It was the ASMR video heard round the world.
On Dec. 19, 2023, TikTok user @mariavehera257 uploaded a video of herself eating a chocolate bar made by Fix Dessert Chocolatier based in Dubai. The clip has received almost 6 million likes.
The crunch of the kadayif — a traditional dessert in the Middle East and Turkey — and burst of vibrant green pistachio spilling out from its chocolate encasing was enough to grab viewers’ attention, prompting influencers and their followers around the globe to give “Dubai chocolate” (dobai choko in Japanese) a shot.