Not even Willy Wonka could rival the viral phenomenon of Dubai chocolate bars, which are sold by the thousands in mere minutes. This frenzy has now reached New Zealand, leading a vendor to open an extra kitchen to satisfy the immense demand.
If you’ve been online recently, you’ve probably seen images and videos of a thick chocolate bar with a gooey center that people snap in half and enjoy as you watch enviously from behind your screen.
Known as the ‘viral Dubai chocolate bar’, it was originally produced by a Dubai-based company named Fix, but gained worldwide fame after a TikTok video showing a woman enjoying it in her car was viewed over 80 million times.
Tori Connell, manager of the New Zealand-based House of Chocolate, says that due to the local buzz about the Dubai bar, they decided to develop their own version.
Introduced in July as a special ‘creation of the month’, it quickly became so sought-after that it has now been added to their permanent collection.
The 220-gram, $20 bar filled with decadent ingredients has rapidly become the company’s top-selling item.
“We’re selling thousands,” Connell reports. “People are curious about the Dubai trend and once they try our bar, they keep coming back for more.”
She attributes part of its success to the unique blend of pistachio and knafeh paste—a Middle Eastern mix of shredded pastry and syrup—introducing a novel taste to many New Zealanders.
“When the knafeh is cooked, it is crunchy, so the filling has that crunch when you break the bar, as well as a softer, creamy praline filling. We are not used to pastry being used in sweets, so people are loving a new, unique taste.”
House of Chocolate utilizes New Zealand ingredients for their Pistachio Knafeh Milk Chocolate Bar, which is commonly known as “the viral Dubai chocolate,” according to her.
Byron McLean, the proprietor of Cocoa Wilds located on O’Connell Street in the central business district of Auckland, has witnessed the rapid rise in popularity of a product, exemplified by their toasted marshmallow fluff-topped hot chocolates.
“It was viral in a New Zealand sense – on a smaller scale than the Dubai chocolate, but it was amazing to see how quickly news of it spread. I think if you have a product that looks good, tastes good, and is different – like the Dubai chocolate – it really can take off, even in a cost of living crisis, chocolate does well as people’s little indulgence.
The original Dubai Fix bars sell out 500 units within minutes, according to the chocolate’s creator, Sarah Hamouda, in an interview with CNN. Despite receiving global inquiries, they are not yet exporting to other countries. This has prompted chocolatiers worldwide to create their own versions to meet the demand of millions eager to sample it.
The long lines at Auckland markets and the rapid online sales, with thousands sold in minutes, demonstrate that New Zealanders are also eager to indulge in this new trend.
