How a candy bar went viral

You may have spotted a new treat on the market lately: Dubai chocolate.

The TikTok sensation has gone mainstream, racking up 6.5m+ Google searches in March alone and appearing as a Starbucks hack, a Shake Shack shake flavor, and an upcoming Aldi ice cream.

Though the OG bar is only available in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, even knockoff versions are selling out — Lidl had to limit theirs to two per shopper, per The Guardian.

What is it?

In 2021, Sarah Hamouda, a British-Egyptian woman residing in Dubai, had a pregnancy craving. She worked with pastry chef Nouel Catis Omamalin to create the “Can’t Get Knafeh of It”:

• A chocolate bar stuffed with pistachio cream, tahini, and knafeh, a Middle Eastern dessert made of shredded pastry dough layered with soft cheese and soaked in a sweet syrup. 

It took off…

… when influencer Maria Vehera posted a video review in December 2023 that now has 122m+ views.

Tastewise, which monitors food trends by analyzing restaurant menus, identified Dubai chocolate as a trend in January 2024, and noted it takes 12-18 months for a trend to reach supermarket shelves — so, right on time.

But… why? Well, apart from being delicious:

• People love pistachios. There’s been a 60% increase in searches for the nut since 2019, per a Google Trends analysis, and it’s appeared not just in foods, but perfumes and candles.
• There’s a growing interest in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines.
• It’s aesthetically appealing and its crunch makes for a good ASMR video, of which there are several, including Vehera’s.

It’s not unlike Dominique Ansel’s cronut — a pretty pastry with a unique texture, limited availability, and a novel flavor — which went viral and launched numerous copycats in 2013.

Just watch out: Dubai chocolate is so hot that it’s attracted scammers like it’s a Beyoncé ticket.