This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Maungapohatu (talk | contribs) at 22:58, 31 December 2024 (Don’t Need “in the year” and agree promoted is a better word, don’t really need both this and advertised though.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 22:58, 31 December 2024 by Maungapohatu (talk | contribs) (Don’t Need “in the year” and agree promoted is a better word, don’t really need both this and advertised though.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Chocolate tablet filled with kadayif and pistachio| Place of origin | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region or state | Worldwide | ||||||
| Created by | Fix Dessert Chocolatier | ||||||
| Main ingredients | Chocolate, Pistachio, Kadayif | ||||||
| Food energy (per 100 g serving) | 516.3 kcal (2162 kJ) | ||||||
| Nutritional value (per 100 g serving) |
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Dubai chocolate, branded as Can't Get Knafeh of It, is a chocolate bar with a filling made of kadayif (knafeh) and pistachio. It was first created by Fix Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai in 2024 and became popular after being promoted by influencers on social media.
History
Fix Dessert Chocolatier was founded in Dubai in 2021 by Sarah Hamouda, a British-Egyptian entrepreneur. She aimed to create chocolate bars that combined unique textures and flavors, focusing on the filling to set her company apart from competitors. She was inspired by her pregnancy cravings to make the Dubai chocolate. The Dubai chocolate was originally sold under the name "Can't Get Knafeh of It" and is still sold by that name by Fix Dessert Chocolatier.
Dubai chocolate first gained widespread popularity when on December 18, 2023, an influencer under the name mariavehera257 posted a video on TikTok lasting just over a minute, showing her eating various types of chocolate from Fix Dessert Chocolatier, including the Dubai chocolate. A year later, the video had garnered over 100 million views, and several other influencers also created videos of themselves eating the chocolate.
Complex production methods and increasing demand drove up prices. This led to individuals buying Dubai chocolate in bulk from shops and producers and then reselling it on the secondary market at a much higher margin. There have been reports of burglary to get the chocolate bars.
Cases of chocolate bar smuggling have been reported. In October 2024, smugglers were caught twice within a few days by Austrian customs, smuggling around 2,540 bars of 200 grams each across the border without paying customs duty. In November 2024, a smuggler tried to bring 45 kilograms of Dubai chocolate across the border near Weil am Rhein.
Ingredients
Dubai chocolate is made from milk chocolate and is filled with a sweet cream made from pistachios mixed with finely chopped kadayif. Dubai chocolate is produced as a flat chocolate bar weighing around 100 grams.
Legal disputes
In addition to Fix Dessert Chocolatier, other manufacturers such as Lindt began to produce and market the chocolate. Since the name "Dubai chocolate" might imply that the product is manufactured in Dubai and contains a geographical indication, legal disputes have arisen. Dubai chocolate was also registered as a trademark by various individuals and companies. The European Union Intellectual Property Office, the World Intellectual Property Organization and the German Patent and Trade Mark Office recorded over 14 registrations containing the name Dubai chocolate.
Since the name of Dubai chocolate could possibly suggest that it is produced in Dubai and thus contains a geographical indication, the German importer company Wilmers, which itself imports Dubai chocolate for Edeka, among others, issued a cease-and-desist letter to the manufacturer Lindt in November 2024 because it did not produce in Dubai. Cease and desists to other companies such as Aldi Süd and Lidl followed. There have been no court rulings as of December 2024; according to some legal scholars, the term "Dubai chocolate" is now a generic trademark and does not contain any geographical indication. While geographical indications are in principle protectable under the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement, the United Arab Emirates has not signed the agreement.
Controversy
A study by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Consumer Protection found that all eight samples of the products were considered 'defective', with five samples containing foreign fat rather than authentic chocolate. The study also found that the samples were not fit for human consumption due to contamination in the manufacturing process, with three samples being found to contain traces of undeclared sesame. A screening also revealed high levels of mold toxins (aflatoxins).
See also
References
- ^ Michollek, Nadine (10 December 2024). "Trending treat 'Dubai chocolate' — but who owns the name?". dw.com. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ Cairns, Rebecca (18 June 2024). "Meet the woman behind Dubai's viral super-chunky chocolate bar". edition.cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- Carstensen, Linda (7 November 2024). "Falstaff Exclusive: An Interview with Sarah Hamouda, Creator of Dubai Chocolate". falstaff.com. Falstaff. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- "'Can't Get Knafeh of It': Viral 'Dubai Chocolate' sparks global craze fueled by social media". jpost.com. The Jerusalem Post. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- Weiss, Sabrina (23 August 2024). "A 'Dubai Chocolate Bar' Is Going Viral on TikTok — How the Green Filling Is Made and Where to Find It in the U.S." people.com. People magazine. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- "What's behind the viral 'Dubai chocolate' craze". trtworld.com. TRT World. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- "Dubai-inspired luxury: Lindt's limited-edition chocolates are selling for incredible prices on the secondary market". trademagazin.hu. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- Specks, Tim (10 November 2024). "Dubai-Schokolade aus Luxus-Mercedes geklaut". bild.de (in German). Bild. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- "Schmuggel mit Dubai-Schokolade aufgeflogen" (in German). Der Spiegel. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- "Weil am Rhein: Mann will 45 Kilogramm Dubai-Schokolade nach Deutschland schmuggeln". swr.de (in German). Südwestrundfunk. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- Ilgar, Oyku (12 December 2024). "How The Dubai Chocolate Sensation Is Creating A Supply Chain Strain". Forbes. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ Dietrich, Pauline (11 December 2024). "Muss "Dubai-Schokolade" aus Dubai kommen?". lto.de (in German). Legal Tribune Online. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- "Dubai chocolate and the trademark law". balsvogel.com. Bals & Vogel. 25 November 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- Ullrich, Ann-Kathrin (14 December 2024). "Aldi und Lidl: Wegen Dubai-Schokolade! Jetzt kommt es knüppeldick". derwesten.de (in German). Der Westen. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- "Markenstreit um Dubai-Schokolade: Deutscher Importeur mahnt Hersteller Lindt ab". businessinsider.de (in German). Business Insider. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- KooDe (2024-12-19). "Dubai Schokolade: Auffälligkeiten bei Proben". ZDF Heute (in German). Retrieved 2024-12-29.
- "Hype um „Dubai-Schokolade" – Was steckt wirklich drin?". Baden-Württemberg - The Food and Animal Health Inspection Offices (in German). 19 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.