Al Nassma store - photo: Al Nassma

Dubai’s Al Nassma is the maker of the “world’s first camel-milk chocolate“. Marketing slogans aside, it is a novel idea and one that builds on the region’s native milk providers (see dromedary).

Formed in October of 2008, Al Nassma is founded and owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE, and ruler of Dubai. In partnership with Austrian chocolate maker Manner, Al Nassma manufactures the end product at its Dubai facility. With an army of of 3,000 camels, it aims to produce 100 tons of premium chocolate a year.

“All chocolates are produced without preservatives or chemical additives with a range of locally popular spices, nuts and honey,” the company says.

“Camels’ milk is seen as healthier than cows’ milk, containing five times more vitamin C, less fat, less lactose and more insulin, making it a good option for diabetics and the lactose intolerant.” says Martin van Almsick, General Manager of the farm, and a chocolatier from Cologne, who moved here two years ago.

The company sells chocolates through its Camelicious farm-attached store as well as in luxury hotels and private airlines. They also have an online presence with a soon-to-be-launched online ordering service.

Recently, the company has partnered with the UPS courier service for shipping its products, and has plans to expand into the rest of the Middle East, Japan (where we’re told there is strong demand), and the US.

Al Nassma offers pralines in 9 and 18 box sets with hazelnut nougat, arabic coffee cream, and pistachio marzipan fillings. They also offer classic chocolate bars ranging from 30% to 70% cocoa content, available in whole milk, spices arabia, bittersweet, dates, and macadamia nut & orange zest flavors. In addition, Al Nassma offers it’s chocolate in camel shapes as novelty items.

But we are talking about chocolate, where taste is an all important factor.

Cow-milk chocolate’s flavors are greatly influenced by the sources of its milk. The same holds for camel’s milk and the camel-milk chocolate. Camel milk’s taste, water content, and fat content are influenced by the feed and availability of drinking water. Fortunately, the camels at the Camelicious farm are well taken care of. (You can read more about the composition of camel milk on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations website.)

Al Nassma’s whole (camel) milk chocolate has a subdued aroma, and doesn’t taste very different from a gourmet bar from any Belgian chocolatier for instance. As the chocolate has melted in your mouth, there is a slight but distinct salty after taste, which is not unpleasant but definitely characteristic of the camel milk content.

The rest of the chocolate bars offer additional undertones of taste and texture, with the dates bar having a slightly chewy texture from the date pieces. Nevertheless, the chocolate is very distinctive and the flavors remind you that this is arabian premium chocolate.

Rarely have we encountered such a novel twist on the age old ingredients for chocolate. Fortunately, the result is a surprisingly good end product.

Al Nassma | Website | +97142239289

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tags: dessert, food