Mouth-watering kebabs, fragrant biryani, and fluffy, cloud-like desserts.
The historic city in northern India of Lucknow has forever been a food lovers' paradise, with inhabitants and visitors alike praising its remarkable cuisine.
Worldwide Recognition
In a recent announcement, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization honored it as a City of Gastronomy within its Creative Cities Network – placing it on a exclusive list of world cities and kindling hopes that it will showcase Lucknow's peerless food. With this status, it enters a worldwide network of more than four hundred metropolises across more than 100 countries focused on promoting "innovation as a catalyst of development that sustains urban life".
The recognition "is a testament to its centuries-old gastronomic legacy and dynamic culinary scene," according to a spokesperson 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 internationally.
A Metropolis Shaped by Cuisine
The recognition for this time-honored city arrives as no surprise to its inhabitants or avid food lovers. Many share the view that it is "better late than never".
With the UNESCO recognition, this beloved, chaotic, and vibrant city – the capital of India's largest state – is finally in the limelight for what has perennially defined its soul: an profound love for food.
"'What will be cooked, how should it be prepared' is a ongoing dialogue from morning until night in many homes," explains a local cultural expert. "And you are often judged by the excellence of food that is produced in your kitchen."
An Imperial Food Tradition
The Nawabi City – as it's popularly called after its historic wealthy Muslim rulers – is renowned for its melt-in-the-mouth kebabs and a singular take on biryani that were invented, evolved, and raised to sublime levels in their opulent kitchens.
These kitchens of the nobility were centers of gastronomic creativity, fusing Persian and native Indian styles to create what became known as the food of Awadh.
It was during this time that Lucknow's most famous kebabs were created. The story goes that the galouti kebab was devised to feed an ageing nawab who had no longer had his teeth. His chefs minced the meat with raw papaya, kesar, and a blend of spices and made it so fine that it required 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 gentle, slow heat, with the container's cover tightly sealed with a flour paste.
Beyond Kebabs and Biryani
In addition to the well-known kebabs and biryani, the culinary masters also created 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 just about kebabs and biryani – the region is additionally a dream for plant-based eaters.
The local Baniya community's cuisine doesn't just celebrates local ingredients but also provides the city its highly curated Indian desserts, sweets, and unique street food, like chaat – tangy fried snacks.
Time-Tested Food Joints
Almost on every corner, there are little shops and stalls – lesser-known treasures that are extremely popular with the locals.
In the heart of the city of Hazratganj, huge crowds start milling around from the crack of dawn at a legendary tea stall to get a steaming cup of spiced tea with milk, presented in earthenware cups, along with fluffy buns lathered with freshly churned white butter.
In the morning, one can head to a unpretentious joint operating in the old city area of Aminabad. Nearly 150 years after it was established, the place is still in great demand for its freshly fried kachoris (fried bread stuffed with lentils) and jalebis (crispy, syrup-soaked sweets).
Preserving Tradition for the Future
The city also offers unique treats of the season, such as makkhan malai, a cloud-like dessert available in the winter. The method of making it is precise and complicated. The vendor hand-churns the milk and then exposes it at night, allowing the nighttime moisture to give it its amazing light consistency.
On chilly mornings, street vendors line up in old city areas like Aminabad and Chowk. Some however say that their children are unwilling to learn the art.
A renowned chef from Lucknow has frequently stated that the city's profound food legacy puts it at the very pinnacle of the Indian street food experience. The significant impact from the UNESCO recognition, it is believed, will occur 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 lively restaurants, and secret family recipes.
The global recognition, it is believed, will inspire more people around the world to explore these tales and visit the city to taste the culinary delights of Lucknow.
