Can't Get Knafeh of It: The Full Story Behind the World's Most Viral Chocolate Bar
Can't Get Knafeh of It:
The Full Story Behind the
World's Most Viral Chocolate Bar
One bar. One name. One moment that changed what people thought chocolate could be. Here's everything you've ever wanted to know.
Before it was a trend. Before it was a category. Before hundreds of brands tried to imitate it. There was a kitchen in Dubai, a craving, and a question: what if knafeh could live inside a chocolate bar?
That question became Can't Get Knafeh of It — FIX Dessert Chocolatier's signature bar and the single product that ignited a global chocolate obsession. If you've seen the videos: the slow snap, the pull of green pistachio filling, the golden crunch of kataifi — this is where it started.
This is the complete story of the bar. What's in it. Why it works. What makes it different from everything that came after. And why — three years on — nothing has come close to the original.
First: What Is Knafeh?
To understand the bar, you have to understand the dessert it was born from. Knafeh — also spelled kunafa, kanafeh, or künefe depending on the region — is one of the oldest and most beloved sweets in the Arab world. Its roots trace back centuries through the Levant, Egypt, Turkey, and the wider Middle East.
At its core, knafeh is a pastry made from kataifi — ultra-fine shredded wheat dough — layered over a filling of soft white cheese or cream, soaked in fragrant sugar syrup, and finished with crushed pistachios. Served warm, straight from the tray, it is simultaneously crunchy, stretchy, sweet, and slightly savoury. The combination of textures is unlike anything else in world cuisine.
For Sarah Hamouda, who founded FIX in 2021, knafeh wasn't just a dessert — it was a memory. A smell, a feeling, a taste that meant family, celebration, and belonging. The question she asked was not "how do I make a chocolate bar that tastes like knafeh." It was deeper than that: "how do I put an entire cultural memory inside a bar of chocolate?"
A note on the name
"Can't Get Knafeh of It" is a pun on the phrase "can't get enough of it" — and it works in two languages at once. In Arabic, "knafeh" (كنافة) sounds close enough to "enough" that the wordplay lands for both English and Arabic speakers. That bilingual wit is very intentionally FIX.
Every FIX bar name carries this kind of layered meaning. The names aren't marketing copy — they're part of the personality of the brand.
What's Actually Inside the Bar
Four components. Each one chosen obsessively. Each one irreplaceable.
Premium Belgian Milk Chocolate Shell
The outer shell is crafted from premium Belgian milk chocolate — not compound, not flavoured coating. Real chocolate, properly tempered, which means the cocoa butter crystals are aligned for a mirror-like gloss and an audible, clean snap when you break the bar. This is the sound you hear in every single viral video. It cannot be faked with cheap chocolate — the tempering process simply doesn't work on compound coatings the same way.
Real Pistachio Paste
The deep, earthy green of the filling — the colour that has appeared on millions of screens — comes entirely from real pistachio paste. No dye, no artificial colouring. Pistachios are ground into a thick, rich paste that has a naturally vibrant hue and an intensely nutty, slightly sweet flavour that artificial pistachio essence cannot replicate. This is why counterfeit bars so often get the colour wrong — neon or baby green rather than the natural, muted jade of the real thing.
Why it matters: Pistachio paste is expensive and sourcing good quality consistently requires real supplier relationships. Most copycats substitute pistachio flavouring mixed with a nut butter base — the taste difference is immediately obvious to anyone who has tried the real thing.
Golden-Toasted Kataifi Pastry
Kataifi is ultra-fine shredded phyllo dough — hair-thin strands of wheat pastry that, when toasted in butter, become impossibly crisp and golden. This is the crunch you hear and feel in every bite of the bar. It is also the component that gives the filling its structure — those visible golden strands running through the green paste that make the cross-section so visually striking.
The toasting process matters enormously. Under-toasted kataifi goes soft inside the chocolate within hours. Over-toasted, it becomes bitter. The correct colour — a deep, even amber-gold — and the correct crunch-to-moisture ratio is something we've refined through hundreds of iterations. It's why the bar still crunches when you bite it, even after the chocolate has been snapped open and the pistachio filling has had time to breathe.
Tahini
Tahini — pure ground sesame paste — is the ingredient that most people don't expect and almost nobody identifies on the first taste. It adds a subtle nuttiness and a slight bitterness that cuts through the sweetness of the pistachio and chocolate, creating a depth and complexity that pure pistachio paste alone cannot achieve. It is also what gives the filling its distinctive pull on snap. Tahini has a silky, almost liquid quality when it's worked into a filling — and that quality is what creates the stretch effect that made the bar go viral.
What It Actually Tastes Like
First bite
The snap of tempered chocolate, immediate rich cocoa sweetness, then the crunch of kataifi.
