The Viral Dubai Kunafa Chocolate That Led To International Shortage Of Pistachios (image-instagram/fixdessertchocolatier)

Dubai chocolate with green pistachio fillings had taken up the internet by storm ever since its first video in 2023. At a time in which product promotion using social media like TikTok and Instagram are powerful enough to influence the market, viral Dubai pistachio chocolate carved its own niche in the chocolate industry.

However, after two years, the result is now an international shortage of its vital ingredient, pistachio kernels. UAE-based FIX Dessert Chocolatier was the first one to sell the viral chocolate in 2022. Ever since then, several initiatives had come forward imitating the product even transcending borders.

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Meanwhile, this has caused several limitations, starting from the surge in price of the soul ingredient. According to Financial Times, within a year, the price has gone up from $7.65 (Rs 653) to $10.3 (Rs 879) a pound. The pistachio kernels are obtained after removing the shells.

In 2024, Dubai chocolate became one of the biggest searches on Google in the Food and Drinks recipe category. The original chocolate created by FIX is made using vermicelli or shredded pastry sheets and filled with cream cheese, topped with sugar and pistachio. The chocolate was inspired by the Middle Eastern dessert known as Kunafa. Now, the brand only releases limited batches and sold exclusively through the online food delivery company Deliveroo in the UAE.

Pistachio is originally grown in and around Iran. Through trade, they spread to Europe and other parts of the Middle East. Today, the United States is its biggest producer in the world. “Iran, the world’s second-largest producer, exported 40 per cent more pistachios to the UAE in the six months to March 2025 than it did over the full 12 months before that, according to Iran’s customs office,” The FT reports.

Beyond the viral chocolate, pistachio availability is also constrained by low production in the US this year. The FT reported that California’s supply went from more than 1,400 mn pounds in 2023–24 to under 1,200 mn pounds in 2024–25.

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Currently, the stores imitating the trend are now rationing the number of bars sold at a time. However, the demand for the bars had surprised the industry as it popped out from nowhere and is suddenly seen in every nook and corner, with many leading chocolate makers, such as Lindt and Läderach, imitating the chocolate.