$8 The viral Dubai chocolate trend is well into its third year and has introduced plenty of people to the delights of pistachio paste. At Yafa, the nut is a major food group and appears on or in many of the treats stocked by Abdullah Awad in his Palestinian bakery, which opened in June 2022. With the Napoli, it’s both: There’s pistachio paste within a cone of shortbread that’s covered in thick chocolate and crowned by bits of the nut itself. The mixture of Turkish pistachios and sweetened condensed milk is touched with orange blossom water; pausing to let a bite melt on the tongue to find that element may be the most discerning thing you can do with a pastry the bakery describes as “delicate” and “elegant” but is actually a substantial and joyous devour. (Yafa has an actual Dubai treat, a $4 dome of chocolate and pistachio with a kataifi crunch.)
Yafa Bakery & Café, 594 Somerville Ave., Ward 2, Somerville
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