At the upcoming State Fair of Texas, confectioner Stephen El Gidi will offer up his own Dubai chocolate-inspired dessert — a base of rich Belgian chocolate and a pistachio spread layered like a sweet lasagna over cheesecake in a cup.
It’s definitely a departure from the typical corn dogs and cotton candy.
From the West Coast to Middle America, dessert creators at state fairs are hawking their own confections based on Dubai chocolate, a milk chocolate shell filled with creamy pistachio, tahini and crispy kataifi, a Middle Eastern pastry.
The offerings derive inspiration from the original Dubai Chocolate, a bar created in 2021 by Sarah Hamouda, the founder of Fix Dessert Chocolatier, an online confectionary shop in Dubai.
The bar quickly went viral, with influencers touting its gooey, crunchy goodness and Hamouda saying she was selling 100 bars per minute. Now, Dubai chocolate-inspired desserts have hit the masses and are popping up at a handful of state fairs for the first time this year.
The Minnesota State Fair will offer a Dubai chocolate strawberry cup in late August. Wisconsin just featured its version of the Dubai chocolate bar. And the Orange County Fair in Southern California debuted a Dubai chocolate brownie last month. In May, the L.A. County Fair also sold a Dubai chocolate strawberry cup.
El Gidi, who owns Drizzle Cheesecakes based in a Dallas suburb, is originally from Libya and moved to the U.S. in 2021 in hopes of becoming a business owner. He said he aims to sell between 15,000 and 20,000 cups this year at the state fair.
“I became an entrepreneur because of my father, who is also a business owner. He inspired me to be my own boss,” El Gidi told NBC News.
Stores like Trader Joe’s, Costco and even mall kiosks have featured their own versions of the chocolate bars for prices of around $3.99 and up. There’s even a Dubai chocolate pistachio shake at some Shake Shack locations featuring pistachio frozen custard with kataifi and a dark chocolate shell for $11.04.
Currently, people in Dubai can order Hamouda’s bar, which she calls “Can’t get knafeh of it,” from her online shop or through a delivery service. It costs a little over $18 per bar. Additionally, chocolate aficionados can find the bar at Dubai International Airport’s duty-free store in Terminal 3.
In May, product sales in the Confectionary category of Dubai Duty Free reached $20.2 million, up 81% thanks in part to Dubai chocolate, according to a press release from the company.
The versions of Dubai chocolate people are buying in the U.S. are more a replication of the flavor profile than the real thing, says Kristie Hang, a food journalist based in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley.
These products are more wallet-friendly, selling for around $15 at grocery stores, and they’re made using standard ingredients like milk chocolate, strawberries and nut butters.
True Dubai chocolate, Hang says, is an artisanal dessert that’s made in small batches.
“The pistachios are imported from Turkey and the chocolate is special chocolate with edible gold,” she said.
There’s an element of luxury and craftsmanship to authentic Dubai chocolate, Hang added, noting a Dubai chocolate-covered strawberry confection would have only the finest, perfectly shaped strawberries dipped in high-quality Belgian or dark chocolate, paired with kataifi bits and pistachio cream from finely ground pistachios.
“It’s definitely a mass fad at this point, but it’s far removed from what the original Dubai chocolate was intended for, which was an exclusive luxury item. Now, it’s being marketed as a very generic thing that anyone can get,” said Hang.
Texas-based food reviewer Zain Mohammed said he’s not a fan of the Dubai chocolate trend. Mohammed, who was born in Chicago, raised in Saudi Arabia and now reviews restaurants in Houston, said he thinks the proliferation of the dessert is glossing over the culture and the important role food plays in family.
“There’s more to Dubai than just Dubai chocolate. I grew up in Saudi Arabia, and the Arab culture is very family-oriented and Arab hospitality is very unmatched.”
He said he’s also worried about people benefiting from the trend without appreciating the culture. “I believe that there is cultural appropriation because of the fact that so many people are doing it — they are latching onto the trend and then advertising it as their own.”
Bianca Tamondong, a college student who tried the Dubai brownie dessert from the Mom’s Bakeshoppe stand at the OC Fair, said she thought it was a winning combo. “I’ve tried so many other Dubai chocolate desserts before, such as the actual chocolate bar, ice cream variations and Dubai chocolate-covered strawberries. Ten dollars honestly seemed like such a steal since many other Dubai chocolate desserts cost $15.”
“The pistachios balanced out the sweetness of the brownie perfectly,” she said.
Confection connoisseur Dominic Palmieri sells a Dubai chocolate strawberry cup at the OC Fair.
“It has all the components of the Dubai chocolate. However, we’re putting chocolate on top of the strawberries, and it’s got silky cream chocolate that doesn’t harden,” said Palmieri.
It took more than three months to get enough pistachio cream for the fairs he’s participating in due to a pistachio shortage and high demand for pistachio cream. He projects securing around 2,000 gallons of pistachio cream and over 10,000 pounds of raw chocolate this year.
It was rare for anyone to find Dubai chocolate in 2024. “You had to find it in specialty chocolate shops, sweet shops or different places that were doing dessert,” says Palmieri.
Now, it’s everywhere, he says.
“When you go to the fair, you’ll go get your corn dog, turkey leg, funnel cake, and you’ll get your Dubai chocolate strawberry cup. This one is quickly becoming a fan favorite,” Palmieri said.
