The world of viral food trends is an interesting one to be sure, especially when it comes to sweet treats. In that vein, few treats have captured global imagination quite like the Dubai chocolate.
A lavish milk chocolate bar filled with creamy pistachio, nutty tahini, and crunchy shards of knafeh pastry, it was originally crafted in 2022 by Fix Dessert Chocolatier, a boutique sweet brand based in Dubai.
The bar – cheekily named ‘Can’t Get Knafeh of It’ – was born out of a personal craving. Its creator, British-Egyptian pastry chef Sarah Hamouda, was pregnant at the time and longing for the nostalgic blend of knafeh and pistachio. The result was a wildly indulgent chocolate creation that would go on to ignite an international craze.
While ‘Can’t Get Knafeh of It’ built a loyal fanbase within Dubai, it catapulted to global stardom when Ukrainian TikTok influencer Maria Vehera posted a video of herself trying the chocolate bar in her car in December 2023. Her over-the-top delight – and the video’s cinematic close-ups of gooey pistachio and the sensory element of crunchy knafeh – struck a chord.
The clip went viral almost instantly, racking up more than 125 million views and spawning a new nickname: ‘Dubai chocolate.’ With the original bar available only in the UAE, global fans were left scrambling to get a taste, leading to a wave of imitators from independent chocolatiers to major international brands like Lindt and Ülker.
Today, Dubai chocolate has evolved into a genre of its own. From heart-shaped versions sold at 7-Eleven to numerous supermarket dupes, the chocolate has become a cultural phenomenon.
In Sri Lanka, the local brand Zellers has released its own spin with its mixed nut cream-filled bar, while Crepe Runner has launched its take on the now-iconic flavours. Influencers have kept the buzz alive by creating their own versions, deconstructed cakes, and DIY recipes. Even Sri Lanka’s own ‘Wild Cookbook’ took a shot at recreating the chocolate bar, proving how much of a sensation it has really become.
A distinctive fusion of flavours
To understand the explosive popularity of Dubai chocolate, Brunch reached out to several locals in Sri Lanka to get their take.
After all, while many global food trends circulate online, few actually make their way into everyday conversations – and cravings – this far across the globe. Yet ‘Can’t Get Knafeh of It’ and its countless spinoffs seem to have broken through those cultural and geographic barriers, embedding themselves firmly in Asia’s dessert zeitgeist.
One common theory among fans is that the Dubai chocolate bar owes its meteoric rise to a distinctive fusion of flavours – Middle Eastern staples enveloped in a globally adored medium: chocolate.
Speaking to Brunch, Aadhil Manoj, a passionate home baker who has tried his hand at recreating the viral treat, shared: “Pistachio, tahini, knafeh – these are all ingredients we know from desserts across the Middle East, but putting them inside a chocolate bar feels luxurious and new.” According to him, the bar isn’t just about taste but about the total sensory experience.
Aadhil believes the real reason behind the bar’s viral success, however, lies in how it is visually presented online. “More than anything, I think the real reason this has become huge is because of the drama of it all,” he explained.
“You see how the influencers showcase it; they come really close to the camera and they snap the chocolate bar open. The most iconic and identifiable thing about this chocolate bar is how thick it is, and when you break it open, it is cream-filled with this green that is contrasted against the brown chocolate. It’s very dramatic and it’s very visual, and visual things always go a long way when it comes to becoming trends,” he added.
Aadhil continued: “It’s creamy, it’s crunchy, it’s rich; it looks amazing when it breaks open on camera. That matters when you’re sharing food online. It’s not just about the taste anymore; it’s about what performs well on TikTok, Instagram, and Reels. This chocolate bar was made for the internet.”
A status symbol among dessert lovers
Some fans also pointed to the aspirational appeal of the Dubai chocolate bar as a major factor behind its viral success.
With Dubai already being seen by many in the region as a hub of luxury, trend-setting culture, and modern opulence, the origins of the bar gave it an immediate air of desirability. The fact that the original ‘Can’t Get Knafeh of It’ is available only in the UAE heightened this exclusivity, turning the product into something of a status symbol among dessert lovers and influencers alike.
“It’s like the Birkin of chocolate,” joked Aparna Rajakaruna, a university student and self-described ‘TikTok dessert sleuth.’ “You want to say you have had the real thing,” she added.
“You see how expensive the original one is, and now it has even become a trend to try the original. It costs around Rs. 9,000 here in Sri Lanka, which is ridiculous for a chocolate bar, but so many influencers – just for the sake of content – are actually buying it and trying it. It is aspirational, because all many of us can do is watch and enjoy it through their eyes. There’s no way most of us will actually shell out that kind of money to try a chocolate,” she added.
Aparna went on to note that part of the intrigue lay in the balance between exclusivity and attainability. “Also, I think the fact that it’s so easy to make adds to the hype. But you have to get your hands on the ingredients, which aren’t even that expensive – it’s just difficult to source them here. That makes the product feel even more exclusive, because it’s not about the price, it’s about access,” she said.
“If you do manage to get your hands on the right ingredients, it’s also really fun. It’s easy, and that mix of being just within reach yet still elusive kind of excites people. It keeps the obsession alive,” Aparna added.
‘A bit overblown’
Brunch also spoke to Ashila Murugandy, a frequent traveller and self-proclaimed dessert enthusiast, who has had the rare opportunity of trying both the original Dubai chocolate and several of its dupes across different countries.
“I actually have tried the original one when I was in Dubai,” she shared. “Then I tried several of the dupes when I was in Korea, especially the now-famous 7-Eleven one. Now that I’m back here in Sri Lanka, I recently tried Crepe Runner’s crepe version, which is surprisingly pretty close in terms of flavours.”
Reflecting on the global obsession surrounding the bar, Ashila offered a refreshingly candid take.
“The thing with this chocolate is that it’s really just lots of bells and whistles, to be honest. It’s really nothing much; if you have had the Sri Lankan Zellers mixed nut cream chocolate, that one actually gets it quite close,” she noted.
According to her, it all boils down to texture. “The thing is, it’s a texture thing. Everyone loves that really strong, crunchy texture, and I think that’s the toughest part to replicate. For that, you need knafeh, which has a very particular feel when you cook it down.”
While she appreciated the creativity and the sensory appeal, Ashila admitted that the chocolate might be a bit overhyped.
“Having tried all of these variants, I’d say it’s a bit overblown,” she said, adding: “But it is interesting to see what kinds of things people choose to make popular and how certain food trends really catch on across cultures. Even with our different palates and culinary backgrounds, there’s something about this that people everywhere seem to accept and enjoy all the same.”