What Is Dubai Chocolate? Why The World "Can't Get Knafeh of It"

It starts with a crack. A hand snaps open a glossy chocolate bar and out gushes vivid green pistachio cream, pooling over crunchy golden shards. The camera zooms in. The comments flood. Within hours, millions are glued to the video, hypnotised by the drip. This was not just any chocolate - it was Dubai chocolate, a dessert that turned a simple sweet into a global obsession. By the end of 2023, one clip alone had been seen over 100 million times. Dubai had given the world a new viral spectacle, and suddenly every feed was dripping with pistachio cream.

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The Origin Story of Dubai Chocolate: From Pregnancy Craving to Viral Fame

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The backstory makes it even sweeter. In 2021, Sarah Hamouda, a British-Egyptian engineer based in Dubai, was pregnant and craving something unusual. She joined forces with pastry consultant Nouel Catis Omamalin, and together they fused Middle Eastern nostalgia with chocolate bar convenience. Their creation: a shell of milk or dark chocolate, a centre of pistachio-tahini cream, and a crunch of kataifi (the shredded filo pastry used in knafeh). They called their star bar "Can't Get Knafeh of It."

From the beginning, they treated each piece like art - hand-painting bars in bold streaks and colours. Local buzz followed. But then came the video that tipped it into global fame.

Why The Internet Cannot Stop Watching The Pistachio Ooze

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Dubai Chocolate's success is not accidental. It hit all the right cultural buttons, almost like a screenplay:

• The snap: That sharp crack of chocolate breaking open - perfect ASMR.
• The ooze: The pistachio cream spilling out in thick green ribbons.
• The crunch: Layers of kataifi give texture drama in every bite.
• The scarcity: Fix Dessert Chocolatier, the brand behind it, sells only in Dubai. No shipping abroad. The harder it was to get, the more people wanted it.
• The timing: Pistachio is 2025's flavour of the year, already trending in gelatos, lattes, and cakes.
• The ripple: Big brands jumped in. Lindt launched a Dubai-style chocolate range in the UK, while supermarkets worldwide rationed bars because shelves kept clearing out.

The Chocolate That Shook Supply Chains

The craze was so intense it contributed to a pistachio shortage in early 2025. Exporters warned of spiralling prices, farmers scrambled to meet demand, and suddenly one chocolate bar was being blamed for rattling global agriculture. What began as a TikTok obsession had real-world consequences: nut prices jumped, supply chains strained, and agriculture analysts pointed to Dubai chocolate as the unlikely culprit.

Dubai Chocolate: Real Vs Fake Bars In The Market

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But what goes viral doesn't always stay sweet. In Germany, food regulators tested bars labelled "Dubai chocolate" and found mislabelled fats, allergens, even contamination. Some Turkish knockoffs contained undeclared sesame from tahini.

Scammy websites began selling fake versions to desperate buyers, and disappointed reviews piled up online. Some critics also questioned the taste, arguing the hype overshadowed the flavour: "It's more spectacle than flavour bomb," one review read.

The debate turned Dubai chocolate into more than a snack - it became a conversation about hype, trust, and authenticity.

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Dubai Chocolate Recipe: How To Make Dubai Chocolate At Home

Unless you have a trip to Dubai planned, your best bet is the DIY route. Food bloggers and TikTokers have been attempting homemade spins, and while no one can fully replicate Fix's artistry, the basics are achievable.

Ingredients (makes 2-4 small bars):

1. 200 g good milk or dark chocolate
2. 80 g pistachio butter or paste
3. 1 tbsp tahini (optional, for depth)
4. 100 g kataifi (or shredded filo pastry)
5. 20 g butter or neutral oil
6. A pinch of salt

Optional: chopped pistachios or white chocolate drizzle

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Method:

1. Toast the kataifi: spread on a tray, toss with melted butter, bake at 180 C until golden and crunchy.
2. Make the filling: stir pistachio butter, tahini, and salt into a thick cream.
3. Melt the chocolate gently over a bain-marie.
4. Pour a base layer of chocolate into moulds and chill briefly.
5. Add a layer of kataifi, then spoon pistachio cream on top.
6. Cover with more chocolate, smooth the top, chill until set.
7. Unmould and decorate - drizzle white chocolate or sprinkle nuts if you like.

Tip: The pistachio paste quality is everything. If it tastes flat, the whole bar will.

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What's Next for Dubai Chocolate - From Brownies to Ice Cream

Once something takes over TikTok, it never stays in one lane. We're already seeing riffs: Dubai chocolate brownies, trifles layered with strawberries, and even ice-cream versions spotted at Coachella and Costco. Artisanal makers in Australia and the UK are selling out of their own takes. In India, small chocolatiers are eyeing cashew-pistachio fusions to make it work locally.

But the bigger story is what Dubai chocolate represents: how a craving born in one kitchen can ripple into TikTok trends, supermarket shelves, even global nut prices. It's dessert as drama, hype, and commerce - all packed into one glossy bar.

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So yes, it might just be chocolate. But it's also a reminder: the next viral bite is never just food. It's a performance, a market, a craving, and a story. And for now, Dubai chocolate is centre stage.