Cheap and tasty, fried potatoes have become a staple in Lebanese mother Mona Amsha's kitchen in recent years. But with sunflower oil prices soaring due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, she fears even fries will be out of reach this Ramadan.
"In 2021, when the prices were already up, I was using the same oil to cook several dishes," said Amsha, who has three children and lives in a run-down suburb of the capital, Beirut. "Now, I can't even do that."
In Lebanon, where a deep economic crisis has caused food prices to rise 11 times since 2019, according to the World Food Program (WFP), the impact of spiraling wheat, cooking oil and fuel costs will be sorely felt during the Muslim holy month.