Lucknow for UNESCO City of Gastronomy tag? Mumbai architect reveals why the city needs to be celebrated

Hardayal Maurya is known as the Chaat King of India, most popular for his ‘Basket Chaat’ at Royal Cafe in Lucknow. Maurya has created over 500 recipes and has constantly innovated to keep up with the connoisseurs. Pics Courtesy/Wikimedia commons

If you've visited Lucknow, it's tough to not return without memories of the city's lip-smacking, eclectic mix of street food as well as Awadhi fare. With its historic ties, spanning centuries of dynasties and royal patronage, it is fitting news that the city's gastronomic diversity is now being pitched to be showcased at a global level. Celebrated city architect Abha Narain Lambah's firm has prepared the proposal for Lucknow as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. This dossier has recently been submitted by the Government of India to UNESCO.

Tunday's galouti kebabs are a Lucknow specialty, and a signature of the city's ancient and diverse culinary tradition

Speaking exclusively to mid-day, she revealed, "For the last couple of years, I have been discussing this with the Union Ministry of Culture, and especially some years ago, when Hyderabad came up for consideration [for nomination as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy]. Back then, I had informally advised the Municipal Corporation there and helped them with the Hyderabad dossier. The Uttar Pradesh State Government had contacted Abha Narain Lambah Associates to propose Lucknow for this nomination. I truly believe the city deserves the tag. I am a foodie, and I've had some of the most enjoyable food experiences in the city that is known for its amazing kebabs, biryani, and street food, including its world-famous chaats."

The mutton biryani from Idris. The restaurant specialises in Awadhi-style biryani, using a recipe passed down through generations

She continues, "The food heritage is truly representative of the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of India, where different cultures, religions, and communities co-exist; their cultural traditions are so diverse and yet, it lends richness to its culinary fabric." Work on the dossier began in full gusto since the pitch was officially proposed. Lambah's team made several trips to the city to add heft to the dossier. "We have been fortunate to have sampled the fabulous cuisine, and it's not just the popular food landmarks but their culture of home cooking."

Sheermal from Mubeen's in Lucknow; located at the Akbari Gate, it is run by the Mubeen family who trace their roots in the city to almost 300 years agp

She mentions the Mahmudabad family, including the Raja of Mahmudabad's estate and their glorious traditions of food, "that include the beautiful recipes of Awadhi cuisine." The conservation architect makes special mention of families, including restoration architect and designer Adil Ahmad, whose mother's recipes and stories were a wonderful treasure to dip into for their research. Lambah also cites families like the Tandons - who shared cooking traditions of the Kayasthas, as well as the Shrivastava and Mehrotra families, from the city.

Abha Narain Lambah

Interestingly, celebrated chef Manish Mehrotra of blockbuster restaurant, Indian Accent also had a role to play. "He was very helpful and wrote a recommendation for this nomination," she divulged, adding, "Famous Lucknow storyteller Maroof Culmen also collaborated to create a video to capture the street food and royal cuisines on Awadh, while others like Ambika Suri and Amita Tandon helped with research on various Khatri recipes."

The end result was a dossier that paid tribute to the amalgamation of street food and home food, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food as well as the famed desserts of Lucknow. "I am confident that Lucknow has a strong case on its own merit, and should go through because it supports a large community for their livelihood, from the local chaatwalla and kulfiwalla, to home kitchens," she reasons.

The next step will be to wait for feedback, if any from UNESCO, should they need additional information. While the Union Ministry of Culture presents the dossier, it is the Union Ministry of External Affairs that stewards it towards the end, she informs. "We are all rooting for Lucknow," she signs off, not before reminding us that such recognition offers immense potential to drive great economic engine for these nominated sites.