Adam Harvey, Author at In The Know Morocco

Many people have heard or traveled to Morocco but not many people know what does Morocco produce? Morocco is very well known for a number of things it produces such as fresh fruits and vegetables, argan oil, phosphate, seaweed to make cosmetic products, Leather products such as shoes, bags etc and also ceramics from the clay craftsmen and women who make them. These are just a few of the many things Morocco produces and we will cover them more below in a little more detail. Fruits and Vegetables Fruits and vegetables are widely grown and produced in Morocco. Agriculture is one of the main sources of income for Moroccans and having tried first hand their produce i have to say its one of the best i have ever tasted. The soil in which they are grown is very rich and produces high-quality produce. Go to any of the souks (markets) in Morocco or even on the side of the streets and you will find plenty of vendors selling freshly harvested produce and its super cheap! I visit Morocco usually twice a year as my wife Imane is from Morocco and our family live in El Jadida. I love to spend my summers there and eat plenty of fresh produce either in a tagine or just simply washed, cooked and prepared in a traditional way. Leather bags and shoes Morocco has become famous for its handicrafts and artisan shops. There are many tanneries located in Morocco and one of the famous ones is in Fez. Here in the tanneries, you will find workers taking a hide of the animal and soaking in different pools. Some of the pools have ammonia to seal and protect the leather prior to working them for a bag or a pair of shoes. The other pools as shown in the image are holding different color dyes that will enable the color to be in the bag or shoes post-manufacture. Having visited the tanneries a few times, the smell of the ammonia can be quite overbearing. I usually am handed a piece of mint by the tannery owner which i then hold close to my nose to avoid the stench and instead smell the sweet mint smell. I highly recommend a visit to the tanneries and the surrounding shops that sell leather bags, footrests, wallets, purses, and shoes as it really is a unique experience and seeing first hand how a piece of leather is worked from its raw being to the finished product. Argan Oil Argania (Berber: ⴰⵔⴳⴰⵏ argan) is a genus of flowering plants containing the sole species Argania spinosa, known as argan, a tree endemic to the calcareous semidesert Sous valley of southwestern Morocco. Argan trees grow to 8–10 m (26–33 ft) high and live up to approximately 200 years old. Argan oil has fast become famous around the world for its natural goodness and can be found now in many cosmetic products around the world. Commonly found in its natural format an oil or now in shampoos and conditioners. My favorite by-product of Argan is the nut and when it is crushed, pressed and mixed with argan oil it produces a wonderful almost peanut butter-like substance which we call Amlou. I love to spread Amlou onto a piece of bread or toast, it's super yum and if you get the chance to try i highly recommend you do! Phosphate One of the main products exported from Morocco is Phosphate. Morocco holds 75% of the phosphate reserves of the world, and is ranked third in the world in its production. 10% of the production comes from Bou Craa, a mine in the Western Sahara, a territory of Morocco. It is extremely valuable to Morocco and forms a major part of their GDP. This has created many jobs for Moroccans who work in the mines in order to produce the Phosphate for export. Many private sector companies also work as subcontractors in the port and mines where the Phosphate is mined. Spices Famous for its Souks (markets) , Morocco is also famous for its spices. Djemaa el Fna is the epicenter of Marrakech and a famous souk where many tourists like to visit. Here you can find many spices but Morocco is widely known for using a famous collection of 10 spices also knownas "Ras El Hanout". This spice mix consists of: Cayenne (felfla), cinnamon (karfa), turmeric (quekoum), ginger (skinjbir), black pepper (elbezar), aniseed (nafaa), seaseme seeds (jinjelan), cumin (kamoon), paprika (felfla hlouwa), and saffron (zafrane). This mix is used often in making Tagine whether lamb or beef or chicken and it is what provides the wonderful and vibrant tastes you will find in Moroccan food. Seaweed The "Red" color seaweed or also known as the Moroccan Gold is hugely popular around the world and has become famous for its health properties. Throughout certain parts of the year you will find many local Moroccans working the beaches and collecting the seaweed from the rocks or divers collecting it and bringing to the beach. The seas weed is stacked in huge piles and left to dry before being collected by cosmetic manufacturers for which it is then used for soaps and shampoos mainly. I've driven past large piles of the seas weed on my visits to Morocco and they always have this vibrant "pink/red" color to them, they are quite a remarkable sight! Image credit Green Prophet The local people work extremely hard to harvest this seaweed and it is extremely valuable to those that are willing to pay the price and hence the name "Moroccan Gold". Ceramics Another product Morocco is famous for is its ceramic work, whether this is in the form of clay plates or bathrooms you will always see an array of vibrant colors and amazing pieces of work in ceramic throughout Morocco. A great place to see such work is in the souks where you can find many plates, salad bowls, condiment dishes, and ashtrays all handmade from clay and colored in wonderful vibrant colors. I honestly love walking through the souks in Morocco and seeing all these wonderful crafts, they certainly make fantastic statement pieces in my home and as gifts for friends and family. In Summary Morocco, as you can see from above, is very well known for quite a number of products. Its a great place to visit and see how hardworking the people of Morocco really are. Their fruit and vegetable produce is some of the best i have ever had the pleasure to taste. I hope this article helped to answer your question about what does Morocco produce.