Barbie pasta, beetroot hummus and the recipes inspired by pink fever

Fashion and home decor aside, the colour is also taking over social media feeds, quite literally

Michelin-starred Torno Subito serves a pink pasta dish in Dubai. Photo: Torno Subito

A large part of Barbie's box office success stems from the extensive marketing campaign that had many brands embrace hot pink.

But what seals the deal on a daily basis is people's participation in "Barbiecore", from fashion and beauty to home decor and even food. Across social media, people are sharing recipes inspired by the Mattel doll by incorporating the colour pink in both savoury and sweet dishes.

One of the most popular is a Barbie pasta – videos of which have more than 25 million views on TikTok alone. It's a simple dish, made with a handful of ingredients, but is eye-catching thanks to its bright pink hue.

“It looks weird, but it tastes so delicious,” content creator Kat Clark says in her video. Beetroot is the star ingredient in Barbie pasta, giving it its vibrant colour, while other common ingredients include garlic, cheese and Greek yoghurt.

This range has expanded to include everything from beetroot salad, usually with feta or goat's cheese, to smoothies and spreads, such as beetroot hummus.

One Arab content creator, posting under the name Cooking by Fatine, shared her version of Barbie pasta using fusilli for greater texture, as well as blending chunks of beetroot with yoghurt to create a thick, moreish sauce.

Another TikTok user posted a recipe of the pink pasta without beetroot – for those who don't like its sweet and earthy flavour profile – and used food colouring instead.

Using beetroot in pasta is not uncommon. Last year, when pink pasta was trending on social media, American chef and author Meredith Hayden posted her version of the dish, noting: “We all know beets and goat's cheese make a perfect pair. Turns out, they also make a perfect pasta.”

The other dishes part of the Barbiecore universe include pink hummus, crepes, dumplings and even dosas.

There are also a multitude of pink drinks, from mocktails to smoothies, and rosy desserts. In the UAE, cupcake company Sugargram created limited-time dishes inspired by the doll – as well as a tin cake for her on-off boyfriend Ken.