Why Is Dubai Chocolate So Controversial? It May Be Causing a Major Shortage, New Report Claims

We’ve seen some wild food trends and fads over the years, with everyone flocking to certain sweets all over TikTok. Most recently, the new “it” dessert has unequivocally been Dubai chocolate, but now, there may be some severe damage from mass-producing it.

Now, what is Dubai chocolate? It’s a chocolate bar filled with pistachio cream and shredded phyllo dough. It’s inspired by a Middle Eastern pastry known as a Knafeh dessert. Fix Dessert Chocolatier creator Sarah Hamouda made it, and it rose to popularity in the 2020s. Specifically, food reviewer Maria Vehera posted a TikTok video unwrapping and eating the bar, which is called “Can’t Get Knafeh of It.”

Along with taking over TikTok, it’s come in drink form at Starbucks, and allegedly, Crumbl will be releasing a cookie version. But since everyone wants it, it’s gotten hard to obtain pistachios.

There has reportedly been a shortage of pistachio ­kernels, which are primarily grown in the US and Iran. Pistachio kernels are much more susceptible to change due to weather, geopolitics, and more; and with the export demand, it’s making it quite hard to get.

Giles Hacking of the Financial Times reported that within a year, the price has surged. It’s gone from $7.65 to $10.30 a pound, and this price increase didn’t help, as the Guardian reported a poor harvest of the kernel in 2024. Hacking even said, “The pistachio world is basically tapped out at the moment.”

Now, what does this price increase mean? Well, it’s making it harder for suppliers to get the real thing, and because of that, the price will go up, and some stores are even rationing the number of bars per customer in response to it.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with more awesome Costco bakery items seen in the gallery below.