Mohana Gill Wins Double “Best of the Best” at Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Riyadh

Riyadh, November 30, 2025 – Mohana Gill Wins Double “Best of the Best” at Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Riyadh

In a historic moment for Malaysian literature and food culture, award-winning author Mohana Gill was honoured with not one, but two prestigious “Best of the Best” titles at the 30th Anniversary Gourmand World Cookbook Awards held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in late 2025.

The recognition places Mohana Gill in an extraordinary league — the only Malaysian author to receive this distinction, and one of the very few authors in the world to be honoured twice at the same ceremony.

A Celebration of 30 Years of Excellence

The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, founded by Dr. Edouard Cointreau, is widely regarded as the most prestigious culinary book awards in the world. Since its inception in 1995, the Awards have recognised outstanding food and drink books from across the globe.

To mark its 30th anniversary, the Gourmand Awards introduced a special “Best of the Best” category — honouring the most outstanding titles from the past three decades. From thousands of award-winning books across 215 countries, only a select few were chosen.

Mohana Gill received two of these elite honours:

Best of the Best — Food Culture in the World (1995–2025). Awarded to: Fruitastic! (2006)

Mohana’s debut book, published when she was 70 years old, was recognised as one of the most culturally significant food books published anywhere in the world over the past 30 years. Fruitastic! had originally won the Gourmand Special Award of the Jury and Best in the World upon its release — and now, nearly two decades later, it has been honoured again as one of the best of its generation.

Best of the Best — Malaysia in the World. Awarded to: Moringalicious (2023)

Moringalicious, Mohana’s magnum opus on the extraordinary Moringa tree, was named the single most outstanding Malaysian food book of the past 30 years. Having already won Best in the World (Food & Nature) at the Gourmand Awards in 2023, this second recognition at the 30th Anniversary ceremony confirmed Moringalicious as a defining contribution to global food literature.

What This Means for Malaysia

This double recognition is not just a personal triumph for Mohana — it is a landmark moment for Malaysia on the world stage.

“Moringalicious is Malaysia’s Gift to the World,” Mohana has long said. The Gourmand Awards in Riyadh echoed that sentiment, placing Malaysia firmly at the centre of the global conversation about food, wellness, and cultural heritage.

For a country blessed with one of the world’s most powerful superfoods growing in its own backyard, this recognition is a call to action — to plant more Moringa, cook more Moringa, and share the gift of this miracle tree with the world.

A Legacy Written in Every Page

At 90 years old, Mohana Gill shows no signs of slowing down. She continues to write, teach, advocate, and inspire — living proof that a life of purpose is a life well-lived.

The double “Best of the Best” honours in Riyadh stand as the crowning achievement of a remarkable 20-year publishing journey that began at age 70 with a simple conviction: that good food can heal the world.

Congratulations, Aunty Mohana. Malaysia is proud.