Pine nuts Why are they so expensive in Syria, and how to spot local ones?
Episode date: Length: 1 min 26 s
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Pine nuts top every festive dish, but their price is scary. The Mukhtar asked Damascus sellers what they cost, why, and how the types differ.
The short answer
In October 2025 a kilo of local pine nuts in Damascus cost about $64 (7,500 new Syrian pounds) and Pakistani about $39 (4,500 pounds); when supply is short the price can pass $94 (11,000 pounds). They are expensive because they are hard to crack and production is small.
Sellers said local pine nuts, Syrian or Turkish, cost about $64 a kilo (7,500 new pounds) and Pakistani about $39 (4,500 pounds). When supply is short the price can pass $94 (11,000 pounds).
Why so expensive?
They are hard to crack and production is small. A seller said local output is weak and does not cover the market, so much comes from Pakistan and Turkey.
How do you tell local from Pakistani?
Local pine nuts are white with smaller kernels. Pakistani ones are yellowish, larger and longer.
Questions people ask
How much are pine nuts in Syria?
In October 2025 local pine nuts cost about $64 a kilo (7,500 new Syrian pounds) and Pakistani about $39 (4,500 pounds) in Damascus.
Why are pine nuts expensive?
They are hard to crack and production is small; local output does not cover the market.
How do I tell local pine nuts from Pakistani?
Local ones are white with smaller kernels; Pakistani ones are yellowish and larger.
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