In this northwestern African country, you will find rich culture, stunning architecture, kind people, and many more interesting things. You will also find a unique species of goats. Welcome to Morocco: the home of flying goats.
Are you imagining goats with wings? These goats don’t have wings, but they have the ability to climb high on trees. These goats are very useful to the farmers who prepare argan oil.
One of Morocco’s most sought-after items is argan oil. Once upon a time, the local Amazigh people of Morocco used argan oil to treat skin problems. They made argan oil use popular. It is famously known as the Moroccan oil or liquid gold. Today, it is widely used in many beauty products across the world.
The oil is made out of nuts that grow on the argan trees. There is a seaside city called Essaouira in Morocco where you find vast fields of argan trees. The farmers harvest the nuts in the traditional way. And this conventional way includes goats!
To make the oil, the farmer will have to crack open the nuts. But these nuts are extremely difficult to crack. And this is where goats come to the rescue. Goats love argan nuts. Naturally, the Moroccan goats climb up these high trees to feast on the delicious nuts.
Once they poop the nuts out, they are easier to open. The farmers pick the nuts from the goat poop and then process them further to make the oil. This oil is cleansed once more thoroughly before it is used in beauty products.
Over the years, the world’s use of argan oil increased. To meet the demand, today most of the argan oil used in cosmetics is produced without the help of goats. However, in Morocco, there are some places where the traditional goat-argan oil method is still in use.