In one of the most defining viral trends of the last one year and 2025, the Dubai chocolate made up of Pista Kunafa chocolate has not only taken over the senses of chocolatiers but also the taste buds of chocolate lovers. While it is known to have become viral on TikTok in 2024, it didn't take long for the trend to sweep India, and without a doubt Mumbai, as pastry chefs tried their hand at incorporating the flavours into their sweet treats more than three years after it was first made. 

Every year, World Chocolate Day is observed on July 7 to celebrate the creation that finds its origins in cocoa beans from the Theobroma Cocoa tree. Over the years chocolate has evolved into everything beyond the regular bar that has ruled the lives of most Indians growing up. Today, the term 'artisanal' has become commonplace and chocolate lovers love boasting about it and rightly so, along with the fact that they are single-origin, among other aspects of the vocabulary that has taken over the lives of Indians enjoying premium chocolate. Taking off from these very flavours over the last few years, these carefully crafted flavours have not only seen sweet but also savoury inclusions tantalise our taste buds. The latest entrant is Dubai chocolate, which was invented by Egyptian-British entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, who is widely known to be the brains behind the Dubai chocolate, the inspiration for which she reportedly got while getting pregnancy cravings in 2021. With childhood memories of her mother making the Middle Eastern dessert kunafa, the founder of FIX Dessert Chocolatier, made the chocolate bar in 2021. It has had quite a journey since then and has finally reached India.

Uniqueness of Dubai chocolate

Being one among quite a few at the centre of it, Mahek Sugandh, founder and head chocolatier of Cacao Springs & The Binge, says there's more to the trend than meets the eye. She shares, "The Pista Kunafa Chocolate from Dubai is truly unique because of the whole sensory experience it offers. It’s not just about the rich, creamy pistachio chocolate, though that’s absolutely indulgent, it’s the drama and luxury surrounding it." The glossy finish and elegant packaging, says Sugandh, make it feel like a gift, not just a treat. The fusion of flavours which is the nuttiness of pistachio paired with the crunchy, syrupy kunafa brings a distinctly Middle Eastern flair that you don’t find in everyday chocolates.