Food

Make the perfect Dubai chocolate bar – recipe

The pistachio-crammed craze makes a superb gift. Our in-house perfectionist tries all the fiddly bits for you …

If you’re asking what on earth chocolate has to do with a city with an average annual temperature of 28C, then you must have been stuck in the desert for the past three years. Because, since its creation in the UAE in 2022, apparently to satisfy chocolatier Sarah Hamouda’s pregnancy cravings for pistachio and pastry, this bar has taken over the world. Though food (among those with the luxury of choice, at least) has never been immune to the absurdities of fashion, the internet has supercharged and globalised the process, so much so that pistachios, which back in January were dubbed “the new pumpkin spice” by this very newspaper, are now everywhere, from Starbucks lattes to Aldi mince pies.

The thing is, however, that whatever your thoughts on green, sugary, coffee-adjacent beverages, Hamouda’s Dubai chocolate developed for Fix Dessert Chocolatier has triumphed, because it really does taste as good as it looks: crunchy pastry, sweet chocolate and rich, slightly savoury nut butter are an incredibly satisfying combination, so a big bar of it is guaranteed to impress under the Christmas tree. Experience demands that I suggest you wrap it in a pet-proof box, however – emergency vet bills are no one’s idea of a great present.

The pistachios

This is the key flavouring – and, probably more importantly as far as the internet is concerned, colouring. The price of pistachios has surged since Dubai chocolate went viral, with the Financial Times reporting in April that global kernel prices had risen by a third “as demand for viral cream-filled bars strains supplies”. Given they weren’t cheap to start with, this isn’t an ideal choice of gift if you’re making presents for reasons of economy; that said, it’s still better value than a scarf they’ll never wear, or some novelty gin they’ll just give to the PTA raffle.

Many recipes call for pistachio cream, or crème as British supermarkets aspirationally style it, an Italian product that caters for the Italian sweet tooth. Not only are many wincingly sugary, but I’ve come across at least one that’s as little as 10% pistachio, so check the label if you’d like to save time by subbing in a ready-made paste here. Just mix it in with the pastry – you’ll need about 350g – and don’t be swayed by the colour, because most are dyed. I used one that was 45% pistachio, but it was sold behind the counter because it was £10 a jar, so you do get what you pay for in this department.

Though I use it in both US website the Kitchn and Swiss grocery giant Migros’ recipes, I come to the conclusion that it’s both better and cheaper to make your own. However, that’s only if you have a food processor to hand – Good Housekeeping, Rama, the creator behind Indicious Kitchen, and our very own Ravneet Gill all start from scratch.

Toast the nuts first, as Rama suggests – in side-by-side comparisons, my testers all remark how much nuttier hers tastes, though this may also be because she uses five times as many nuts as Gill does. That said, I do end up with a lot of leftover filling, so in reality it’s probably more like three times as many. As the pistachios are the point here, I’ve also been generous with them on the basis that there’s little point investing if you don’t use enough actually to taste them.

skinned pistacho butter (L) versus unskinned (R).

Green genie: skinned homemade pistacho butter (left) versus unskinned (right).

Rama is also the only person to bother skinning as well as shelling her nuts, which is annoying, given that she uses so many. But it really does make a difference to the colour of the end result, which compels me to recommend you do the same. You can buy vivid green, skinned nuts online, but at a cost, so to start with I’d advise going for the greenest nuts you can find (the ones I buy from Waitrose are greener than the smaller nuts from the Mediterranean food hall I visit in a fruitless search for skinned ones). Then, rub off as much skin as you have the patience for (I wouldn’t blanch them to loosen the skins, unless you’re also committed to drying them out properly afterwards; moisture is the enemy of crunchy pastry.) Rama whizzes her pistachios to a smooth cream, much like the one bought in a jar, while Good Housekeeping and Gill both stick with a coarser rubble of ground nuts, which I prefer – again, it’s all about keeping as much of the pistachio in there as possible, and that goes for texture as well as flavour. For the same reason, I’ve included a few roughly chopped salted nuts, too, but that’s very much not in keeping with Hamouda’s original sweet and velvety version, so feel free to leave them out,.

Though Rama makes absolutely everything else from scratch, she is refreshingly unapologetic about artificially enhancing the colour of the filling. You may shy away from this (though if you’ve admired a Dubai chocolate bar that’s green, rather than beige inside, be aware it’s probably not entirely natural). But bear in mind that the first bite is with the eyes, and a few drops of dye are unlikely to be the naughtiest thing you eat this Christmas. (Note: to make a cheaper alternative, you could use peanut butter, or indeed another nut butter of your choice, and adjust the sugar as necessary.)

