Watch: Emirati hot chocolate served in snow wins hearts in Switzerland

The Swiss know their chocolates by heart — yet as they take their first sip of the drink, their faces light up, saying they have never tasted anything like it

Screengrab from an Instagram reel (Nawal Al Nuaimi)

By Web Desk

Published: Fri 20 Jan 2023, 2:25 PM

Last updated: Fri 20 Jan 2023, 10:14 PM

There's nothing like a good cup of hot chocolate when you're out and about amid freezing temperatures. And in Davos, Switzerland, where leaders from all across the globe have gathered for the World Economic Forum (WEF), one kiosk is making waves in the snow — serving a kind of hot chocolate no one has ever tasted before.

'Emirati Hot Chocolate' is all it says on the signboard of the unassuming stand outside the UAE pavilion at the WEF. People wearing thick scarves and puffer jackets come over to grab a cup of some comforting drink without any expectations. After all, people in Switzerland do know their chocolates by heart.

And yet with their first sip, their faces light up — surprised to taste something entirely different. Then different forms of "wow", "whoa", and "that's very nice" pour out from all corners.

See a video of their reactions here, as shared on the Instagram account of the Emirati woman serving the drink:

Nawal Al Nuaimi is the woman behind the hot chocolate that 'took Davos by storm' — as described by Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth, in an Instagram story.

Al Nuaimi is a 'self-taught chef' who runs a pastry shop in Sharjah called Paper Fig.

While the UAE's traditional coffee gahwa has already been introduced to the world, some authentic hot chocolate in the country is yet to be known — until Al Nuaimi's unique concoction came around.

But how can some hot chocolate have an Emirati twist?

It's all in the flavour, said Al Nuaimi, who has come up with a way to spice up chocolate with the authentic taste of Emirati coffee. Her secret ingredients? Saffron and cardamom.

This hot chocolate is yet to be available in the UAE; but with the hype it has created in Davos, there's a good chance it will find its way to Paper Fig soon.

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