Indian published book wins top honors at World Cookbook Awards in Paris

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Indian published book wins top honors at World Cookbook Awards in Paris

Indian book publisher Undercover Utopia has made the country proud at the 'Gourmand Best in the World Competition' in the ongoing Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2009 at Paris. Undercover Utopia, one of the top 3 book publishing houses in the country, has earned a unique distinction for its book Sangria – A recipe for Love. The book has won the First Prize in the 'Best Food Literature in the World' category.

Sangria – A recipe for love, is a distinctive concept, as it is the first ever cookery book in Fiction form. The book is authored by Manuela Requena, a chef and author from Brisbane, Australia with Spanish antecedents. Manuela has created a beautiful story about the essence of life which includes elements of Romance and Passion woven around 25 Magic Spanish Recipes.

Expressing delight at winning the prestigious award, Abhigyan Jha, Co-founder, Undercover Utopia said, "We are proud to lead the way yet again! Last year with Sangria, we became the first publishing house in India to print the debut work of an international author. And now, we’re the only publishing house in the country to have won this prestigious award. It is our endeavour to put Indian published books on the global map and pioneer the way in both the fiction and non-fiction genres. This award is a step in that direction."

"We were very confident that the book will catch the attention of the readers as Manuela has created something very exceptional by weaving a story around these recipes. Our readers have enjoyed the story of Romance and Passion that is an integral part of the book along with the 25 Magic Spanish Recipes", added Mrinal Jha, Co-founder, Undercover Utopia.

Author Manuela Requena said, "I thank Undercover Utopia for giving me an opportunity to publish my magical recipes and to make my dream of taking Sangria to the world a reality. This award is a great acknowledgement for all our efforts."

About the awards:

The World Cookbook Awards, were first instituted in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau and were renamed as the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2001. The history of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards is parallel to the history of cookbook publishing in the past 14 years. The years correspond to the year of the publishing of the books involved in a competition, while the awards event takes place between December and May.

Some of the objectives of the awards are:-

* To help readers find the best out of the 26,000 food and wine books produced every year
* To help publishers with international rights to translate and distribute food and wine books
* To increase knowledge of, and respect for, food and wine culture, which promotes peace

As per the procedure, cookbooks are nominated and proclaimed winners nationally after which they compete for the world title. The international jury for all languages and the Best in the World comprises of -

* Edouard Cointreau, Chairman of the Awards Committee
* Dun Gifford, President of the Oldways Exchange and Trust Foundation (USA)
* Jean Jacques Ratier, Commissaire du Salon International du Livre Gourmand, Mayor of Sorges (France)
* Bo Masser, Director of Booktown Grythyttan (Sweden)

Cook books are nominated in all languages and from all over the world from places as far away as China, Japan, Brazil, Canada and the US.