The cream

Chopped nuts and crunchy pastry would make for a very dry mouthful indeed, which is why, even if eschewing the jarred creams, it’s imperative to add a few more ingredients to the filling. Gill and Good Housekeeping bind it with melted white chocolate, with the latter also adding double cream, an ingredient that sets off alarm bells in my head. I remember the words of Raphael Bachmann, owner of Confiserie Bachmann in Lucerne, on the Migros website: “It is important to use a high-quality [pistachio] cream containing plenty of pistachios … If the cream contains a lot of water or oil, the ‘angel hair’ will quickly become soft.” Even double cream is more water than anything else, so this is best avoided, yet white chocolate is, inevitably, very sweet. Again, the best solution comes from Rama, who uses milk powder (which gives the rich creaminess of dairy without any of the water) and icing sugar, allowing her to control the sweetness. Depending on what sort of chocolate you use, you may want to add more than I’ve suggested below, but don’t omit the pinch of salt: it’s key to bringing out the savoury flavour of the nuts.

The original bar also contains tahini paste, which brings both creaminess and a bitter edge that helps to stop it tipping over into sickly territory. As this is my version, however, I’ve decided I don’t want anything to muddy the flavour or colour of the nuts I’ve just spent time peeling. So, inspired by Bachmann, who mentions using a neutral oil instead, I’ve replaced it with flavourless coconut oil:, as this is solid at room temperature, it’ll help keep the filling firm enough to slice. Up to you.

The crunch

Kataifi, which looks like vermicelli, has a similar snappy texture to filo, but is made in strands that are perfect for soaking up syrup in dishes such as knafeh and baklava. If you have a specialist grocers nearby, they’ll probably have it in the fridge. Or you can buy it online, or even make it yourself, as Rama does – unless specifically noted otherwise, it’ll require toasting first to crisp it up. You could do this in a hot pan, as in the Kitchn’s recipe, but baking it, as Gill does, makes much more sense; not only does it cook more evenly without constant babysitting, but it can be done at the same temperature and therefore time as the pistachios. I have added butter to the baking tray, however, because, though not strictly necessary, it does taste nice.

If you can’t find kataifi, Gill and Good Housekeeping both mention Shredded Wheat as a substitute, which makes sense given they’re both made from wheat and come in long thin strands. Not being a big consumer of breakfast cereal, however, it’s not until I open the packet that I realise even dry Shredded Wheat is more chewy than crunchy, which makes Bachmann’s cornflakes a better choice, despite the difference in flavour.

The chocolate

Everyone but Gill uses milk chocolate, in obedience to the original FIX bar. Oddly, though I think I’ll prefer her dark version, it does threaten to overpower the filling, so, if you go down that route, don’t go too high with the cocoa content.

Only Rama tempers the chocolate – the process by which, after disrupting them with heat, you rearrange the crystals in a more orderly fashion than just allowing them to solidify haphazardly. I’ve included instructions below, though personally I wouldn’t bother, because all anyone is really interested in here is what’s inside the bar. You may consider it worthwhile. (It also has the benefit of keeping the bar firmer at room temperature, though if yours is melting in December in the UK, you’ve got the heating on too high.)

It’s easier to decorate the top of the bar to disguise any imperfections; the Kitchn’s green-tinged white chocolate is the work of minutes, yet looks surprisingly impressive once set into the rest of the chocolate.

The form

Deep chocolate moulds are easily found in cookware shops and online, but if you don’t have one, or would prefer to give a box of chocolates rather than one oversized bar, Good Housekeeping have you covered with their little Dubai chocolate balls (see the end of the method, if you’re tempted by those). Simple to make, even easier to eat. Otherwise, you’ll need a 25cm x 13½cm x 2cm chocolate bar mould.

Perfect Dubai chocolate

Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr (assuming you’re skinning the pistachios, which takes about 20 minutes)
Set 3 hr+
Makes 1 large bar, or 18 individual chocolates

1 tbsp butter, or neutral coconut oil (optional)
100g kataifi pastry, roughly chopped, or cornflakes, roughly crushed
200g shelled raw pistachios
20g white chocolate, chopped (optional)
Green food colouring (optional)
160g milk or dark chocolate
2 tbsp neutral coconut oil, melted, or tahini
35g milk powder
20g icing sugar, or to taste
A pinch of salt
20g shelled salted pistachios, peeled and roughly chopped (optional)
25cm x 13½cm x 2cm chocolate bar mould (optional; see the final step if making individual filled chocolates)

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and, if using kataifi, melt the butter or oil on a shallow rimmed baking tray.

