Lucknow named UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, spotlight on Awadhi cuisine

Lucknow has been designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, a recognition announced recently that places the northern Indian capital on a global map of cities using culinary traditions to drive sustainable urban development. The designation adds Lucknow to UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, joining a group of 70 cities worldwide in more than 100 countries dedicated to fostering creativity as a driver of progress.

The award marks Lucknow as only the second Indian city to earn the title, after Hyderabad was recognized in 2019. The designation comes as part of a global network that now numbers 408 cities, a framework that UNESCO officials say encourages international collaboration and celebrates deep-rooted culinary ecosystems. Tim Curtis, director and representative of UNESCO’s Regional Office for South Asia, said the recognition “honours the city’s rich cultural legacy while opening new avenues for international collaboration.”

The city’s elevation is rooted in centuries of Awadhi cuisine that evolved in royal kitchens and among bustling street vendors alike. Local histories describe how the transformative Dum pukht technique—slow-cooking with the vessel sealed by dough—emerged in 18th-century Nawabi kitchens, a method later revived and popularised in modern India by chefs who helped define contemporary Indian dining. Among Lucknow’s most famous dishes are melt-in-the-mouth kebabs and a distinctive take on biryani, but the city’s culinary repertoire spans curries called kormas, saffron-flavoured sheermal bread, and desserts such as a cloud-like makkhan malai.

Beyond meat-based dishes, Lucknow’s vegetarian cuisine has long drawn acclaim from gourmands and locals alike. The city’s Baniya community has preserved a disciplined, seasonal approach to sweets and snacks and contributed a tradition of street foods—from chaat to fried snacks—that continue to draw visitors to markets and bylanes in Aminabad, Hazratganj, and Chowk. In winter, vendors offer makkhan malai, a frothy milk-based treat that is formed by chilled dew and careful churning, a process locals describe as both scientific and artistic.

New attention to Lucknow’s cuisine has also spotlighted its daily rituals and culinary hubs. In the central Hazratganj district, Sharmaji Tea Stall has drawn crowds since 1949, where patrons sip milky masala chai served in clay cups alongside buns smeared with hand-churned white butter. For breakfast, Netram—established in 1880 and run by the sixth generation of its founding family—remains sought after for hot kachoris and jalebis, with Anmol Agarwal and his brothers maintaining the craft that has defined generations of cooks. These everyday experiences—made legible through long-running family businesses—are part of the city’s living culinary narrative.

Prominent Lucknow-born chef Ranveer Brar has long argued that the city’s true value lies not just in its iconic dishes but in its stories. Brar, an advocate for Lucknow’s food heritage, noted that recognitions such as UNESCO’s can help illuminate lesser-known eateries and nurture broader appreciation for the city’s gastronomic landscape. Madhavi Kuckreja, founder of the Sanatkada Trust which leads a Kitchens of Lucknow project, emphasizes that each dish carries a generation-spanning story, from humble street carts to bustling restaurants, and that international visibility could help preserve and expand those stories for a global audience.

The UNESCO designation also underscores a broader aim: to use cuisine as a driver of sustainable urban development. Locals say the recognition validates the city’s centuries-old food ecosystem, which blends Persian influences with local Indian traditions to create the cuisine of Awadh. It also invites collaboration on culinary education, preservation of cooking techniques, and the promotion of safe, accessible food experiences for residents and visitors alike. While the city has long drawn travelers who seek its kebabs, biryani, and sweets, the new status could encourage more visitors to explore Lucknow’s lesser-known eateries and to participate in culinary tours and workshops that tell the city’s food stories.

For Lucknow’s stewards of culinary culture, the challenge now is to translate UNESCO’s recognition into tangible opportunities for small, family-run kitchens and traditional craft producers. That means more international attention for places off the usual tourist trails, greater investment in preserving delicate techniques like Dum pukht, and support for local artisans who rely on seasonal produce and time-honored methods. As the city looks to the future, officials and food lovers alike say the real measure of the honor will be how well Lucknow can sustain its networks of kitchens, markets, and eateries while sharing their stories with the world.