Kebabs, Biryani and So Much More: Indian City Secures a Place on the UNESCO Creative Cities List.

Mouth-watering kebabs, fragrant biryani, and airy, cloud-like desserts.

The northern Indian city of Lucknow has consistently been a dream destination for epicures, with locals and visitors equally praising its remarkable cuisine.

Worldwide Recognition

Last month, UNESCO honored it as a Creative City of Gastronomy – including it in a prestigious list of world cities and igniting hopes that it will highlight Lucknow's exceptional food. With this designation, it joins a international community of more than four hundred metropolises across more than 100 countries focused on promoting "artistic expression as a key factor of city development that is sustainable".

The accolade "stands as proof of its profound food heritage and lively food ecosystem," as stated by a representative from Unesco's Regional Office for South Asia.

Lucknow is just the second Indian city – after Hyderabad, which was selected in 2019 – to find a place in this highly sought-after list of seventy urban centers worldwide.

An Urban Center with a Culinary Soul

The honor for this time-honored city comes as no surprise to its locals or passionate food lovers. Many echo the sentiment that it is "a recognition that was delayed".

With the UNESCO designation, this cherished, bustling, and diverse city – the capital of India's biggest state – is finally in the limelight for what has always shaped its essence: an unparalleled passion for food.

"'The day's menu, how should it be prepared' is a constant conversation from morning until going to bed in most homes," explains a local cultural expert. "And you are truly evaluated by the excellence of food that emerges from your kitchen."

A Heritage of Nawabi Cuisine

The City of the Nawabs – as it's popularly called after its 18th and 19th Century opulent Muslim rulers – is renowned for its succulent kebabs and a distinctive take on biryani that were invented, perfected, and raised to exquisite levels in their royal kitchens.

These royal kitchens were epicenters of culinary innovations, fusing Iranian and indigenous Indian styles to create what became known as the food of Awadh.

It was in that period that Lucknow's most famous kebabs were developed. As the tale is told that the galouti kebab was devised to cater to an elderly nawab who had no longer had his teeth. His culinary artists processed the meat with raw papaya, kesar, and a blend of spices and made it so silky that it required no chewing.

But perhaps the biggest contribution of the chefs of Awadh was the slow-cook Dum pukht technique, where food is cooked on a gentle, leisurely heat, with the container's cover tightly closed with dough.

More Than Just Famous Dishes

In addition to the obvious kebabs and biryani, the culinary masters also built up a vast array of dishes that included kormas (rich curries), sheermal (saffron-infused flatbread), and shahi tukda (a decadent bread pudding).

However, Lucknow is not just about kebabs and biryani – the region is also a vegetarian's paradise.

The local Baniya community's cuisine not only celebrates local ingredients but also provides the city its highly curated Indian desserts, sweets, and distinctive street food, like chaat – tangy fried snacks.

Time-Tested Food Joints

Almost on every corner, there are tiny kiosks and kiosks – little-known delights that are immensely loved by the locals.

In the heart of the city of Hazratganj, huge crowds start milling around from 5 am at a renowned tea stall to get a steaming cup of milky masala chai, presented in earthenware cups, along with incredibly soft buns slathered with hand-churned white butter.

In the morning, one can head to a unpretentious joint situated in the historic quarter of Aminabad. Almost 150 years after it was founded, the place is still in great demand for its freshly fried kachoris (fried bread stuffed with lentils) and jalebis (crispy, syrup-soaked sweets).

Ensuring Legacy Continues

The city also offers remarkable treats of the season, such as makkhan malai, a cloud-like dessert found in the winter. The process of making it is precise and complicated. The vendor beats the milk and then exposes it at night, allowing the nighttime moisture to give it its amazing frothy texture.

On crisp mornings, street vendors can be seen in old city areas like Aminabad and Chowk. Many but say that their younger generation are unwilling to learn the craft.

A well-known culinary expert from Lucknow has noted that the city's rich food legacy puts it right on top of the Indian street food experience. The real value from the UNESCO recognition, however, will be realized only if Lucknow can now build recognition about its hidden eateries.

Every dish in Lucknow has a narrative – influenced by family-run food businesses, from modest street carts to lively restaurants, and guarded family recipes.

The global recognition, it is anticipated, will encourage more people around the world to learn these stories and experience the city to savour the food wonders of Lucknow.