What kind of world is it, in which a silly (?) fad can cause a global shortage of an everyday commodity such as Pistachio nuts? Apparently the kind of we world we live in right now. The fad is Dubai Choco-late and the shortage is real…
Who needs Ernie the Elephant when you’ve got the
Dubai Chocolate Bar on your marketing team?
I first thought it was some sort of of prank… But the début of the story missed April Fool’s Day by a couple of moons. And the sources behind the story checked out…
Fad and shortage both real
The fad in question is the unquestionably flimsy tough currently newsy craze for they’re calling the Dubai Chocolate bar. It’s a dark chocolate bar of pretty much any segmented configuration that’s filled with a gooey to medium-firm ganache composed of finely ground Pistachio nuts and a few other exotic ingredients. The colour is amazing. And the flavour is apparently so enticing that, once you’ve tried it, you’ll want to eat nothing else the rest of your life.
Well, that may be a stretch. But…
What it is
The generic description of the Dubai Chocolate Bar runs thus: “Knafeh is a traditional Arab dessert made with kadayif (spun pastry dough) layered with cheese and soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar. Knafeh is a popular throughout the Arab world, especially in the Levant., and is often served on special occasions and holidays.” Thus sayeth good, old Wikipedia.
The chocolate bar filling is made by blending Knafeh with puréed Pistachios and tahini, and coating it with sweetened dark chocolate.
So what’s the big brouhaha about?
Pistachios aren’t the cheapest snacking nuts you can get, by far. And folks who love them will gen-erally pay a premium at the best of times. But add to that your Knafeh and that pricey dark chocolate and you have – literally – a recipe for sheer bliss or ignominious bankruptcy. Or both…
But you know what they say: “A chocoholic’s got needs, man!” And the Dubai Chocolate Bar is un-questionably one.
Thus, the momentarily unquenchable craving for Pistachios.
The situation…
Pistachios are primarily grown in the US and Iran. Thanks to the Dubai Chocolate Bar craze, which emerged a few months ago, the world price for Pistachios has increased in price almost 35 percent, from (US)$7.65 lb. / (US)$16.83 kg to (US)$10.30 per lb. / $22.66 kg according to a recent story in the Financial Times.
Abrupt price increases are usually the result of unplanned-for shortages. Such as extreme weather events, crop failures or what have you. But never before have I heard of a shortage caused single-handedly by a Chocolate bar.
My take
All that said, it’s now clear why we haven’t been treated to any of those cute TV commercials featuring Ernie the Elephant, pushing California Pistachios, lately…
~ Maggie J.