The Spring Harvest
For the next Gourmand World Cookbook Awards (2021)
New category = A01 Fighting Covid 19 virus, with seven countries.
The main objective of the Gourmand Awards is to help publishers and authors. These are very difficult times. We are publishing for the first time the Spring Harvest list of the most interesting books, in the five months since November15, 2019. More books than usual were digital rather than paper. We recommend getting the free ebook against Covid 19 from UAE in A01 below.
This Spring Harvest list may attract international attention on the early books from the past months. There are no book fairs, and few if any bookstores because of the virus. The books rely on internet, social media and digital promotions more than ever, this list may help.
As a consequence of the virus crisis, there is an increase in self published books. There are also many books that are currently finalized in confinement with much work and care. We expect a great crop of new books later this year.
The Spring Harvest books below are now the Winners for their countries in their category. They have the right to the Winners certificates and self adhesive stickers. They will compete for Best in the World against many more books from other countries, in the same categories. Nearly 75% of Food & Wine books are published in the last half of the year. We plan to publish the Fall Harvest Winners List in October. The Best in the World awards results will be in 2021.
World Book & Copyright Day – UNESCO
23 April 2020
Total listings
Food = 368
Wine = 67
Total = 435
From 70 countries and regions
See the list >>>
Spring Harvest list 2020
Gourmand Awards 2021
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25TH GOURMAND WORLD COOKBOOK AWARDS 2020
For the first time since the founding of the awards in 1995, we release the list of the Best in the World winners before the awards ceremony. International travel is now impossible. Most of our winners will be in their homes for several more weeks. So we decided that releasing the list now might make hundreds happier in these very difficult times. Our main objective has always been to try to help those who “cook with words” in any way we can.
There are also specific books that can help you to remain in a positive mood. Do see On The Hummus Route, a very positive cookbook from the Middle East, that can give hope to all readers, it is in category B02, Best Cookbook of the Year in all categories, as well as category F09 Peace Cookbook.There are many other unexpected gems on the list.
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BEST IN THE WORLD FOOD & DRINK CULTURE
Gourmand Awards 2020
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The Best 25
The Best of The Best - 1995-2020
List of the Best for 25 years in each category for each country
It includes a selection of the Best from two previous anniversary events
- 12 years at Frankfurt Old Opera House
- 20 years at Frankfurt Book Fair Theater
- 25 years will be celebrated in Paris June 3-7 and China November 1-4
ALL past Best in the World are welcome at our events.
The list below is a shortlist with a limited selection of excellent books mostly still available. Some have updated new editions.
There is only one book per country in each category
Countries Total = 106 Algeria to Zimbabwe 96
UN members, 6 Regions, 4 International organizations = Total 106
TRENDS
THE CONTINENTS SHIFT
The Best in the World
| By continents | 1995-2019 | 1995-2009 | |
| France | 11% | 13%. | -2 |
| Other Europe | 38% | 44% | -6 |
| China | 8% | 3% | +5 |
| Other Asia Pacific | 20% | 15% | +5 |
| Latin America | 11% | 5% | +6 |
| Anglo America | 9% | 18% | -9 |
| Africa | 3% | 2% | +1 |
| TOTAL | 100% | 100% |
The shift 2009-2019 in the Best in the World is clear, from the West to the East, from the North to the South. It reflects the investments in quality for the new middle class that buys cookbooks. The middle class is stagnating at best in the West and North, while rising fast in the East and South. Today 85% of the world middleclass is in Asia. Do read Factfulness by Hans Rosling, “a hopeful book about the potential for human progress” says President Barack Obama. It is vital today for authors and publishers in the West to try to reach the foreign markets in the East. There is now a market for excellent cookbooks in many more countries. Our 2009 list had Best in the World from 47 countries. In 2020 it has doubled to over 100.
Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2019
Food Culture
Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2019
Drink Culture
