Meat off the menu in Lebanon as poverty bites

Meat off the menu in Lebanon as poverty bites

BEIRUT: Layla Ibrahim has cut down on her daily meat consumption, not because of a health fad but forced by Lebanon’s bruising economic crisis. “I used to eat a slice of meat, chicken or fish every day, but the prices of these items have become ridiculous,” the 44-year-old mother of two told AFP. “Out of necessity and not choice, I have almost become a vegetarian,” she added.

Lebanon is grappling with an unprecedented financial crisis that the World Bank says is of a scale usually associated with full-scale wars. The currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value on the black market, more than 80 percent of the population lives in poverty, and prices have skyrocketed. The price of imported red meat has increased fivefold, with some cuts costing more than the monthly minimum wage of 675,000 Lebanese pounds ($33).

As a result, dietary habits have changed and plant-based dishes – a popular part of Lebanon’s Mediterranean cuisine – are now a main course in many households. For Ibrahim and her family, meat is served only once a week and even then in small portions. “We started using smaller quantities of minced meat in stuffings and stews,” Ibrahim said. “Even