Roughly chop the kataifi, toss it in the melted butter, then bake, stirring every 10 minutes so it colours evenly, for about 30 minutes, until golden.

Remove and leave to cool. (If using cornflakes, simply roughly crush them into shards.)

Tip the raw pistachios on to another baking tray large enough to hold them all in a single layer, and bake alongside the kataifi for about 15 minutes, until they smell toasty.

Remove, leave to cool, then, to remove some of the skins, either rub them in a clean tea towel or shake vigorously in a large jar to help dislodge the papery husks, then remove by hand. (This is fiddly, time-consuming work – it took me 20 minutes – and is largely just for the colour, so feel free to skip if you can’t be bothered.) Roughly chop the nuts.

If using white chocolate, melt it in a heatproof bowl set over but not touching a pan of simmering water, then stir in a couple of drops of green food colouring, if using (be sparing, because if you add too much, the chocolate will seize).

Spoon or drizzle the white chocolate mix over the base of the chocolate bar mould, then put it in the fridge to set while you melt the remaining chocolate (put the mould on a board or baking tray to keep it level).

Chop the milk or dark chocolate (a bread knife is useful here). If you’re tempering it, melt 110g of the chocolate as above, to 40-45C for milk and 46-48C for dark, then stir in the remaining 50g until melted. Cool to 26C for milk and 27C for dark, then heat back to 29C (milk) or 31C (dark) before use. (Alternatively, just melt all the chocolate at once.) Tip just enough of the melted chocolate into the mould thoroughly to coat the white chocolate base, then chill for about 30 minutes until set firm.

Meanwhile, whizz the chopped pistachios in a food processor or blender until they’re fairly finely ground and beginning to look slightly oily and to clump together, then add the coconut oil or tahini and whizz again to combine. Add the milk powder, icing sugar and a pinch of salt and whizz again. Taste and add more sugar if you’d like it sweeter. If using salted pistachios, roughly chop them, then stir in.

Once you’re ready to fill, stir the kataifi into the pistachio mixture until well combined, then spoon into the chocolate shell and level the top, leaving a small gap around the edge; run a butter knife around the edge to help do this.

Re-warm the remaining melted chocolate, then pour it all over the top. Tilt the mould to help push the melted chocolate into the sides until the filling is entirely encased in chocolate.

Chill for at least two hours, or until completely set, before turning out.

For individual truffles, make the filling as above, then spoon small, roughly 20g balls of it on to a tray and chill for about 30 minutes, until firm, while you’re melting the milk or dark chocolate as above (depending on your generosity, you may need a little more than specified here). Dip the balls in chocolate to coat, then return to the fridge to set. Decorate with the green white chocolate once firm, or put a whole pistachio on top while the balls are still slightly tacky.

Dubai chocolate; is this one viral trend that’s passed you by, or have you fallen victim to its verdant charms? If you’ve had the original, did it live up to expectations, and how would you customise it to suit your taste (I like the idea of adding spices, for example)?

Story by The Guardian

Food

A global food price shock looms as Middle East war rages on

The Middle East conflict has disrupted trade through the Strait of Hormuz and its impact could ripple far beyond the energy markets, risking a spike in global food prices.

The strait is not only a key artery for oil and gas shipments but also for fertilizers critical to global agriculture. Analysts told CNBC disruptions could feed through to higher farming costs, reduced crop yields and ultimately more expensive food.

“Higher energy and input costs risk reigniting global food inflation just as retail food prices had returned to more historical levels in many countries,” according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, or IFPRI.

Raj Patel, a research professor at the University of Texas, also warned that fertilizer disruptions linked to the conflict could amplify global food pressures through several channels simultaneously.

“The short answer is: significant, and faster than people think,” Patel said. “The Strait of Hormuz is a fertilizer chokepoint. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iran together supply a substantial share of the world’s traded urea and phosphates, and virtually all of it transits Hormuz.”

Countries dependent on food imports directly as well as those reliant on fertilizers could face rising costs within weeks, particularly during key planting periods, said industry watchers.

Gulf countries face: immediate risk

The first region likely to feel the impact includes countries closest to the conflict.

“Regionally, consumers in the GCC are most exposed to short-term food price spikes due to their heavy reliance on maritime imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” said Bin Hui Ong, commodities analyst at BMI.

Arabian Gulf economies such as Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia rely heavily on food imports shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. If shipping remains constrained, supplies would need to be rerouted through alternative corridors or transported overland at far higher cost, analysts said.

