What is a Pouf? Poof? Ottoman?
What is a Moroccan Pouf? Poof? Ottoman? Foot stool?
Pouf is derived from the French word bouffer which means to puff. A pouffe is a low footstool or ottoman. It is also derived from the French word bouffer. A pouffe means a low stuffed seat without back or arms. A pouf is a little different from your average ottoman. They are usually a little less structured, their sturdiness is based on how much stuffing is inside of them.
Until I started writing this blog I really never knew the origin of the word “pouf”! As you see from above it has a French origin. Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912 to 1956 when they finally won their independence. One of Morocco’s official languages is French – and they produce wine – vineyards planted by the French of course.
Genuine leather poufs from Morocco are one of our best sellers, they do not break and they are easy to ship unstuffed. Moroccans have been tanning goat and sheep leather for over 800 years and yes, the smell is atrocious! In fact when visiting the tannery they give you a bouquet of mint to hold next to your nose for the duration! Imagine how the workers deal with this. Again, it is centuries of tradition. A post at the tanneries is only earned through your father! The pay must be good as the working conditions are not, but they have pride in their work and conviviality amongst the workers.
The dye pots in Fez in particular they are numerous, each with its own natural colour from pigments in nature. For example: Yellow is Tumeric and Orange is Saffron. Royal Purple for the Pope’s robes comes from a seashell on an island near Essaouria, Morocco.
A Pouf of Any Colour!
The sequence is cleaning the skins with sheep urine ( thus the smell), dying it in the vats with natural pigments , then drying it in under the hot Moroccan sun. And POUF! The artisan converts this leather into purses, jackets, slippers and POUFS!
What I discovered on my visit to the souk in Marrakech was that pouf making was a joint effort between men and women. Men traditionally are work the sewing machines – they do the heavy work of joining the triangular pieces together while the women embroider the decoration on the centre of the pouf. This can often been done from the home between tending children and cooking. The men gravitate to the souk where they create or bargain with tourists and take a call to prayer break at least 3 times in their workday. It is a very traditional life, but it seems to work. Moroccans are very happy people!
Corinne Thomson
February 24 2024