Delectable kebabs, aromatic biryani, and whipped, cloud-like desserts.
The northern Indian city of Lucknow has long been a haven for gastronomes, with inhabitants and tourists alike praising its exquisite cuisine.
Worldwide Recognition
Recently, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization honored it as a City of Gastronomy within its Creative Cities Network – adding it to a prestigious group of world cities and sparking hopes that it will highlight Lucknow's peerless food. With this designation, it joins a international community of over 400 urban centers across more than 100 countries committed to promoting "creativity as a key factor of city development that is sustainable".
The recognition "stands as proof of its deep-rooted culinary traditions and dynamic food ecosystem," according to a representative from Unesco's Regional Office for South Asia.
Lucknow is merely the second Indian city – after Hyderabad, which was selected in 2019 – to find a place in this prestigious list of 70 cities around the world.
A City Defined by Food
The accolade for this time-honored city is little surprise to its locals or passionate food lovers. Many share the opinion that it is "better late than never".
With the UNESCO recognition, this beloved, chaotic, and diverse city – the capital of India's largest state – is now in the global gaze for what has always shaped its heart: an profound love for food.
"'The day's menu, how should it be prepared' is a continued discussion from morning until night in most homes," states a local cultural expert. "And you are truly assessed by the excellence of food that is produced in your kitchen."
A Heritage of Nawabi Cuisine
The Nawabi City – as it's popularly called after its 18th and 19th-century opulent Muslim rulers – is renowned for its tender kebabs and a singular take on biryani that were created, perfected, and taken to sublime levels in their opulent kitchens.
These kitchens of the nobility were hubs of culinary innovations, blending Iranian and indigenous Indian styles to create what became known as the food of Awadh.
It was during this time that Lucknow's iconic kebabs were created. As the tale is told that the galouti kebab was devised to feed an ageing nawab who had no longer had his teeth. His cooks processed the meat with raw papaya, kesar, and spices and made it so fine that it required no chewing.
But perhaps the greatest contribution of the chefs of Awadh was the slow-cooking Dum pukht technique, where food is cooked on a low, slow heat, with the container's cover securely closed with dough.
A Diverse Culinary Landscape
In addition to the obvious kebabs and biryani, the cooks also developed a vast array 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 haven for vegetarians.
The local traditionally vegetarian community's cuisine not only showcases seasonal produce but also gives the city its highly curated Indian desserts, sweets, and distinctive street food, like chaat – tangy fried snacks.
Time-Tested Food Joints
Virtually on many street corners, there are little shops and carts – little-known treasures that are immensely favored by the locals.
In the heart of the city of Hazratganj, large gatherings start assembling from the crack of dawn at a legendary tea stall to get a piping hot cup of spiced tea with milk, offered in clay glasses, along with fluffy buns lathered with freshly churned white butter.
In the morning, one can visit a unpretentious joint located in the old city area of Aminabad. Almost 150 years after it was established, the place is still highly popular for its freshly fried kachoris (fried bread stuffed with lentils) and jalebis (crispy, syrup-soaked sweets).
Ensuring Legacy Continues
The city also offers unique seasonal delights, such as makkhan malai, a frothy dessert savored in the winter. The method of making it is precise and involved. The cook whisks the milk and then leaves it out at night, allowing the dew to give it its amazing frothy texture.
On cold mornings, street vendors are often seen in historic neighborhoods like Aminabad and Chowk. Some but note that their younger generation are reluctant to master the art.
A well-known culinary expert from Lucknow has noted that the city's profound food legacy puts it at the very pinnacle of the Indian street food experience. The real value from the UNESCO recognition, it is believed, will be realized only if Lucknow can now build recognition about its hidden eateries.
Every dish in Lucknow tells a story – shaped by family-run food businesses, from modest street carts to busy restaurants, and closely held family recipes.
The global recognition, it is believed, will inspire more people globally to learn these stories and experience the city to savour the food wonders of Lucknow.