Mid-palate
Deep, earthy pistachio — rich and complex. The tahini adds a sesame undercurrent and mild bitterness.
Finish
Long, warm, and nutty. The kataifi crunch lingers. It's the kind of finish that makes you immediately reach for another piece.
Best paired with
Arabic coffee (qahwa), karak tea, or a small glass of cold milk. The bitterness of coffee cuts the sweetness perfectly.
The Moment It Changed Everything
For its first two years, Can't Get Knafeh of It was a beloved local secret. Available only through Deliveroo in Dubai, selling out within minutes of each drop, passed between friends like a coveted recommendation. Outside the UAE, almost nobody knew it existed.
That changed in 2023 when Ukrainian food influencer Maria Vehera posted an ASMR-style tasting video of the bar. She didn't do it as a paid partnership. She wasn't asked to post it. She simply tried the bar, filmed herself reacting to it, and uploaded the video.
The video received over 100 million views. Within days, food journalists, travel creators, and chocolate lovers worldwide were searching for the same thing: where do I get that bar?
2021
The bar is born
Sarah Hamouda creates Can't Get Knafeh of It in her Dubai kitchen after craving a knafeh-chocolate fusion during pregnancy. FIX Dessert Chocolatier is founded.
2021–2023
The Dubai secret
FIX becomes a cult favourite in Dubai — bars sell out within minutes on Deliveroo, lines form, and a loyal local following grows through word of mouth alone.
2023–2024
100 million views
Maria Vehera's ASMR video goes viral. Food journalists, travel creators, and chocolate lovers worldwide search for the bar. Imitations begin appearing globally within weeks.
2024–Present
The world ships direct from Dubai
FIX launches worldwide shipping from its Dubai kitchen. The original bar reaches customers in the US, UK, Australia, Europe, and beyond — handmade, fresh, and authentic.
Why Nothing Has Come Close — Three Years Later
There are now hundreds of versions of the pistachio knafeh chocolate bar on the market. Supermarket own-brands, artisan chocolatiers inspired by the trend, international confectionery giants releasing their own takes. We welcome the creativity. We also know what makes ours different.
The bar works because every element is calibrated. The ratio of pistachio paste to tahini. The toasting temperature and time for the kataifi. The specific Belgian chocolate couverture we use and how it's tempered. The thickness of the shell relative to the filling depth. These aren't arbitrary choices — they're the result of years of iteration, of making the bar wrong hundreds of times until it was right.
The snap
Properly tempered Belgian chocolate produces a clean, high-pitched crack. It is not subtle. You hear it before you taste it.
The pull
The tahini-pistachio paste stretches as the bar is broken. It's a specific, deliberate texture — not accident, not luck.
The crunch
The kataifi stays crisp because it's toasted to exactly the right point and sealed immediately within the chocolate shell.
The colour
Natural pistachio green — deep, muted, and entirely dye-free. You can't replicate it without real pistachios.
Explore the full collection
Can't Get Knafeh of It is just the beginning.
FIX makes six signature bars, each built on a different Middle Eastern dessert tradition. From the honeyed crunch of Baklawa 2 The Future to the caramelised warmth of Mind Your Own Buiscoff — every bar is a different story.
Read the complete flavor guide →Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is in Can't Get Knafeh of It?
The bar is made of four core components: a premium Belgian milk chocolate shell, real pistachio paste, golden-toasted kataifi pastry, and tahini. No artificial colours, no artificial flavourings. Everything is handcrafted in our Dubai kitchen.
Does it contain nuts or gluten?
Yes — Can't Get Knafeh of It contains pistachios (tree nuts), sesame (tahini), and wheat (kataifi pastry). It also contains milk from the Belgian chocolate. Please check the full allergen guide before ordering if you have dietary restrictions.
Can I make a Dubai chocolate bar at home?
Yes — and we even published a step-by-step recipe guide to help you recreate the experience at home. Fair warning: getting the kataifi right takes practice. The real thing is still worth ordering.
How long does the bar stay fresh?
Each bar is made to order and packed fresh for shipping. We recommend storing in a cool, dry place (not the fridge, which can cause chocolate bloom) and consuming within the best-before date on the packaging. The kataifi stays crunchiest when the bar is stored at room temperature.
Is Can't Get Knafeh of It available in stores?
No. Authentic FIX bars are available exclusively through this website (worldwide shipping) and Deliveroo within Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Any bars labelled as FIX in retail stores are not authorised by us. Read our full guide on spotting counterfeits.
You've Read the Story.
Now Taste It.
The snap. The pull. The crunch. The bar that started everything — made fresh in our Dubai kitchen and shipped directly to your door.