Mouth-watering kebabs, fragrant biryani, and fluffy, cloud-like desserts.
The northern Indian city of Lucknow has consistently been a food lovers' paradise, with residents and visitors equally celebrating its superb cuisine.
A Global Honor
Recently, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization designated it as a Creative City of Gastronomy – including it in a prestigious roster of global cities and sparking hopes that it will highlight Lucknow's sublime food. With this status, it becomes part of a global network of more than four hundred urban centers across more than 100 countries focused on promoting "artistic expression as a catalyst of sustainable urban development".
The honor "demonstrates its centuries-old gastronomic legacy and dynamic gastronomic culture," according to a representative from UNESCO's Regional Office for South Asia.
Lucknow is just the second Indian city – following Hyderabad, which was selected in 2019 – to secure a position in this highly sought-after list of seventy urban centers around the world.
An Urban Center with a Culinary Soul
The accolade for this historic city comes as no surprise to its locals or avid food lovers. Many echo the view that it is "better late than never".
With the UNESCO accolade, this adored, chaotic, and eclectic city – the administrative center of India's largest state – is at last in the limelight for what has always shaped its essence: an immense love for food.
"'What's for dinner, how should it be prepared' is a ongoing dialogue from waking up until going to bed in most homes," explains a local cultural expert. "And you are often assessed by the excellence of food that comes out of your kitchen."
A Royal Culinary Legacy
The City of Nawabs – as it's popularly called after its historic affluent Muslim rulers – is renowned for its melt-in-the-mouth kebabs and a distinctive take on biryani that were created, evolved, and taken to exquisite levels in their royal kitchens.
These kitchens of the nobility were epicenters of culinary innovations, merging Persian and native Indian styles to create what became known as the food of Awadh.
It was in this era that Lucknow's most famous kebabs were fashioned. As the tale is told that the mutton galouti was devised to feed an elderly nawab who had no longer had his teeth. His culinary artists ground the meat with raw papaya, kesar, and a blend of spices and made it so silky that it needed no chewing.
But arguably the greatest contribution of the cooks of Awadh was the slow-cooking Dum pukht technique, where food is cooked on a low, slow heat, with the pot's lid tightly closed with a flour paste.
A Diverse Culinary Landscape
Besides the well-known kebabs and biryani, the cooks also created a repertoire of dishes that included kormas (creamy curries), sheermal (saffron-infused flatbread), and shahi tukda (a sweet bread pudding).
However, Lucknow is not only about kebabs and biryani – the region is additionally a vegetarian's paradise.
The local Baniya community's cuisine not only showcases fresh harvests but also gives the city its meticulously prepared Indian desserts, sweets, and distinctive street food, like chaat – tangy fried snacks.
Iconic Stalls and Historic Shops
Almost on countless corners, there are tiny kiosks and kiosks – lesser-known delights that are extremely loved by the locals.
In the heart of the city of Hazratganj, throngs of people start milling around from early morning at a famous tea stall to get a steaming cup of spiced tea with milk, offered in earthenware cups, along with fluffy buns lathered with freshly churned white butter.
To start the day, one can make their way to a unpretentious joint situated in the old city area of Aminabad. Almost 150 years after it was set up, the place is still highly popular for its hot kachoris (fried bread stuffed with lentils) and jalebis (crispy, syrup-soaked sweets).
Preserving Tradition for the Future
The city also offers special seasonal delights, such as makkhan malai, a frothy dessert found in the winter. The technique of making it is scientific and complicated. The cook whisks the milk and then exposes it at night, allowing the dew to give it its amazing light consistency.
On chilly mornings, street vendors line up in historic neighborhoods like Aminabad and Chowk. A number of but note that their younger generation are reluctant to learn the skill.
A renowned chef from Lucknow has noted that the city's immense food legacy puts it right on top of the Indian street food experience. The true benefit from the UNESCO recognition, however, will be realized only if Lucknow can now create awareness about its under-the-radar eateries.
Every dish in Lucknow has a narrative – shaped by multi-generational food businesses, from humble street carts to bustling restaurants, and secret family recipes.
The worldwide honor, it is anticipated, will encourage more people worldwide to explore these stories and experience the city to delight in the food wonders of Lucknow.
