When Mohid Mehboob stepped into the Cooking competition at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, he carried more than technical culinary skills. He also brought elements of Pakistan’s food culture to an international environment where professional standards and national culinary identity met.
Mohid, a COTHM student and Pakistan’s Cooking representative at WorldSkills Shanghai, spoke about the role of Pakistani spices in introducing the country’s culinary traditions to international audiences. In comments reported by the Associated Press of Pakistan, he highlighted garam masala, describing its importance in dishes such as karahi and biryani.
For culinary professionals competing internationally, representing a national food culture can involve balancing familiar traditions with the technical expectations of an international competition. Mohid acknowledged that maintaining national identity while meeting international standards can be challenging, while identifying distinctive spices as one way to retain a connection with Pakistani cuisine.
His experience in Shanghai therefore offered a perspective that extended beyond competition kitchens. It demonstrated how culinary skills can also become a means of cultural exchange, allowing food professionals to introduce ingredients, techniques and traditions from their home countries to international audiences.
Mohid reached WorldSkills after progressing through Inter-School, Inter-Province and National-level competitions. His participation formed part of Pakistan’s first WorldSkills participation, with Pakistani competitors taking part in Cooking, Electrical Installation and Graphic Design Technology.
The Shanghai experience also gave Mohid an opportunity to observe another major food culture. He spoke positively about Chinese cuisine and his experience of Shanghai, highlighting the city’s modern environment and infrastructure.
Mohid’s journey illustrates how international culinary competitions can become spaces where technical skills and cultural identity meet. On the competition floor, the focus remains on professional performance, but the ingredients and traditions competitors bring with them can also tell a wider story about their countries.
