by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- In Türkiye, a country famous for its sweets and desserts, a new treat has captured the nation's palate: the Dubai chocolate. Filled with pistachios and shredded phyllo dough, this confection has become a sensation that consumers are eager to indulge.

Renowned worldwide for its delicacies such as Baklava and Lokoum, Türkiye has embraced this new trend since late last year. The craze for the Dubai chocolate is ubiquitous, from high-end patisseries to budget supermarkets.

"People have shown great interest in this chocolate bar. I think that customers are, first and foremost, intrigued by this blend of phyllo dough and chocolate," said Eylul Tabay, a young baker from the capital city of Ankara.

When the craze started a couple of months ago, long queues formed outside the Cumhuriyet Lezzet Dunyasi bakery and patisserie, where Tabay prepares the treats, with buyers eager to get their hands on the crunchy bars.

"For many weeks, we have sold out all of our production because of the great demand," Tabay said.

The Dubai chocolate's use of knafeh, a crispy shredded phyllo pastry commonly found in Turkish and Middle Eastern desserts, and pistachio, strongly appeals to local palates, explained the baker.

In Tanbay's view, the craze surrounding this candy bar is, first and foremost, a fashion.

The Dubai chocolate, a distinctive treat featuring a chunky, hand-decorated chocolate bar filled with unique flavors, with its signature being a luxurious pistachio cream, was reportedly created in 2021 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by a female entrepreneur, and quickly gained popularity thanks in part to social media influencers sharing videos of themselves degustating these treats and offering comments.

Its success has inspired numerous imitators worldwide, including Türkiye, where major chocolatiers have produced their variety of the viral chocolate bar.

Despite being pricier than standard chocolate bars, its popularity shows no signs of slowing down for the moment in Türkiye.

"There is knafeh and chocolate in this bar, and this creates a great taste; I love it!" Sema Emiroglu, a customer, told Xinhua after purchasing five big bars for her family.

"The use of pistachios, knafeh, and chocolate in the same bar is very appealing and tasteful," she noted with a smile.

The frenzy has prompted Turkish officials to look for pistachio imports in response to the significant surge in demand, even though Türkiye is already one of the world's top pistachio producers.

According to a recent report by the semi-official Anadolu News Agency, to satisfy the rise in local demand for pistachios, the Ministry of Trade has begun assessing the situation and exploring avenues to facilitate imports from neighboring Syria, another big producer for pistachios.

Aylin Oney Tan, one of Türkiye's leading food writers, told Xinhua that the success of this new chocolate trend comes mainly from its texture.

"The Dubai chocolate brings together two great taste champions: everyone's favourite combo of chocolate and pistachios," Tan said.

"The gooey texture of the pistachio cream inside is one of the features that makes the Dubai chocolate interesting -- not only visually but also in the way it feels on the palate," she said.

In her view, some flavors would become fashionable, and then suddenly disappear, as if they never existed.

"The world of desserts is the perfect environment for such fashions," she added. Enditem

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