The Berber almond butter of the Souss: toasted almonds ground with argan oil and honey, spread on bread
Origin: The Souss Valley and Agadir, Morocco
From the journey of Almond.
Amlou is the almond butter of southern Morocco, the rich, glossy spread of the Berber (Amazigh) people of the Souss, the argan country between Agadir and Taroudant. It is made of three things, all of the region: toasted almonds, the honey of the local hives, and argan oil, the rare amber oil pressed from the kernels of the argan tree that grows almost nowhere else on earth. Ground together, they make a loose, pourable paste the colour of dark caramel, eaten at breakfast spread thickly on bread or msemen, the flaky Moroccan pancake, and set out for guests as a mark of welcome. The dish is the everyday face of the Moroccan almond, far from the fine pastries of the imperial cities: a country food, energy-dense and nourishing, made by hand in the homes of the Souss where the women have long pressed the argan and ground the amlou on stone querns. The argan oil gives it a deep, nutty, faintly smoky flavour found in no other nut butter, and the honey binds and sweetens it. To eat amlou with warm bread and a glass of mint tea is to taste the particular landscape of the Moroccan south. Argan oil has become a luxury export in recent decades, and good amlou with it; but in its homeland it remains a humble, beloved staple, the breakfast that begins the day across the argan forests.
Amlou keeps for several weeks in a sealed jar at room temperature; the oil may rise, so stir before each use. If argan oil is hard to find, a mild almond oil gives an honest, if less distinctive, result. Some households add a little ground roasted sesame for extra depth.
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