“I used to host my sisters for lunch every Friday at the family home, but I stopped that tradition after meat and poultry prices rose,” said Ahmed Sayed, 40, explaining how rising prices in Egypt’s markets have affected him socially.

As Egyptians approach the holy month of Ramadan, they face a major dilemma amid a climate of austerity now shaping social relations, driven by inflation, the collapse of the local currency, declining wages and rising prices of essential goods.

Marked negative shifts have affected patterns of social relations and family visits among Egyptians, against the backdrop of a deteriorating economic situation under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has been in power since mid-2014.

Decline in family feasts

Egyptians are known for hosting Ramadan banquets — family gatherings that bring relatives together. However, this tradition has declined sharply in recent years. Inflation reached a historic 38 per cent in September 2023, then eased to 31.8 per cent in April 2024, before falling further to 11.9 per cent year-on-year in January 2026.

Abu Waleed Salah, 65, told Middle East Monitor: “I remember during one Ramadan in the 1990s, my wife, my two children and I were invited to 27 iftars. We hosted relatives ourselves for three days, at a time when life was cheap, simple and accessible to everyone.”

Communal iftar gatherings within Egyptian families — a key expression of maintaining kinship ties — have faded in the face of steep price rises across food items, particularly animal protein.

In Egyptian popular culture, it is considered improper to host guests without serving meat — whether red or white — on the table. However, the price of beef has risen to 440 Egyptian pounds per kilogramme (around $10), poultry to more than 100 pounds per kilogramme (over $2), and tilapia to 100 pounds per kilogramme (over $2). This comes in addition to sharp increases in the prices of vegetables, fruit and desserts — all customary elements of the Egyptian table.

A 2022 study covering 6,000 households across Egypt found that 85 per cent had reduced their consumption of meat, while 75 per cent had cut back on poultry and eggs due to rising........

© Middle East Monitor