Jams have been absent for the second consecutive year from Najwa’s pantry. Najwa used to make jams abundantly in various types and gift them to relatives and neighbors, in a social custom familiar to the people of Latakia. It was enough for someone to praise her jams for her to promise them a gift, which she would always fulfill.

Najwa (65 years old) resides in Kirsana near Latakia and is a homemaker with extensive experience in making preserves, especially jams, from apricots to figs, pumpkins, apples, and all kinds of fruits. However, the high prices have deprived the elderly lady of preparing jams.

The price of a kilo of apricots did not fall below 20,000 Syrian pounds this year ($1.3 USD), and each kilo requires an equal amount of sugar priced at 15,000 pounds ($1 USD).

A kilo of pumpkin did not fall below 3,000 pounds, and the weight of a good single pumpkin usually ranges between 10 to 20 kilograms. Each kilogram requires a kilo of sugar, making the cost extremely high for the lady who has no provider other than her retired husband with a salary that isn’t even enough to cover medicine costs. She also receives some assistance from her children, as she mentioned.

On the other hand, Hanan succeeded in preparing three kilograms of apricot jam, as she obtained the fruits from the tree in front of her house in the village of Fadra, which made the task easier and reduced the cost.

Hanan (38 years old) rationed the use of sugar, using only two kilograms instead of three. She faced her husband’s refusal of the process, who threatened not to buy a gas cylinder from the black market at a price of 300,000 pounds if the cylinder ran out as a result of using part of it to prepare the jam. She eventually convinced him to light the fire.

“Eggplant jam is a dream”

For many years, Wafaa (55 years old) used to make eggplant jam, one of the most famous types of jams in Latakia, which homemakers used to excel at making by adding walnuts and nuts, and taking great care in its preparation.

Wafaa, who lives in the city of Jableh, said that “eggplant jam is a dream that has ended.” She doubts she can make it today with the same quality she used to, four years ago.

The lady used to soak the eggplants overnight in a lime solution, then wash them well the next day. She would add about a kilo and a quarter of sugar per kilo of eggplant and let it boil on the fire for several hours before adding nuts and flavorings like rose water and mastic.

The main problem lies in the price of sugar and the cost of gas, as the price of a kilo of eggplant is manageable and does not exceed 3,000 pounds currently, according to Wafaa. She added that she does not know if she will make it again in her lifetime.

Today, the lady relies on her deceased husband’s pension from 15 years ago, which is a small pension that doesn’t cover the cost of blood pressure medications and food expenses. She can’t ask her children as their financial situations are “barely enough” to manage their own families, according to her.

The minimum wage for government employees in areas controlled by the Syrian regime is 279,000 Syrian pounds ($18.1 USD). Meanwhile, in Syria, 16.7 million people need humanitarian assistance, according to estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).