Germany’s sweetest investment

As the run-up to Christmas begins in earnest, all kinds of sweet treats are the order of the day. But German classics such as gingerbread, stollen and spekulatius biscuits are so yesterday... This year there’s just one delicacy that everyone in Germany wants to get their hands on - Dubai chocolate! There’s hardly been any other subject on TikTok for weeks now - even the collapse of the German government couldn’t compete. 

This delicious chocolate bar filled with pistachio cream and golden kataifi pastry can be made at home with just a few ingredients. And yet the normal thrifty Germans are happy to splash out a bit more for this industrially produced chocolate. A bar costs between 15 and 20 euros in the shop.

The hype reached astronomic proportions when a chocolate manufacturer brought out a limited version - complete with a certificate of authenticity and a bar number. During a tour of Germany, the producer sold 1,000 bars in all. The excited crowds were not even deterred by the prospect of spending hours queuing in the pre-Christmas drizzle. Fans would often begin gathering outside the shops in the middle of the night. But if you are assuming that those lucky enough to get hold of the hyped-up chocolate were planning to enjoy it themselves, you’d be wrong. The bars are a real money-spinner, and the resale market is booming. Some buyers are even hoping that the luxury treat will increase in value over the years like a good whisky. 

Anyone who did manage to buy a bar should keep their wits about them, as this special Dubai chocolate requires protection. In Duisburg, a bar of Dubai chocolate - bar number 50! - was stolen from a parked car. The owner returned to find his car’s side window broken and an empty space where the chocolate had been. Now he is desperately trying to track down his stolen goods - via TikTok, naturally.