Episode date: Length: 1 min 26 s
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Word spread of minced meat mixed with turkey. The Mukhtar went to the Bab Srijeh market in Damascus and asked butchers: is it true, and how can buyers tell?
The short answer
Butchers in Bab Srijeh said some sellers mix mince with turkey breast, spleen and fat, and add dye to redden it. In September 2025 a kilo of meat cost about $11 to $15 (1,200 to 1,600 new Syrian pounds), so a kilo under about $4.6 (500 pounds) is suspicious.
One butcher said some mince has turkey breast added, along with spleen and fat, coarsely ground with dye that gives it a red colour. He said his shop does not do it.
How much is a kilo of meat?
Butchers said some malls sell a kilo for about $15 (1,600 new pounds) and others about $11 (1,200 pounds).
How can you tell?
A butcher said that if a kilo sells under 500 new pounds, he does not know what is in it. Ordinary buyers cannot spot the mix by eye, so buy from a butcher you know and ask for it to be minced in front of you.
And bones?
Bones are sold too, for lentil soup for example, the butchers said.
Questions people ask
Is minced meat mixed with turkey in Syria?
Butchers in Bab Srijeh, Damascus, said some sellers mix mince with turkey breast, spleen, fat and dye.
How much is meat in Damascus in September 2025?
About $11 to $15 a kilo (1,200 to 1,600 new Syrian pounds), according to butchers.
How can I tell if mince is mixed?
It is hard by eye. A very low price is a warning sign; buy from a butcher you know and have it minced in front of you.
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