Dark Chocolate-Covered Emirati “Honeycomb”
A magical confectionery combination from Dubai
If you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves great food and is intrigued by the unusual, this rare, terrifically delicious, sweet treat from Dubai might just do the trick. I’ve tasted a lot of excellent foods over the last 44 years, but I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything like this one! The folks at Mirzam in Dubai have been quietly making some of the best chocolate confectionery around. This exceptional combination of spun-honey “seafoam,” dipped into bean-to-bar 62% dark chocolate, is one of the best examples of their cross-cultural creativity. Kathy Johnston, whose leadership has helped make Mirzam the caring, quality-focused place it is, turned me on to it a while back when she wrote:
Our Emirati “Honeycomb” is always a super-popular one over in Dubai. It’s made with local mountain honey which is very dark—and actually more herbal or even medicinal—rather than sweet. The bees are tiny, and don’t have stings, and gather the nectar from ‘Sidr’ tree flowers.
The wild Sidr would be what we here call buckthorn. Known historically as “Jesus’ thorn,” the bark and roots of the bush are highly prized for a host of medicinal purposes as well as for eating. The honey has the same pH level as the human body and hence has long been used for skin issues, infections, inflammation, and digestive complaints. Sidr honey is hard to find and highly prized. (For those in the know about naturopathy, in its home region, it is used much as Manuka honey is used now here in the U.S. and traditionally in Australia.) A 10-ounce jar of the wild Sidr honey retails for around $40, and I’ve seen some go for as much as $80.
To make this rare and magical confection, which is also known as sea candy, hokey pokey, fairy food, cinder toffee, or, as per the name on the package, “honeycomb,” the honey is brought to a light boil with a small bit of baking soda and vinegar. This makes the confectionery equivalent of the kind of foam that forms along the seashore from the waves, hence the name. You can imagine it as a caramelly, dark “honey brittle.” The cooked honey is poured out into big sheets, then broken by hand into smaller chunks. In the process, the “honeycomb” becomes a light, gently crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth confection that’s then dipped into the 62% dark chocolate.
The beautiful box was designed by Saeed Al Madani, who hails from Abu Dhabi, a bit to the south of Dubai. His artwork draws on traditional Arabian art elements, combined with inspiration from the Emirates Mars Mission “Hope Probe.” The Emirati Honeycomb has a lovely, clean finish and a flavor that’s unlike anything else I’ve ever tasted. I’m still savoring it half an hour after I finished eating a small sliver! A great gift for the holidays and a lovely way to ring in 2026 on New Year’s Eve!
Wondering where to find the Emirati Honeycomb from Dubai? It’s displayed on the shelves at both the Candy Store and the Deli.
Honeycomb at the Deli
And at the Candy Store
