Inside Uttar Pradesh 'One District One Cuisine' thali that celebrates many dishes but skips non-veg classics

In a push to promote local delicacies with better branding and market reach the Uttar Pradesh government has rolled out a districtwise One District One Cuisine list But the absence of many famed nonvegetarian dishes like Lucknows Galouti kebabs and biryani has raised eyebrowsSeveral iconic nonvegetarian long synonymous with the states culinary identity and celebrated nationally and globally do not find mention in the ODOC listBesides its famous kebabs Lucknows Awadhi biryani and nihari also did not find a place in the list Mutton korma and seekh kebabs from Rampurs rich Rampuri cuisine and Bareillys popular mutton preparations were also missing from the listLike Lucknow Varanasi and Allahabad Prayagraj are also known for distinctive nonvegetarian street foods and curries that draw food enthusiasts from across the countryPresident Cuisine Society of India and wellknown food historian Pushpesh Pant described the allvegetarian ODOC platter as half baked measureTalking to PTI on phone Pant said This seems to be a half baked move that smacks of bigotry In short ignorant nonsensePant made it clear that he was all for vegetarian dishes I love all dishes All I am saying is why engage in selective discriminationAccording to the ODOC list each district has been mapped with its signature dishesIn Agra petha and dalmoth have been identified while Firozabad is known for potatobased dishes such as tikki and kachori Mainpuri features sohan papdi and boiled potato preparations and Mathura is recognised for peda khurchan and mishribased sweetsAligarh has been tagged with dairy products and kachori Hathras with asafoetida hinglinked items and khurchan while Kasganj is associated with moong dal halwa and snacks made from singhada flourIn central Uttar Pradesh Ayodhyas kachori peda and kulhad dahijalebi Sultanpurs peda and savoury items Barabankis chandrakala and Amethis samosa and jaggerybased sweets have been listed Ambedkar Nagar is known for batasha and khoyabased itemsEastern districts also feature prominently with Azamgarh known for teheri and carrot halwa Ballia for sattubased dishes and Mau for littichokha Varanasis diverse offerings include tiranga barfi thandai lassi kachori and Banarasi paan while Jaunpur is known for imarti and its unique sweetsIn western Uttar Pradesh Meeruts revdi and gajak Ghaziabads papadbased preparations Gautam Buddh Nagars bakery products Hapurs papad and Bulandshahrs kachori and peda have been included Baghpat is associated with balushahi and ghewarOther notable entries include Prayagrajs kachori samosa and rasmalai Fatehpurs bedmi puri and sweets Kaushambis jaggerybased products and Pratapgarhs amlabased items Saharanpur is known for honeybased products Muzaffarnagar for jaggery sweets and Shamli for jaggerybased snacksOfficials said the initiative seeks to systematically catalogue and promote local cuisines across all districts of the stateAdvisor to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Awanish Awasthi highlighted the initiative in a post on X on Tuesday April 5 stating that Uttar Pradesh is set to give global recognition to its traditional dishes through modern branding and improved packagingThis step will empower local artisans while giving a boost to employment and entrepreneurship Under the leadership of the chief minister Uttar Pradesh is creating a new identity in taste culture and economy he said in the postThe ODOC initiative was also emphasised by Chief Minister Adityanath during the Budget 202627 discussions in the state assembly on February 20This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever