Galaxy has launched its own version of the viral Dubai chocolate. Photo: Mars Gulf
Galaxy has launched its own version of the viral Dubai chocolate. Photo: Mars Gulf
Galaxy has launched its own version of the viral Dubai chocolate. Photo: Mars Gulf
Galaxy has launched its own version of the viral Dubai chocolate. Photo: Mars Gulf

Galaxy launches Dubai chocolate with pistachio kunafa flavour


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Chocolate brand Galaxy is joining the Dubai chocolate craze by launching its own pistachio kunafa-flavoured version.

The limited-edition Galaxy Pistachio Kunafa will be sold in the UAE and Qatar for Dh30 a bar. It blends the brand's milk chocolate with pistachio and a crisp kunafa centre. Each box contains eight individually wrapped bite-sized pieces.

“This limited-edition creation is more than just a product, it’s a response to what consumers here are craving," said Ekaterina Pichugova, general manager at manufacturer Mars Gulf.

Dubai chocolate was one of the biggest trends of the last year. Created by Sarah Hamouda of Fix Dessert Chocolatier, the popular treat consists of a chocolate bar filled with pistachio and kunafa, giving it a unique crunchy green texture inside.

The limited-edition Galaxy Pistachio Kunafa will only be sold in the UAE and Qatar. Photo: Mars Gulf
The limited-edition Galaxy Pistachio Kunafa will only be sold in the UAE and Qatar. Photo: Mars Gulf

More than 40 well-known brands and retailers, from Marks & Spencer to Swiss chocolatier Lindt, have since entered the kunafa chocolate segment. In the UK, it even drove up the cost of pistachios, which are mainly imported from the US and Iran.

Dubai chocolate's success has also inspired many copycats, with variations around the world. This includes the UAE – where they can be found in grocery shops, petrol stations and even the local baqala– ranging in different sizes and coming in at different price points.

Created by Sarah Hamouda of Fix Dessert Chocolatier, Dubai chocolate is now popular around the world. Getty Images
Created by Sarah Hamouda of Fix Dessert Chocolatier, Dubai chocolate is now popular around the world. Getty Images

In January, a woman arriving at Hamburg airport had 90kg of Dubai chocolate confiscated by German customs officials because it was subject to hundreds of euros in import duties.

Mars Gulf said its Galaxy Pistachio Kunafa marks a milestone for the company's first fast-tracked product in the Middle East, taking only four months to be produced and ready to be sold.

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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

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Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020

Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.

The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020. 

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Running time: 81 minutes

Director: David Blue Garcia

Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham

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Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

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13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.

57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.

7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.

3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.

40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.

30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.

8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.

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Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
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6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial


Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
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Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.

Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.

Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.

Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
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Updated: May 27, 2025, 9:42 AM`