The Dubai Bar- a viral, fascinating, and overall delicious trend that's climbing the ladder of popularity to heights that only the biggest movie stars can dream of. And yes, the Dubai Bar has certainly become a star of sorts, popping up everywhere on social media like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook. The shredded dough and Pistachio Chocolate Bar is generating thousands of recipes online and a million products in stores, inspiring first-time chocolate-makers and professional chocolatiers alike. But, alas, the origins of the mysterious Dubai Bar are, in fact, dubious (see what I did there?)...So what exactly is this seemingly humble Chocolate Bar that has taken the world by a sweet storm?
Origins
According to Claire Turrell via Smithsonian Magazine, the Dubai Bar traces its origins as far back as the 13th century. The crunchy Knafeh filling (finely shredded fried Kataifi Dough, similar to the dough used in Baklava) so essential to the Dubai Bar is first recorded in a recipe book originating from Iran, the Kitab al-Tabikh. From there, according to Durham University Professor Daniel Newman, the recipe was then translated into Turkish and modified into the version as we know it today. For centuries, Knafeh has spread throughout the region and has become a very important part of Middle Eastern culture and foodways, prevalent along trade routes and at street markets. Combining this sweet and crunchy treat with the likes of chocolate has seriously taken over the world! Now, there are crazy variations of the Dubai Bar seemingly popping out of the blue- from Dubai Cakes to Cups to coffee! Chocolate and Pistachio are just really having a moment right now, and we're not complaining!
How It's Made
At Bulk Candy Store, we make our Dubai Bars with precision and care. We offer three sizes- our regular bar (which is the size of a U.S. Dollar), our GIANT Bar (MUCH Bigger than a U.S. Dollar), and bite-sized Dubai Domes. We start with drizzles of bright colors- velvety White Chocolate in Green, Pink, Purple, Blue, and Yellow, and then add a layer of rich, creamy Milk Chocolate into our silicone molds. We use our trusty Chocolate wheel to melt and pour our Chocolate for each batch, as seen here. Imagine taking a dip in that!
Once the molds are set, we add the filling. The filling itself is made from a mixture of creamy Pistachio paste and crunchy shredded Kataifi Dough that's fried with butter. The Pistachio Paste and fried Dough are added to our mixer and continuously mixed for about 10 minutes. The goal is a creamy, slightly crunchy filling that's equal parts nutty Pistachio and buttery Dough, echoing the Knafeh dessert the bar is based on.
A second layer of chocolate is then poured on top on the filled bars and allowed to cure, as seen below. All it takes is about 5-10 minutes in our handy-dandy curing contraption, and voila! The bars are ready to be removed from the silicone molds.
Lastly, they are removed from the molds, packaged, labeled, and sealed. Now, they are ready for customers to buy in our store or buy online to ship all around the country! Fascinating, indeed!
Du-More with Dubai Bars!
Have an idea for our Dubai Bars? Submit a comment below and we'll try it out! The Dubai-ilities are endless!! Okay, okay... I'll stop now...
...............................................................................................................................................................................
If you enjoyed this candy history article and are curious to learn more about candy history and facts, come join us for our unique History of Candy Tour that we host in-store! We'll take you back in time to the ancient Egyptians, through the sugar craze of the 1950s, all the way to candy today. But hurry! Reservations go FAST! Book now for an unforgettable candy experience like no other.