Beirut, Lebanon – Despite the colourful decorations and bright lanterns adorning the streets, families across Lebanon are struggling to put food on the table during the holy month of Ramadan.
Meteoric increases in the cost of even simple staples have left many unable to afford a basic Iftar meal, turning what should be a period of celebration into yet another sour reminder of the country’s seemingly endless troubles.
According to new figures recently published by the American University of Beirut’s (AUB) Crisis Observatory, prices have already increased dramatically by as much as 300 percent for some basic items over the past year.
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Ramadan is usually a festive season, welcomed by Muslims on all four corners of the globe. This year, however, it cast a long dark shadow over the people of Lebanon, who dreaded the thought of having to feed their families with a proper meal for thirty-days in a row. Most simply, could not afford it.
It no longer feels nor smells like Ramadan in Beirut. Gone are the delicious smells of Levantine cuisine flowing from the open windows of families in Hamra, Basta, and Zoukak al-Blatt. Down are the big tents that hosted festive musical suhoors, once a prime attraction of the Lebanese capital during the Holy Month.
BEIRUT: After a year of economic meltdown in Lebanon, Hala Sheikh is sticking to a modest menu as she prepares the evening meal for her family to break their daily Ramadan fast.
Even the humble fattoush, a popular salad that she prepares for dinner, has tripled in cost since last year, leaving millions of Lebanese struggling to put food on the table in the Muslim holy month which is usually a time of celebration.
“We didn’t want to prepare unnecessary stuff,” Sheikh said as she got ready for the first Ramadan meal this week. “We prepared basic things like fattoush, soup and a main course we will not prepare big meals like last year or the year before.”
After a year of economic meltdown in Lebanon, Hala Sheikh is sticking to a modest menu as she prepares the evening meal for her family to break their daily Ramadan fast.