Lucknow Joins UNESCO's Creative Cities Of Gastronomy, Showcasing The Art Of Awadhi Cuisine

On a misty morning in Lucknow’s Aminabad, the sizzle of kebabs mingles with the aroma of ghee, cardamom and coal smoke. Street vendors call out orders for galawati, cooks stir pots of nihari with practised rhythm, and the air itself feels steeped in centuries of culinary poetry. This living tradition—part royal legacy, part everyday ritual—has now found its place on the global map.

At the 43rd session of UNESCO’s General Conference in Samarkand, Lucknow was officially declared a “Creative City of Gastronomy,” recognising its extraordinary contribution to world food culture. With this, Lucknow becomes the second Indian city after Hyderabad to earn the title, joining a global network that celebrates creativity as a force for sustainable urban growth.

A Global Stage For A Timeless Cuisine

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (CCN), which now includes 408 cities across more than 100 countries, honours destinations that weave culture and innovation into their development models. Lucknow’s inclusion in the gastronomy category, alongside 70 other cities, acknowledges the enduring appeal of Awadhi cuisine, a sophisticated blend of Mughlai, Persian, and regional influences perfected over generations.

For the city’s residents, food has always been more than nourishment. It is tehzeeb (grace), nazakat (delicacy), and a defining part of their identity. From Tunday Kababi’s famous melt-in-the-mouth galawati (created for a toothless Nawab) to the fragrant Awadhi biryani, each dish tells a story of refinement and invention. Sweet treats like makhan malai and kesar phirni, as well as breads such as sheermal and roomali roti, reflect the city’s rich history, evolving from royal kitchens to bustling bazaars.

Chef and author Sadaf Hussain, whose work celebrates regional Indian cuisines, said Lucknow taught him what restraint in cooking truly means.

“Lucknow showed me that refinement comes from subtraction, not excess. Just enough ghee, just enough spice, just enough flame,” he said. “I learned more from one ustad making one kebab all his life than from any cookbook. This city didn’t just feed me; it shaped how I think about flavour, memory, and respect on a plate.”

UNESCO’s recognition, he added, “doesn’t make Lucknow’s food great, it simply tells the world what Lucknow has quietly known for centuries. The city’s culinary identity isn’t limited to galawati or biryani; it’s a refined language of balance and slow cooking.”

His words echo the pride felt across the country as leaders and citizens alike celebrated the global honour. In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Lucknow’s culinary heritage “a vibrant culture at the core of which lies great tradition,” inviting people worldwide to “visit and discover its uniqueness.” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the honour as “a tribute to centuries of taste and tradition that continue to enrich India’s cultural identity.”

How Lucknow Earned The Recognition

The journey to the UNESCO honour began nearly a year ago. The Uttar Pradesh Directorate of Tourism submitted Lucknow’s nomination to the Ministry of Culture on January 31, 2025, which later selected it as India’s official entry on March 3, 2025. The final confirmation came on October 31, placing Lucknow among the world’s top culinary destinations.

State Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh described the designation as “a major milestone for Uttar Pradesh,” noting that culinary tourism has always been a strength of the state.

As per reports, the state now plans to develop culinary circuits, organise food festivals, and provide training and marketing support to small vendors, chefs, and women-led food enterprises. These steps, officials say, will help ensure that traditional cooking methods, ingredients, and livelihoods are preserved even as the city embraces innovation.

For chefs like Hussain, the recognition will also push the city to introspect. “Recognition brings curiosity, and curiosity brings people,” he said. “If done right, the real innovation won’t be fusion, it’ll be rediscovery. This award should remind us that Lucknow’s flavour profile is already complete.”

Beyond The Tag: What It Means For Lucknow

For Lucknow’s chefs and citizens, the UNESCO tag isn’t just a symbol of pride but also a call to responsibility. As Hussain noted, the city must ensure its legacy isn’t diluted in the name of popularity.

“Chefs need to treat Lucknow’s food like a responsibility, not a trend,” he said. “Stop simplifying centuries-old recipes for convenience. Tell diners why a dish matters, not just how it tastes. If chefs turn custodians instead of performers, the cuisine will travel without losing its soul.”

The recognition is also expected to draw new opportunities for young chefs, food entrepreneurs, and researchers. Hussain believes it will inspire them to go beyond kebabs and biryani to revive forgotten recipes.

“There’s space now for home-style pop-ups, cloud kitchens, ingredient-led menus, and documenting the ustads who were never interviewed,” he said. “Not just more restaurants, but more food thinking.”

As evening falls and the kebab grills light up across Hazratganj and Chowk, Lucknow wears its new global badge lightly. For a city that has long regarded food as both an art form and a matter of etiquette, being called a “Creative City of Gastronomy” feels like destiny fulfilled.

In the words of an old Lucknawi saying: “Yahan khaana bhi tehzeeb hai.”

Here, even eating is an act of culture.