'Can't Get Knafeh of It': Viral 'Dubai Chocolate' sparks global craze fueled by social media

The craze for the viral "Dubai Chocolate" has reached new heights in Germany, where the Swiss chocolate company Lindt launched a limited edition of the treat, causing long queues and excitement among chocolate lovers. At the Lindt store in Aachen, only 1,000 bars of the limited Lindt Dubai Chocolate Edition were made available, driving chocolate lovers to wait in queues to get a taste of it.

Priced at €14.99 per bar, it falls into the premium category of confections, as reported by Travel Tomorrow. This high price has not deterred foodies and influencers eager to explore a unique flavor from the UAE. The high demand left many waiting in the rain for hours to purchase the viral dessert, according to Travel Tomorrow.

Leon Finle, an 18-year-old student in Stuttgart, said in front of a Lindt store, “I waited ten hours. I arrived at midnight. This chocolate is very popular right now,” as reported by Al-Bayan. Another enthusiast, Lucas, a 24-year-old who waited in front of a Lindt store since seven in the morning, pointed out that "the price of the bar is 15 euros, but it can be sold for about 100 euros, and there are many offers on eBay, where the price of the bar reaches 300 euros," according to Al-Bayan.

The limited availability made the purchase an even more exciting experience. Customers were allowed to buy one bar each, as noted by Travel Tomorrow. Some, like Yannick Burkhard, a 21-year-old, admitted that he waited three hours in line in Stuttgart to resell Dubai Chocolate. “It's easy money. I would never pay that amount to eat it myself," Burkhard said with a smile.

The handcrafted Lindt Dubai Chocolate will be available in selected Lindt boutiques, beginning with the location in Düsseldorf, and is also scheduled to launch in Austria on November 30. A similar campaign for the Dubai Chocolate is expected to begin in Switzerland, but it is not clear yet which other countries will offer it.

The "Dubai Chocolate" trend began as a social media phenomenon and has since captivated audiences worldwide. The pistachio-filled chocolate has became very popular on social media networks, with many foodies and content creators uploading videos of themselves sampling the kunafa-inspired chocolate bar.

A TikTok video featuring the kunafa-inspired chocolate bar has garnered more than 90 million views, showcasing its rapid spread as a food phenomenon, as reported by The National.

British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, 38, founded Fix Dessert Chocolatier in 2021 as a side hustle, despite having no knowledge of the food industry. Inspired by her cravings during pregnancy, Hamouda wanted to create something beyond the "typical" chocolate fix, leading to the development of her unique chocolate bars, according to News.

"Our commitment has always been to expand our reach and Abu Dhabi was always our next stop," Hamouda said, as reported by The National. In an interview with CNN, she said, "I am shocked—the number of chocolate bar orders increased from single digits to 500 a day," highlighting the brand's rapid success, according to News.

Fix Dessert Chocolatier produces not only the classic Dubai chocolate bar with pistachio filling but also other flavors, including baklava, and Lotus Biscoff, as reported by The National. The chocolates from Fix Dessert Chocolatier are only available for order through the Deliveroo app in the UAE at designated time slots: 2pm and 5pm, and even in the UAE, they are not sold freely, according to Travel Tomorrow.

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The "Can't Get Knafeh of It" chocolate bar is made of shredded filo pastry (kataifi) and pistachio cream encased in milk chocolate, as described by The National. The name "Can't Get Knafeh of It" is a cheeky nod to the chocolate's deliciously layered composition.

Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have played a key role in the chocolate's viral success, according to Travel Tomorrow. Videos of breaking the bar to reveal its decadent interior made for captivating content, fueling demand.

In Berlin, craftsmen like 32-year-old Ali Fakhro have been placing "Dubai Chocolate" bars made the same morning in their stores, Fakhro has tried several times before reaching a satisfactory result. "I started two months ago, because of the spread on TikTok," Fakhro said. On the first day, he made 20 bars of Dubai Chocolate, and they quickly sold out. The next day, he made 50 bars, and all of them sold out as well, according to Al-Bayan.

The high demand for the chocolate has led to shortages and high resale prices. On the internet, a single Dubai Chocolate bar is sold for more than 100 euros, with some resellers selling them for up to €300. This high price has not deterred enthusiasts; the Dubai Chocolate is sold out frequently, despite its high price of about 25 euros, with some resellers earning hundreds of euros, according to News Karnataka.

Several traders of pistachio cream in Germany told the media that their customers bought all their stock, as reported by Al-Arab. The popularity of Dubai Chocolate has even led to instances like German customs at the border with Switzerland stopping a thirty-something man who tried to bring 45 kilograms of Dubai Chocolate into Germany in 243 boxes.

The phenomenon is not limited to Germany; the Dubai Chocolate trend caused a frenzy across Europe, with chocolate lovers waiting in queues to taste it in various locations. The enthusiasm for Dubai Chocolate surprised Jeremy Boucle, the owner of Jacques Bockel chocolate factories in Alsace, eastern France. "We had to make two round trips with bags full between Strasbourg and Paris, and we sold a lot of it," Boucle said. "I brought 350 kilograms and we made 600 kilograms, I believe, in four days," he added.

When asked if the phenomenon is a temporary trend or will continue, Boucle said he made sure to "guarantee" his orders for the ingredients of this chocolate, as reported by Al-Arab. In his product, Boucle replaced the crunchiness of vermicelli with crispy crêpe dentelle, describing it as a "perfect" alternative.

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq