If you haven’t heard of Dubai Chocolate by now, you probably don’t spend a lot of time on social media — and that’s a good thing! But the treat is actually an intriguing combination of simple flavors that’s growing in popularity.
🇦🇪 What Is Dubai Chocolate?
It all started with a product called Can’t Get Knafeh of It, created by British-Egyptian chef Sarah Hamouda of Fix Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai. The large milk chocolate bar has a textured filling of pistachio paste, tahini paste, and Knafeh, a sweetened shredded pastry.
🍫 How Did It Get So Popular?
The bar became an internet sensation when it was featured in a Tik Tok by influencer Maria Vehera. It’s an ASMR clip, which means it’s all about the natural crunch sound without any narration. The video currently has more than 126 million views, setting off a wave of videos by other influencers, routinely breaking apart the “Dubai chocolate” bar to reveal the gooey deliciousness inside.
☹️ Is There a Problem?
As people around the world try making their own versions of the bar or dessert variations based on the flavor profile, a pistachio shortage has emerged and prices have jumped accordingly.
👀 Can I Eat Dubai Chocolate in Las Vegas?
If you want the real thing, you have to order it online. Fix now ships worldwide. New York-based Nuts Factory has its own version here in the U.S. that’s caught on, but beware counterfeits and scammers online. As you can imagine, chefs and restaurants in Las Vegas are running with the idea and are now offering their own dishes inspired by the trend:
- Kim’s Kreative Sweets has a locally made version of a Dubai Chocolate bar.
- Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar at Mandalay Bay has Dubai Chocolate Pancakes with pistachio cream, crispy kadayif, strawberries, warm chocolate sauce, and roasted pistachios during the weekend brunch. A Dubai Chocolate Basque cheesecake is on the regular dessert menu.
- The newly opened Pisces at the Wynn's Lake of Dreams has a Dubai Chocolate Rocher: a sphere-shaped chocolate dessert with pistachio semifreddo and crispy kataifi.
- Bake has a variety of Dubai Chocolate desserts, including cookies, cakes, and strawberry cups.
- Lady M at Resorts World has Dubai Chocolate Mille Crêpes, a cake layered with chocolate and pistachio pastry creams, topped with a blend of crispy kataifi, pistachio, tahini, and chocolate cream. It’s available until at least the end of June.
- Twisted Sourdough Pizza, a place already Instagram-famous for its giant mozzarella sticks and pizza cones, has a Twisted Dubai Chocolate dessert with a layer of Belgium dark chocolate poured over kunafa dough, cream, and pistachios.
Las Vegas has an especially strong infatuation with viral food trends and controversies worth arguing about. Have you heard about Tomato Girl? Or remember last year’s fuss over Nachogate? I had a few thoughts to share on these and other matters with City Cast Las Vegas. Listen in! [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
