The financial crisis has hit Egypt so hard that the government is advising poor people to eat chicken feet. That makes them better off than Europeans, who are being advised to eat bugs.

Many thanks to Hellequin GB for translating this article from eXXpress. The translator’s comments are in square brackets:

Government recommends to people: “Eat chicken feet for cheap protein”

Egypt is currently in a very bad economic crisis. Prices have doubled or tripled. The Egyptian pound is losing value every day. The current exchange rate is 32.35 LE for €1. This is good news for tourists. A catastrophe for many of the 109 million Egyptians. [No worries: they just move to Europe and will be fed royally by the Taxpayer] The government is already recommending that they eat chicken feet.

Egypt is currently being plagued by an economic crisis like it hasn’t seen in a long time. The spiral of debt, especially with the IMF, keeps spiraling upwards. That’s where prices go up. Sometimes they multiply every week. Even the well-to-do middle class is groaning under the increasing financial burden. “We need a new name for the class that drives, wears clean clothes and has an iPhone but no money,” someone recently posted on Facebook, and that reflects the situation very well. While these people can still save money, the poorer sections of the population already have massive problems with nutrition in general, and there is no longer any talk of healthy nutrition.

Beef hooves are also on the “alternative protein-rich menu”

The Egyptian government’s emergency plan seems like a mockery. “Are you looking for protein-rich food alternatives that are easy on your budget?” was the question in a Facebook post, which then included tips such as eating chicken feet or cattle hooves. Meat is now unaffordable for many people. While the wealthy laugh at this government tip to switch to chicken feet, that’s what the poor are buying. That’s why the price has gone up for them too. They used to cost 10 LE (€0.31); today they are already 20 LE (€0.62). The price of chicken has risen from 30 LE (€0.93) to 70 LE (€2.20) per kilo. Which is an average value. Half a kilo of de-boned chicken leg costs 146 LE (€4.5) in the supermarket in a tourist area for the upper class.

Shortly before the anniversary of the revolution, some voices fear that the chances for another uprising are increasing

Around 30% of Egyptians are poor or at risk of poverty, according to authorities, but the World Bank estimates the figure is 60%. An improvement in the situation is not in sight. According to CNN and the IMF, the mountain of debt has already grown to 85.6% of the country’s trade volume. The military, which has an enormous presence in the economy, is also said to be to blame. On Wednesday, January 25, Egypt will be celebrating the twelfth anniversary of its revolution, and voices have never been so loud that another revolution could be imminent in Egypt if the economic situation does not improve soon.

Afterword from the translator:

Bloody hell, they should see our prices here in South Africa, where a kilo of chicken will cost you between €3 and €5, and deboned will cost you between €5 and €7 per kilo. Chicken feet (traditional food) cost you around €1.50 per kilo and the heads roughly between €1.50 and €2.00. Chicken feet and heads is what blacks buy here, mostly. Feet and heads I buy as a treat for my dogs, since I’m not partial to them at all. Here are a few recipes for those who are interested:

• Video 1
• Video 2
• Video 3

And now there’s this: Canned chicken feet now on the shelves — are South Africans keen?