When Ali Fakhro sets out a row of pistachio-filled chocolate bars in his bakery in Berlin in the morning, he knows they will be finished within a few hours.
Inspired by the viral success of the crunchy treat known as “Dubai Chocolate”, Fakhro, 32, discovered a recipe and began making his own version two months ago.
He said, “The first day I made 20, but they were gone quickly. The next day, I made 50 – all gone too.”
The so-called Dubai Chocolate was invented in 2021 by British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, who is based in Dubai.
This chunky treat consists of a blocky, hand-decorated chocolate bar with various quirky fillings – the signature flavor being a rich pistachio cream.
The treat went viral when TikTok food influencer Maria Wehera posted a video of herself eating the bar in her car, which has since been viewed over 100 million times.
The real thing is only available in limited quantities to local customers, but this trend has led to an explosion of copycat versions of the chocolate around the world.
– standing in line in the cold –
Fakhro, who runs Abu Khalid Sweets in Berlin, experimented “several times” with different recipes before landing on the right ingredient to give the pistachio cream its famous crunch – a finely chopped Middle Eastern pastry known as katafi .
Germans are struggling to get their hands on chocolate selling for more than 100 euros ($104) on the internet.
Last week, a 31-year-old man was caught by the Customs department while attempting to smuggle 45 kg of sweets from Switzerland into Germany.
When Swiss manufacturer Lindt launched its version of Dubai Chocolate in Germany this month, customers queued for hours in the cold to get their hands on the bar.
At a price of up to 20 euros per bar, this treat is much more expensive than your average chocolate bar – but that doesn’t seem to bother anyone.
“I waited 10 hours. I’ve been here since midnight to taste this chocolate,” 18-year-old student Leon Fenley told AFP outside a Lindt shop in Stuttgart.
– ‘easy money’ –
Lindt launched the chocolate with 1,000 bars in 10 stores in Germany, and is planning a similar launch in Austria on November 30, a spokesperson for the group told AFP.
Dubai chocolate has also been a hit in France, with a version introduced at chocolatier Jeremy Bockel’s show at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris earlier this month.
Yannick Burkhard, 21, stood in the queue for three hours in Stuttgart to get chocolate – but he doesn’t plan on eating any of it himself. Instead, he will sell it on the Internet.
He smiled and said, “I would never pay that much for it. It’s quick and easy money.”
“This bar costs 15 euros, but it can be sold for around 100 euros… There are many offers on eBay for up to 300 euros,” said a customer who gave his name as Lucas, 24.
Fehnle had a better plan for his bar when he walked out of the shop in Stuttgart proud of his purchase.
“Now I will go home and share them with my grandparents,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
