Gourmand World Book Award: Award for the best cookbook in the world goes to a Colombian family

The Colombian Zoraida "Chori" Agamez and her daughter Heidy Pinto said they learned how to cook from their grandmother: Their dishes mainly come from Magdalena Medio, a region in central Colombia.

Now the duo has achieved international fame with the title »Envueltos«: Together with the Spanish publisher Daniel Guerrero, they were awarded the prize for the best cookbook in the world at the Gourmand Awards.

So-called »envueltos« are filled rolls of dough that are typical of Latin American cuisine, similar to wraps.

Mostly they are made with starchy ingredients like corn, yucca or rice.

Sometimes, however, banana leaves also serve as a cover.

The filling varies and can consist of chicken, pork or vegetables such as beans.

The cooking tradition of the »Envueltos« can be found in Colombia but also in various other Latin American countries such as Mexico, Guatemala and Chile.

"In troubled times, in sad moments, in the midst of a pandemic, cooking will always be part of the solution," the winners wrote on Instagram on the occasion of the award.

"Long live tradition, envueltos and Colombian cuisine."

The two cooks come from the northern Colombian city of Barrancabermeja.

Four years ago, they decided to cross their country and collect traditional recipes.

They tested more than a hundred different »envueltos«.

They initially published parts of the recipes on their website.

For their book they limited themselves to variants that use corn, yucca and banana for the casing.

According to information from the daily newspaper "The Guardian", the Colombians are now working on a third edition.

The lockdown therefore helped with the sale.

Many Colombians who were stuck abroad ordered the book because they were homesick.

At the Gourmand Awards, the title prevailed against the competition from Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Ireland and New Zealand.

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