Lucknow was officially inducted into “UNESCO's Creative Cities Network” last month.

Lucknow Wins UNESCO Gastronomy Tag; CM Yogi Adityanath Proposes “One District, One Cuisine”

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister “Yogi Adityanath” has come up with a new initiative, “One District, One Cuisine”, focused on taking the diverse flavours of the state to the international level. This announcement came after “Lucknow’s inclusion in UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN)” under the “Gastronomy” category — a recognition of the city’s centuries-old culinary heritage.

Calling the UNESCO honour “a moment of pride for all of Uttar Pradesh”, Adityanath said it is a celebration of not just Lucknow’s food legacy but also the state’s rich and varied cuisine. “Every district in this state keeps its culture, pride, and history alive with its unique taste,” he said in a post on X.

The Chief Minister encourages citizens to participate in the culinary celebration online: “Take a journey through the world of flavours around you or share photos and videos of your home-cooked dishes using #OneDistrictOneCuisine.”

Adityanath listed several regional delicacies that reflect the state’s diversity—from “Lucknow’s chaat” and “Banaras’s malaio” to “Meerut’s gajak”, “Banda’s sohan halwa”, “Baghpat’s baalushahi”, “Agra’s petha”, “Mathura’s peda”, “Moradabad’s dal”, and “Khurja’s kurchhan”. “Each dish has a different taste and illustrious history,” he added.

Lucknow-based author and storyteller “Himanshu Bajpai” welcomed this idea and said that this initiative will help lesser-known local foods gain wider recognition. “Many dishes are made only in a particular district. They remain endemic to that region, and outsiders often don’t know about them,” he said. “Once people embrace this idea, their popularity will naturally grow.”

Lucknow was officially inducted into “UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network” last month. It joined “58 new global members” recognised by Director-General “Audrey Azoulay” on October 31. The network has “408 cities from over 100 countries” now. This network is committed towards using creativity as a driver of sustainable urban development.

The “United Nations in India” also congratulated Lucknow. It described this as “a haven for food, from mouth-watering Galouti Kababs and Awadhi Biryani to Chaat, Golgappe, and Makhan Malai — enriched by centuries of tradition.”