read: environmentally friendly). Does it get any better? A great tasting oil that tastes delicious (it is probably also quite nutritious) and you can rub it all over yourself and look better – and at the same time feel good about it because you are helping women and the environment as well as indigenous cultures.

This bottle is well regarded and is $40 – I don’t see why you couldn’t use it on your face as well…

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