Makdous What does a family's batch cost this year?
Episode date: Length: 1 min 28 s
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Makdous season has started: small eggplants stuffed with walnuts and red pepper and preserved in oil. The Mukhtar went to the market to cost a batch for a family of five.
The short answer
In October 2025 a seller costed a family of five's makdous at about $43 (5,000 new Syrian pounds, or 500,000 old): 20 kilos of eggplant about $8.7, 2 kilos of walnuts about $13, 2 kilos of red pepper about $5.2, and the rest is oil. Ready made makdous cost about $13 a kilo.
The seller worked it out with the Mukhtar: 20 kilos of eggplant about $8.7 (1,000 new pounds), 2 kilos of walnuts about $13 (1,500 pounds), 2 kilos of red pepper about $5.2 (600 pounds), and the rest is oil. Total: about $43 (5,000 new pounds).
How much is boiled, ready eggplant?
After boiling, a kilo costs about $3 to $3.5 (350 to 400 new pounds), because about 3 kilos of raw eggplant give 1 kilo boiled and drained.
How much is ready made makdous?
A seller said a kilo of ready makdous sells for about $13 (1,500 new pounds) and costs about $12 (1,350 pounds) to make.
Oil is the big cost
"The oil breaks your back," one seller said. Many mix local olive oil with cheaper oil to cut the cost. A seller said prices are close to last year.
Questions people ask
What does makdous cost a family in Syria in 2025?
About $43 (5,000 new Syrian pounds) for a family of five, per a Damascus seller's costing in October 2025.
How much is ready made makdous?
About $13 a kilo (1,500 new Syrian pounds) in October 2025.
How much raw eggplant makes a kilo boiled?
About 3 kilos of raw eggplant give 1 kilo boiled and drained.
We ask sellers in the market and record every price with its date, in US dollars and new Syrian pounds. How we work
The Mukhtar Al Souq team: produced by Ahmad Nahas (the show on his site) · written by Ahmad Nahas, Mazen Shbib, Ranim Shabani and Dania Halbouni · edited by Abdulrahman Al-Nassar and Abdulrahman Mulla · graphics by Wael Fayyad
The truth from the market, for the people