The most expensive churros in history: 44% more in one year
Cooking churros at home has never been so expensive. Three basic ingredients such as flour, oil and sugar, necessary to prepare one of the most popular sweets in our gastronomy, have experienced unprecedented increases so far this year, so making churros at home is today a 44% more expensive.
Olive oil is the main responsible for this increase in price. The latest inflation data, corresponding to the month of September, published yesterday by the INE, showed an increase of 67% in the last 12 months. The price of what is also called liquid gold does not stop rising and has already risen for 29 consecutive months, with an average price per liter that has already reached 8.34 euros in the main supermarkets in our country – it is the average of the shelves of Mercadona, Dia, Carrefour and Alcampo -, almost 3 euros more than in September of last year.
Farmers point to the drought as the origin of the greatest increases in this product: the lack of water has led to a poor harvest and the production of the oil has not covered the demand.. This upward path began in April 2021 and since then its price has multiplied by more than two, with an increase of 136.6%.
Sugar is another of the products that has become more expensive in the last year. In total, 40%. Consumers have gone from paying an average of 60 cents for a one-kilo package in September 2022, to the 1.46 euros that marked the shelves of large stores a month ago.
With these increases, it already seems clear that making homemade churros is going to be significantly more expensive than a year ago.. To prepare two dozen you need: 120 grams of flour, 200 grams of sugar and approximately one and a half liters of oil. Buying everything costs around 4.7 euros. 12 months ago, 3 euros.
Olive oil and sugar lead the largest year-on-year increases among foods, but the shopping basket continues to become more expensive. Last September, food prices registered an increase of 10.5%, as indicated by the latest data published by the INE.. The CPI increased 0.2% in September compared to August and increased its interannual rate by nine tenths, to 3.5%, mainly due to the rise in fuel and electricity prices.
Cooking them at home is more expensive, but eating them at a churrería is also more expensive.. San Ginés, for example, one of the most traditional establishments in Madrid, has experienced an increase in supplies that has translated into a 5% increase in its prices.. This place that is part of the Madrid landscape and culture uses around 250 liters of oil a day to make churros and porras.. Daniel Real, their manager, confesses that they had to raise prices a few months ago to be able to face this crisis that seems to give no respite.. “Customers are not to blame in the end”. Thus, eating a menu of 6 churros or two porras and a chocolate now costs €5.50, when “a few months ago it was around €5.30 approximately.”
Also in neighborhood churrerías such as the one located in Madrid's Barrio del Pilar, Churrería Rafa, today sell more expensive churros and porras than they did a few months ago.. “We use 15 liters a day and until a few months ago they only sold us one bottle due to lack of production.”
In general, it is not contemplated to eat churros or porras without their hot chocolate, another product that suffers the consequences of inflation.. Chocolate has become more expensive by 10.8% between September 2022 and the same month of 2023. Buying a tablet ranges from 1.15 euros from Mercadona or Carrefour to 1.5 euros from Alcampo. Almost 20 cents more than a year ago. Milk, for its part, is not exempt from this increase and a one-liter brick now costs almost one euro on average, 90 cents, when 12 months ago it was 78 cents.
The classic Sunday snacks or breakfasts have become almost a luxury. In total, a homemade chocolate with churros can cost 6.82 euros, almost three euros more than in the previous year.