The thought of buying red meat has become like a stroke for Syrian society. As soon as there is an occasion or celebration, the citizen suffers a heart attack when he decides to calculate the price of even half a kilo of chicken, wishing that the matter had remained just an idea in his head.
Because no one surpasses Syrians in finding effective and quick solutions, they have recently substituted red meat with soy, fantasizing that it is a good alternative to meat.
It seems that someone was quick to take advantage of the weather conditions, harnessing the rain for their own benefit, which facilitated the sprouting of mushrooms at a rapid pace. This became a suitable solution and option for many.
Not only did Syrians find an alternative, but as is their custom, they left their own special imprint by dubbing their new food "poor people's meat." However, it is protein-rich meat capable of filling the void left in Syrian households for red meat and chicken due to their insane prices, which now occasionally visit homes once in a blue moon, if we assert that their visits have ended once and for all.
The prices of "boneless meat" range between 35,000 and 50,000 Syrian pounds. After farmers harvest it, they sell it to markets, where the royal porcini mushroom sits among vegetables, announcing its distinction and primacy among all plant types.
Farmer "Abu Ahmed" explained that this year, after the start of the winter season with heavy rainfall, dropping temperatures, thunderstorms, the sprouting of mushrooms in the land has increased, which encouraged residents to rush to places where mushrooms grow. Wherever you find a large gathering in rural land, know that the magical being has already emerged and is in need of a popular reception befitting it and its pickers, who have been starved for months on end.
Just as a mother awaits seeing her baby after a painful labor, so do Syrians eagerly await the sprouting of mushroom pods from the womb of the earth after a harsh, rainy night. You find them in the morning with cheerful faces and broad smiles stretching their lips during the search and mushroom picking process.
By comparison, red meat ranges between 200-250 thousand pounds, a kilo of chicken is 58 thousand pounds, without delving into the prices of its remaining parts because they are more burdensome than the former. It should be noted that this kilo makes you only satisfy your sense of smell, meaning "smell but don't taste," while a kilo of mushrooms costs about 25-30 thousand pounds. Three dishes can be cooked with that amount; it can even be cooked with vegetables.
However, the matter is not without some of the problems that Syrians are used to appearing before them when they think they have survived. Caution and care must be exercised when consuming mushrooms, ensuring they are safe for human consumption in order to avoid poisoning from some types that are toxic.