“When it comes to short term shortages, all countries around the Persian gulf west of Hormuz will struggle to get food imports in,” Mera said. “These countries will need to find alternative routes.”

He noted that wealthier states such as Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have the financial resources to import food by air or overland routes if necessary, but poorer neighbors may struggle more.

“Iraq may suffer. Iran itself will also face scarcity,” Mera added.

Sub-Saharan Africa: most vulnerable

Beyond the Gulf region, the greatest risks may lie in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, where farmers depend heavily on imported fertilizer and households spend a large share of income on food.

“Sub-Saharan Africa is the most vulnerable region,” said Patel. Data from the University of Texas at Austin shows that over 90% of the fertilizer consumed in sub-Saharan Africa is imported, mostly from outside the continent.
Nitrogen-intensive crops such as maize, a key staple across the region, are especially sensitive to fertilizer shortages, raising the risk of lower harvests and rising food prices, other experts highlighted.

“The poorest and most densely populated regions are likely to suffer the most,” said Rabobank’s Mera, including parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Asian concerns

South and Southeast Asia could also face mounting cost pressures.

Major agricultural economies such as India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia rely heavily on imported fertilizers from the Gulf. A sustained disruption could drive up costs for farmers during key planting seasons.

“A farmer in Thailand who is 90% import-dependent, buying urea that’s made from gas, shipped through Hormuz, and priced in dollars that are strengthening because of geopolitical risk, faces a cost shock on every dimension simultaneously,” Patel said.

Staples in the region, which include rice and maize are among the most fertilizer-intensive crops.

Mera singled out Indonesia and Bangladesh among those likely to be worst affected in the region.

Longer-term view

If farmers respond to higher fertilizer prices by reducing its use, crop yields could decline and push food prices higher.

Brazil, one of the world’s largest agricultural exporters, could face rising costs if fertilizer markets tighten, said analysts. Brazil imports around 85% of its fertilizer, making its soybean and maize production highly dependent on global supply chains.

A prolonged disruption during Brazil’s key fertilizer import season could ripple through global crop markets, eventually impacting food prices.

Even if crop output remains relatively stable in the near term, rising energy costs alone could drive food inflation higher globally, experts said.

Energy plays a major role throughout the food supply chain, from powering farm machinery and producing fertilizers to transporting crops and processing them into food products.

“The bigger impact on consumer prices will not be the impact on agricultural commodities but the fact that energy is a big portion of the total retail food bill,” said Joseph Glauber, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Chris Barrett, an agricultural economist at Cornell University, said the scale of any price shock will depend heavily on how long shipping disruptions persist.

CNBC

Food

Food prices could rise as Iran conflict disrupts fertilizer supply chain

The war in Iran could raise global food prices as the conflict disrupts fertilizer shipments through one of the world’s most critical trade routes.

While energy markets have focused on oil supply risks, analysts say threats to fertilizer supply chains through the Strait of Hormuz may also bring long-term economic issues through food inflation.

“Beyond energy, another risk receiving less attention is the potential knock-on effect on food prices, as fertilizer shortages push agricultural costs higher,” said Wolfe Research chief economist Stephanie Roth in a note written on Tuesday.

Roth estimates the disruption could raise “food-at-home” inflation by roughly 2 percentage points, adding about 0.15 percentage points to headline inflation in the U.S., on top of roughly 0.40 percentage point increase from energy.

Those potential price hikes come as U.S. consumers face a sustained stretch of higher prices for food, housing and energy. Inflation for food at home climbed 2.4% year over year in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday.

More than one-third of globally traded fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it a critical artery for agricultural supply chains. Commercial traffic through the route has largely been halted since the war started late last month, disrupting shipments just as farmers across the Northern Hemisphere prepare fields for spring planting.

The timing is critical because fertilizers are applied early in the crop cycle and help determine yields later in the year.

“If fertilizer supply tightens during this window, farmers may reduce application rates,” Roth said in the note. That could reduce yields for crops like corn, soybeans, wheat and rice, and increase agricultural costs.

Economists in the fertilizer industry are equally concerned and say prices are already rising.

Between the weeks ending Feb. 27 and March 6 — which encompass the start of the war — the price per short ton of urea fertilizer imports in the U.S. jumped by 30%, according to data collected by industry advocacy group The Fertilizer Institute.

Urea — a nitrogen-based fertilizer widely used to boost crop yields — is one of the most heavily traded fertilizers moving through the region.

