Mauritius Takes Global Bread Top Spot Using 10 Local Ingredients

Securing a commendable ninth-place finish among 21 competing nations, Mauritius has concluded its impressive debut at the 10th Mondial du Pain – Goût & Nutrition (World Bread Contest). The Mauritian team earned high praise for the originality of its approach, which involved telling the story of the island nation through its most emblematic flavours.

Showcasing Local Heritage

The team, led by baker Shezad Sahye and his assistant Farhaan Moosuddee, focused their creations on showcasing the culinary culture of Mauritius by revisiting symbols of local street food and everyday snacks.

Items like gato pima (chilli cakes), dipin vinday (bread with fish or vegetable pickle), macatia coco (coconut bun), gato arwi (taro cake), zanana disel pima (pineapple with salt and chilli), and salmi (a type of curry/stew) were transposed into their competition recipes.

To underscore their authentic presentation, the bakers used exclusively local produce for all ingredients, including Victoria pineapple, Criollo cocoa from Chamarel, tart roselle, Rodrigues lime, arouille (taro), local sugar and molasses, coconut, and even venison.

An Intense Culinary Challenge

The 2025 edition of the competition, held at the SERBOTEL exhibition in Nantes, France, aimed to celebrate the technical skill, creativity, and nutritional dimension of baking.

The Mauritian challenge began on 20th October with a two-and-a-half-hour session dedicated to preparing their sourdough starters and doughs.

The following day, starting at five o’clock in the morning, the team endured eight and a half hours of intense evaluation.

Under the watchful eye of an international jury, the bakers produced a range of items, including:

• Classic and original breads, aromatic bread, and “health” bread.
• Sandwiches and open-faced tarts (tartines).
• Viennoiseries, which included traditional, commercial, and prestige brioches, croissants, and commercial and prestige layered pastries (feuilletés).
• An elaborate artistic creation, inspired by the 20th anniversary theme of the competition’s organiser, Les Ambassadeurs du Pain.

Learning and Future Ambitions

Coach Sabeer Hookoomally expressed pride in the team’s achievement, stating that their choice was “to present Mauritius through our breads and viennoiseries.”

He described the debut as a “foundational experience that allows us to measure the international level and to learn so that we can come back better.”

Shezad Sahye viewed the competition as a “springboard,” calling it an “immense honour” to represent his country.

He concluded that he emerged from the experience “greater, with even more motivation to transmit this expertise and continue to inspire young Mauritian bakers.”

Julien Audibert, General Manager of Les Moulins de la Concorde (LMLC), which hosted the team’s long months of preparation, noted the value of the experience:

“Participating in a competition of such magnitude is a unique experience. Seeing, meeting and exchanging with bakers from all over the world is already a way to grow, learn and be inspired by one’s peers.”

Source: Defi Media