Photo: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images
In April, an Egyptian appeared on television with an unusual call to his neighbors: let fish rot. Many heeded his call. Soon, the stench of unsold fish began to fill the markets in Port Said, where the Suez Canal meets the Mediterranean.
Egyptians traditionally celebrate Sham Enessim, the country’s pharaonic spring holiday, by eating faseekh, a fermented mullet. But in the weeks prior to this year’s holiday, which fell on May 6, the price of seafood shot up 180 percent. In Port Said, where seafood is generally an affordable staple protein, the price hikes hit especially hard.
Port Said customers boycotted fish sales in order to reduce fish prices and punish what they saw as opportunistic fishmongers. The fishmongers said it wasn’t their fault. They blamed their suppliers, and added that their energy costs were exploding. Economic reforms demanded by donors, which included subsidy reform and currency devaluation, also helped drive prices up in the spring.
The governor of Port Said supported the boycott movement, and while President Sisi did not weigh in on this protest, he has backed past boycotts targeting ‘greedy’ business owners.
Prices drifted downward in response to the boycott, perhaps with some government pressure or support. Still, everyone wasn’t a winner. Wholesalers exported more fish, and some Egyptians were still unable to afford the traditional holiday dish.
Egyptians have celebrated this holiday for 4,000 years. While economic reforms are hitting many Egyptians hard now, many are hoping for much more affordable faseekh next year.
