What Is Dubai Chocolate, Anyway? Here's How The Candy Bar Reached Worldwide Fame

It is hard to imagine that, in the span of a year, the phrase "Dubai chocolate" went from sparking confusion to being a fixture of everyday conversation and maybe even your regular coffeehouse order. With the rise of Dubai chocolate's popularity, you may also ask yourself: just what is this stuff, exactly? And how did it become so famous?

In the earliest days of this dessert trend, "Dubai chocolate" originally referred to just one chocolate bar in particular: Fix Dessert Chocolatier's "Can't Get Knafeh of It" chocolate bar (knafeh is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with crispy pastry). Instead of being an item that bolsters the Fix Dessert Chocolatier menu, this luxury chocolate bar was a craving that inspired Fix Dessert's founder, Sarah Hamouda, to start the dessert business.

But it doesn't end with Hamouda or Fix Dessert. After the viral TikTok video above — wherein an influencer highlights its signature crunch, rich pistachio filling, and iconic chocolate design that turn this dessert into a work of art — launched the Dubai chocolate bar to fame, others caught on. Soon, countless variations started to emerge from large corporations and home cooks alike. Even Starbucks had its moment in the spotlight with a viral Dubai chocolate drink.

Just as with the viral chickle that should be on every bar menu, TikTok is ripe with food trends that are worth a taste. After fads fade away, however, the flavors behind the trend will determine whether some foods are really here to stay. Luckily for Dubai chocolate fans, the three main ingredients that make it so irresistible — pistachio, shredded phyllo dough, and chocolate — make this treat not only a new favorite but also an inspiration for desserts similar to a Dubai chocolate bar.

While the bold, rich flavors of pistachio creme and chocolate take center stage, they are perfectly supported by the inclusion of phyllo. Shredded phyllo, also known as knafeh, kataifi, or kadayif, is the finely shredded dough mixed into the pistachio filling that creates the thin, airy texture of Dubai chocolate and other desserts like baklava. Its neutral flavor allows it to break up denser textures in a dessert without distracting from the flavors of bolder ingredients, so be sure you don't forget it when trying out your own homemade Dubai chocolate bar recipe.