Higher fertilizer prices for farmers and retailers could ultimately raise food costs for consumers if the trade disruption lasts, said Veronica Nigh, chief economist at The Fertilizer Institute.

“This is a global impact on fertilizer costs,” said Nigh. “I would imagine that there would be much more passing on of these costs to consumers in this scenario, which is not something we have seen before.”

The U.S. relies on global fertilizer markets, importing roughly 20% of its total use, though nitrogen fertilizers like urea come from a more wide-ranging group of suppliers, including Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Russia and elsewhere.

The ripple effect could stretch around the world and beyond commodities. Asia and Africa are especially dependent on fertilizer exports from the Gulf region. Countries such as India rely heavily on Gulf supplies, while several African economies depend on imported materials used to produce fertilizers.

While disruptions to fertilizer shipments could lower crop yields for farmers and raise costs for households, fertilizer producers could stand to benefit.

CF Industries hit an all-time high Monday and shares are up nearly 10% over the past week, the company’s biggest multiday gain since 2022.

CNBC

Food

Food engineers warn: 6 products you should never bring into your kitchen

Food engineers warn against six common food groups they say pose serious health risks if mishandled, urging consumers to pay close attention to cold chains, packaging, and traceability.

Food engineers have issued a series of warnings by listing products they say they would never allow into their kitchens.

Highlighting foods that consumers often unknowingly add to their shopping baskets, experts stressed that these items can pose serious health risks, emphasizing each category with the phrase: “I would never bring this into my home.”

The nutrients in the foods we consume daily play a vital role in enabling our body’s cells to perform essential functions. Nutrients are fundamental to growth, development, maintenance of bodily functions, and emotional stability, making them one of the main pillars of human health.

Poor nutrition can damage metabolic processes and lead to deteriorating health. Just as frequently consuming foods high in sugar or fat can be harmful, inadequate or insufficient nutrition can also cause serious damage to the body.

However, even products we choose believing they are fresh and healthy may, in fact, cause hidden harm. Food engineers have therefore outlined the products they would never buy from either markets or grocery stores.

They stressed that the most critical factors when purchasing food are maintaining the cold chain, traceability, and packaging safety. Here are six food groups that food engineers say they would never keep in their kitchens:

Milk and Dairy Products
Due to their high protein and water content, milk and dairy products are ideal environments for microbial growth.

If the cold chain (keeping milk at +4°C from milking to consumption) is broken, these products can become serious health threats.

Temperature changes destroy nutritional value and allow bacteria to produce heat-resistant toxins that cannot be eliminated even by boiling, potentially causing long-term health problems.

Illegal chemicals added to mask spoilage further expose consumers to microbiological and chemical risks.

Uncovered cottage cheese, butter, and kashar cheese are exposed to dust, insects, and airborne microbes, while improper temperatures encourage the growth of deadly bacteria and toxin-producing molds.

Cottage cheese can become toxic very quickly, butter can undergo chemical spoilage due to oxidation, and shared cutting tools increase cross-contamination risks in cheeses like kashar.

Unrefrigerated Meat, Poultry, and Deli Products
When sold without refrigeration, these products remain in the “danger zone” at room temperature, allowing pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter to multiply rapidly.

In meat and poultry, this can lead to the spread of heat-resistant toxins that cause severe food poisoning and organ damage.

In deli products, broken cold chains also promote Listeria growth and chemical degradation of fats.

Unlabeled or Cracked Eggs
Eggs without barcodes or with visible dirt or cracks pose a high risk of Salmonella.

Dirt on the shell harbors bacteria, and even tiny cracks allow microbes to enter and multiply.

Without traceability, there is also a higher risk of consuming stale eggs or being exposed to antibiotic and drug residues.

Out-of-Season Fruits and Vegetables
Produce sold out of season is often exposed to high levels of synthetic hormones and pesticides to compensate for the lack of natural growing conditions.

These chemicals can accumulate in the body, causing hormonal disorders and long-term health issues.

Such products also have lower vitamin and antioxidant content and may contain synthetic waxes and preservatives that burden the digestive system.

Oils, Sauces, and Pastes in Plastic Packaging
High fat and acidic content can cause harmful chemicals such as BPA and phthalates to migrate from plastic into food, disrupting the hormonal system and contributing to issues ranging from infertility to obesity.

Plastic also accelerates oxidation and allows microplastics to leach into acidic foods like tomato paste and sauces, increasing cancer and toxicity risks—especially when exposed to heat and light.

Finally, food engineers emphasized that these risks are even more critical in households with babies, children, elderly individuals, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems, urging consumers to be far more cautious about what they eat.

A News