How A Pregnancy Craving Led To One Of The Most Viral Chocolate Bars Of Our Time
If you're a chocolate lover with a social media account, you've probably indulged in, seen, or simply heard of Dubai chocolate. Arguably the most viral chocolate bars of our time, Dubai chocolate bars have an endearing origin story. As the name suggests, Dubai chocolate was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to satisfy a pregnancy craving that Egyptian-British mother-to-be Sarah Hamouda had back in 2021. While pregnant, Hamouda and her husband began a chocolatier business known as Fix Dessert Chocolatier to channel her cravings into a marketable reality.
Pregnancy cravings often meld unlikely food pairings that may or may not be appetizing to the rest of us. But Hamouda's craving for a dessert-stuffed chocolate bar was a near-instant hit. While cream, syrup, and nut-butter-stuffed chocolates are nothing new, Fix chocolates draw from the flavors and recipes of the Middle East to create two desserts in one ultra-chunky, colorful, and creatively named chocolate bar. While the pistachio- and knafeh-filled Dubai chocolate is the most globally popular, Fix Dessert Chocolatier also offers a Biscoff cheesecake spread-stuffed bar and a "Cereously Chewsy" bar stuffed with Nutella, brownies, custard, and cereal, to name a few.
In a 2024 interview with CNN, Hamouda revealed that the brand had seen an exponential increase in demand thanks to the bars becoming a viral sensation on TikTok. The small home-kitchen-based chocolatier cranks out 500 chocolate bars per day, which usually sell out in a matter of minutes.
Read more: Where To Buy Dubai Chocolate In The US, And How Much It Costs
The chocolate was well-received locally, but it took a TikTok video of Fix customer and food influencer Maria Vehera breaking apart and munching on these colorful and decadent creations for it to become the global sensation it is today. Since publishing the video on TikTok in 2024, it's received 126.5 million views and inspired countless foodies, chocolatiers, and even popular grocery chains to come up with their own versions.
Since 500 chocolate bars a day isn't nearly enough to satisfy the global demand for Dubai chocolate, we've done a bit of research on where to buy Dubai chocolate in the U.S., including how much it costs. Local chocolate shops and online vendors sell high-quality dupes for around $25, only $5 more than Fix. Additionally, the wholesale giant, Costco, has created a new box of chocolate to mimic the viral treat. We've even come up with our own Dubai chocolate recipe to try at home. Pistachio cream like this Gusto Etna pistachio butter, UniqBite toasted kataifi, and even premade Gusto Etna Dubai pistachio chocolate bar filling are all available for purchase on Amazon. These chocolate bars are in such high demand that we've covered rumors of it causing a pistachio shortage. You can always opt for more plentiful fillings like Biscoff cookie butter or Nutella and brownie filings that are also part of Fix's delectable chocolate creations.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
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