Santo Domingo, DR.
The Dominican families face a complex scenario of the decision to make Dominican dishes daily because of the cost of the elaboration and related to their incomes.
El Listín Diario inquired about the price, which implies that a family of five members tasted the popular mangú with salami for dinner or lunch, according to the costs of official publications.
As simple as it may seem, making certain local dishes, given the inflation scenario that prevails in the world and that directly affects consumers and workers, complicates purchasing certain products of the family basket.
Although the prices of articles have remained stable, according to data from the National Institute for the Protection of Consumer Rights (Proconsumidor), preparing various meals is a daily challenge for homemakers, who have to find ways to ensure that their children eat well.
When consulting Proconsumidor’s Dominican Price Information System, it was found that the price of certain products may vary according to brand and size.
In this case, to make a mangú with salami, the cost of a unit of plantain can be found from RD$17.64 to a maximum value of RD26.59.
To the list is added to buy a pound of salami of a generic brand that starts from RD$93.00 to RD$209.00 since this sausage accompanies this meal. If you like to fry the salami, the cost increases since you must buy oil, so a 16-ounce bottle is between RD$74.00 and RD$95.00.
Costs
If the chef runs out of gas in their stove when making this favorite dish of Dominicans, they’ll need to have RD$147.60 to buy a gallon of this fuel.
However, the margarine is missing to add a little texture and flavor, and according to the website of the consumer protection institution, getting 15 ounces of this product would cost RD$120.00.
To prepare this delicacy, a family needs about nine plantains, whose cost amounts to RD$162. This figure would add a pound and a half of salami for RD$140, the oil, the gallon of gas, and the butter. So, the total cost of this dish rises to RD$671 when all these factors are considered.
While it is true that if the members decide to make the salami guisado, the budget could be expanded by integrating new ingredients such as tomato sauce which is around RD$50; the cubanela chili at RD$35, and the pound of garlic at RD$89.
If this household chooses to eat this dish for a month, they would have to have RD$20,130, which represents almost four-fifths of the RD$25,215.73 corresponding to the cost of the basic family basket of the first quintile of the population, that is, of the lowest social stratum.
Basket
According to the latest report on the basic family food basket cost by income quintiles published in recent days by the Central Bank, the national food basket increased to RD$42,482.52 in September, when for the previous month, it stood at RD$40,358.58.
Aids
According to the Central Bank, the inter-annual inflation went down due to the effectiveness of the subsidies implemented by the Government for fuels and the pause to the electricity tariff.