After all the rolls and croissants of recent years have been filled with pistachio cream , the age of Dubai chocolate has now dawned. True to the "low carb" motto, the croissant and various pastry rolls are now completely omitted and the carbs are reduced to the crunchy angel hair in the chocolate sandwich. Much more important than the carbs here is the sugar-to-fat ratio, which provides the corresponding indulgence factor, because that's what chocolate from Dubai is known for - pure indulgence and not for filling you up.
We all know: Indulgence is luxury and luxury has to be expensive to be enjoyed as such. That's why a bar of Dubai chocolate from premium brands costs an average of €20.
Please do NOT spend that much money on a bar of pistachio chocolate and PLEASE don't queue for several hours to buy the Dubai chocolate . Because according to @esraxmeral, a humorous and quick-witted influencer, we would then have to call the luxury chocolate with pistachio "IQ bye chocolate". But we are convinced that our readers' IQs are brilliant.
That's why today we're explaining what the Dubai chocolate hype is all about and how you can enjoy Dubai chocolate at a reasonable price.
Why Dubai chocolate is taking the world by storm
Sarah Hamouda, a charming half-Egyptian who lives in Dubai, started the trend in 2021 without expecting the avalanche of hype she created. During her pregnancy, she developed the chocolate bar filled with pistachio paste, sesame seeds and roasted kadayif. The result was a seductive fusion of Western and Arabic tradition.
Well-known chocolate manufacturers were inspired by this recipe and now sell their own Dubai chocolate bars. Many a European brand brought limited edition versions into circulation, causing the value of the "chocolate gold" to rise rapidly. Countless interested parties queued up overnight to get their hands on one of the limited edition bars. Outside the stores on the street and on eBay, the trade continued and the exclusive chocolate was auctioned off like a rare collector's stamp.
Taste or quality are therefore secondary. Rather, image and status symbol are decisive for the hype. It is an exotic luxury product that everyone wants to try. Those who don't get it suffer from "FOMO" until their curiosity is satisfied. The "fear of missing out" leads to a mass spectacle on social media. The best way to get your hands on Dubai chocolate is to try it on camera and post the video as a reel with the hashtags "#dubaichocolate" and "#dubaischokolade" on Instagram. The same applies to DIY experts who share their recipes with the world on TikTok. After all, a status symbol only works when it is put on display. Conversely, companies and influencers take advantage of the hype by placing the popular hashtags under their content to generate clickbaiting.
Dubai Chocolate is a phenomenal overall package. It is a luxury product, a marketing strategy, a luxury food and a trend of the century that will be with us for quite some time and that we will probably never forget.
A chocolate that melts away
Is the Dubai chocolate worth the price?
However, there is another aspect that is responsible for the fact that the market value of Dubai chocolate is significantly higher than that of ordinary chocolate. The culprit is called pistachio.
Regardless of whether manufacturers use pistachio cream or pistachio pulp or order natural pistachios to make the filling themselves, pistachios are always the most expensive ingredient in production.
Brands that sell their bars at conspicuously low prices often use flavorings and colorings to replace the original filling. However, there is a world of difference in taste between the artificial and the natural filling. If you want a Dubai chocolate with real pistachio flavor, you will ALWAYS pay a little more than for a run-of-the-mill chocolate bar, even when the hype is over.
The indulgent experience of Dubai chocolate clearly stands out from ordinary chocolate bars and appeals to all the senses. Even the first bite delights the sense of hearing with a fascinating crunch. On the tongue, the unmistakable taste of pistachio and a harmonious combination of different textures, ranging from crunchy lightness to velvety creaminess, come together.
The good news: everyone can have this indulgent experience with high-quality ingredients for under €5. We'll show you how.
Dubai chocolate under €5!
These days, men and, fortunately, women are self-reliant. It is precisely this independence that helps each of you to enjoy an exclusive Dubai chocolate. The most important ingredient is available at Espresso Perfetto - a whole kilo of the world's best pistachio cream for just €20. We've done some research - there's hardly a cheaper price per kilo. To smooth things over, let's work out how many Dubai chocolate bars you can make with Espresso Perfetto pistachio cream. You need about 100 g of pistachio cream for one chocolate bar. This means that you can make 10 bars of Dubai chocolate.
But how much does a Dubai chocolate bar cost to make with the pistachio cream from Espresso Perfetto? We have put together a list of ingredients and calculated how much each product costs in the supermarket.
Our list of ingredients:
- 150 g milk chocolate: approx. € 1.50
- 100 g Taze Kadayif aka angel hair: € 0.90
- 25 g butter: € 0.30
- 1 tbsp tahini: €0.15
- 100 g pistachio cream from Espresso Perfetto: 2 €
- A pinch of salt - we won't talk about the price!
With our list of ingredients, you get a production price of €4.85.
Dubai chocolate: original oriental recipe
Here's how to make a first-class bar of Dubai chocolate with our list of ingredients:
Melt 150 g of milk chocolate and pour about 2/3 into a silicone praline mold. Use a pastry brush to brush up the edges. Now put the whole thing in the fridge for about 15 minutes to set. In the meantime, chop the angel hair into small pieces and fry in butter.
As soon as the angel hair is golden brown, remove it from the hot hob and leave to cool for approx. 5 minutes. Then mix it with the pistachio cream, tahini and a pinch of salt. By this time, the chocolate mold should also have cooled down and you can fill it. Finally, cover with the remaining third of the milk chocolate and put it back in the fridge. After about 30 minutes, you can turn out your DIY Dubai chocolate bar and enjoy it with all your senses.
Insider tips for DIY experts
Tip for savers:
You can reduce the amount of pistachio cream and compensate with a higher proportion of tahini. This will save you money and you'll end up with one more bar of Dubai chocolate.
Tip for gourmets:
When roasting the angel hair, you can add a little rose or orange water. This intensifies the Arabian vibe of the chocolate. However, it is important not to use too much, as the taste quickly becomes too soapy.
Tip for creatives:
Take some white chocolate and melt it. Mix one half with green food coloring and leave the other half white. Before pouring the milk chocolate into the praline mold, you can draw green and white patterns in the bottom of the mold with a teaspoon. However, the work of art must cool in the fridge before you continue with the milk chocolate.
