Why foods like Dubai chocolate go viral

The price of pistachios isn’t likely to decrease in the near future. If you’re looking for something to blame, you could do worse than directing your ire towards Dubai chocolate. Variants of the internet-famous confection can be found almost everywhere, but the original treat does actually trace back to its namesake’s country. Created by the United Arab Emirates-based company Fix Dessert Chocolatier in 2021, the dessert is still known there as the “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It” bar. Regardless of its name, Dubai chocolate generally involves a milk chocolate casing filled with creamy pistachio-tahini paste and a phyllo-like shredded pastry called kadayif.

Dubai chocolate’s initial leap to cultural prominence began earlier this year thanks to various viral social media clips depicting people devouring the decadent dish. But unlike previous internet fads like the cronut over 10 years ago, there’s a good chance that the relatively new and nutty flavor profile is here to stay thanks to our brains. According to University of Oxford psychologist Charles Spence, part of Dubai chocolate’s popularity stems from how it manages to stimulate our brain across multiple sensory routes.

The treat’s initial lure—especially on social media—is its strong contrasting visuals. The caramel-colored milk chocolate clashes with the saturated green of the pistachio filling, making the entire dish pop in videos and photos. Spence likens it to the visuals that often underlie other food trends like artistic plating, symmetrical meals, and unusual plateware.

Then there are Dubai chocolate’s more subtle implications. Previous research shows humans are evolutionarily wired to get excited at the sight of high calorie foods. It’s more than just a delicious meal—your lizard brain frequently convinces you to grab one more slice of cake or a second helping of mac n’ cheese. Why our brains do this is a bit of a mystery. Maybe you’ll need all that energy to outrun a predator on the way home from the restaurant.

Dubai chocolate’s textural makeup is also appealing to onlookers, but that only goes so far without trying it yourself. This is where Spence says the social media factor comes into play. There’s a reason “food reaction” videos are so popular across YouTube and TikTok. Seeing someone’s enthusiastic reaction to tasting the chocolate informs the brain that this is something you should sample personally.

Finally, there’s the somewhat thorny psychological aspect of exoticism. Foods and drinks that seem “foreign” are often appealing simply because they are novel to an outsider. It may be hard to believe, but it’s only been about 70 years since sushi caught on in the United States. Although the cuisine’s presence in America is traceable back to the early 1900s, it endured decades of anti-Japanese sentiment before the country embraced it

For various reasons, diners with a sweet tooth clearly haven’t been as hesitant to sing Dubai chocolate’s praises. But like sushi, the complex mix of psychological facets helps explain how, when, and why certain foods become cultural staples.