Thick chocolate bars filled with pistachio-tasting Kunafa-spiced filling have gone viral internationally, after being spotted in a December 2023 TikTok video. The Emirati chocolatier FIX launched the chocolate bar in 2021, which was originally a low-key success before shooting to fame following the TikTok video’s crossing of the 120 million-view milestone. The video piqued broad interest, and chocolate makers across the globe have since produced variations of the bar to meet demand.
However, the overwhelming success of the product has created a significant issue: a global pistachio shortage. According to a report by Financial Times, the price of pistachios has surged from $7.65 per pound last year to $10.30 per pound. As the demand for pistachios intensifies due to the popularity of the chocolate bar, traders have reported that the pistachio market is ‘tapped out’.
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Knock-Offs Flood the Market
The fame of the chocolate bar has seen chocolatiers across the globe rushing to create their copycats, some stores even going as far as to restrict how many bars an individual can purchase.
In India too, the viral chocolate bar has found its way, with a number of online stores selling it. The popularity has come at a time when there is a global shortage of pistachios, making the situation more difficult.
The inventor of the original chocolate bar, FIX, also voiced worries over its own exclusive product being exploited by others, describing the phenomenon as ‘a movement in chocolate’. Despite the frenzy, the original bar is still a scarce delicacy, available exclusively in the UAE only two hours a day.
Pistachio Prices Soars Globally
Despite the bar’s significantly higher price point now, with Lindt’s selling for £10 for a 145-gram bar in the UK, a figure more than twice the normal offering the popularity still continues to soar.
The United States, the world’s biggest pistachio exporter, has had trouble with its own harvest, which has caused a shortage of less expensive, shell-free pistachios generally utilized in chocolate items. Therefore, chocolatiers all around the globe are finding it difficult to cope with the demand.
Iran, the world’s second-largest pistachio exporter, has raised shipments to the UAE by 40% in the last six months, attempting to keep pace with the increased demand.
While the world keeps racing to gobble up pistachios, Dubai Kunafa chocolate bar is still the prized possession, an indicator of the worldwide obsession with this sinful treat.
