After Unesco tag for Lucknow, Yogi bats for One District, One Cuisine in UP

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday floated the idea of "One District, One Cuisine" to promote food from across the state globally, after Lucknow's recent induction into UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, under the 'Gastronomy' category.

He said the global honour was not only for Lucknow, but also for the diverse cuisine of Uttar Pradesh.

In a post on X, Adityanath said in the context of the capital city's selection, the diverse cuisine of the state and its unique flavours need to be introduced to the world.

"Take a journey through the world of flavours around you or take a photo or video of your home-cooked dishes and share them on social media with #OneDistrictOneCuisine," he said.

 

The chief minister said every district in the state keeps its culture, pride, and history alive with its unique taste.

"Lucknow's chaat, malaio of Banaras, Meerut's gajak, sohan halwa of Banda, baalushahi of Baghpat, Agra's petha, Mathura's perhaa, Moradabadi daal, kurchhan of Khurja... the list is quite long," he wrote on X.

Adityanath said every dish has its own taste and an illustrious history.

Welcoming the concept of "One District, One Cuisine", Himanshu Bajpai, a Lucknow-based author and storyteller, said, "There are many dishes which are made in a particular district. They remain endemic to that particular district, and outsiders do not know much about it." 

  Once people embrace this idea, the popularity of the food item will increase, he said.

Lucknow city was last month officially inducted into UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, under the 'Gastronomy' category, marking a global acknowledgement of its culinary heritage.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay on October 31 designated 58 cities as new members of the CCN, which now includes 408 cities across more than 100 countries.

Cities in this network are recognised for their commitment to championing creativity as a driver of sustainable urban development, according to the UN agency.

The United Nations in India, in a post on X, had said, "From mouth-watering Galouti Kabab to Awadhi Biryani, delectable Chaat and Golgappe, desserts like Makhan Malai and so much more -- Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh is a haven for food, enriched in centuries-old traditions.