If you’re a fan of Dubai chocolate, you’ve probably seen it all over social media. But do you know how it was invented?
Dubai chocolate bars have many of us with a sweet tooth in a chokehold. The original bars are almost impossible to get your hands on, so businesses across the country have started selling copycat versions or created desserts inspired by the dessert’s mouth-watering flavours.
However, most people may not know how Dubai chocolate came to be. TikTok page The Numbers Game has now stepped in to share the iconic flavour combination initially came to be as the result of a pregnancy craving.
In a video posted to the page, a narrator said: “This 38-year-old British Egyptian entrepreneur left the UK to transform a pregnancy craving into Dubai’s most viral chocolate sensation, making millions. In 2021, while pregnant, Sarah Hamouda craved unique desserts.
“Dissatisfied with existing options, she and her husband Yezen Alani began experimenting in their living room, blending rich flavours with Middle-Eastern inspired fillings like pistachio and knafeh. What started as a passion project soon became a business.”
Sarah and Yezen launched Fix Dessert Chocolatier in 2022, selling their handmade chocolate bars online. However, sales got off to a slow start and, to begin with, the couple were “barely selling one bar a week.”
This all changed in February 2023 when a TikTok influencer’s ASMR-style video featuring the couple’s knafeh flavoured chocolate bar racked up more than 80million views. According to The Numbers Game, Fix went viral overnight as orders “skyrocketed from single digits to thousands,” forcing the couple to scale up their business fast. They now boast a team of around 50 staff members.
Fans across the world and big brands have tried to “copy their success” by making their own version of the chocolate bar, which usually contains a crunchy shredded kataifi pastry smothered in pistachio cream and tahini paste and then encased in rich milk chocolate. It is inspired by the Arabian dessert knafeh which is made with spun pastry dough layered with cheese and soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup.
Elaborating on the success of Fix, The Numbers Game added: “In 2024, their signature bar was Deliveroo’s most ordered item worldwide. The $30 (£24) artisanal bars sell out in minutes and with international expansion in the works, Sarah and Yezen are just getting started.”
The video, posted on Friday (February 7) has amassed an impressive 3.8 million views, 300,500 likes and more than 1,200 comments at the time of writing. One fan in the comment section raved: “Yes this Fix Chocolate yes it is sinfully yummy! Love it.”
Another added: “Hold up the Dubai chocolate trend started 2 years ago?” A user replied to this comment and shared that they only discovered the Dubai chocolate bar a few months ago after using TikTok often from last August.
A fourth user said: “Finally we know the story behind Dubai chocolate success” and a fifth commented: “Pistachio and knafeh the two most popular things in the UAE. Why didn’t I think of that. Well done lady!”
Further users claimed Fix Chocolate “should have put a patent” on their Dubai chocolate bar as “so many other businesses are copying.” There are other similar sweets to the Dubai chocolate bar being sold for lower prices, for example on TikTok Shop for as little as £7.