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Lucknow Declared UNESCO ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’
- 03 Nov 2025
- 2 min read
Lucknow has officially been declared a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy during the 43rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
- Reasons for Inclusion: The recognition honors Lucknow’s rich Awadhi cuisine, known for kebabs, biryanis, kormas, and sheermal, reflecting its culinary artistry, hospitality, and cultural heritage.
- Lucknow is now the 2nd Indian city after Hyderabad (2019) to achieve this distinction.
- Criteria for Creative City of Gastronomy: A city must have
- A rich culinary heritage, traditional ingredients and skills,
- Promote sustainability and food education,
- Foster community participation and cultural exchange through food,etc.
UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)
- About: Established by UNESCO in 2004, the Creative Cities Network (UCCN) promotes cooperation among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
- UCCN Network: The UCCN comprises 408 cities from over 100 countries.
- For the first time, the UCCN welcomes Creative Cities of Architecture — a new creative field in addition to the seven existing ones: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.
- Indian Cities in UCCN: India now has 9 cities, including Lucknow, recognized under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
|
City |
Category |
|
|
Jaipur |
Crafts and Folk Art |
2015 |
|
Varanasi |
Music |
2015 |
|
Chennai |
Music |
2017 |
|
Mumbai |
Film |
2019 |
|
Hyderabad |
Gastronomy |
2019 |
|
Srinagar |
Crafts and Folk Art |
2021 |
|
Gwalior |
Music |
2023 |
|
Kozhikode |
Literature |
2023 |
|
Lucknow |
Gastronomy |
2025 |
| Read More: Kozhikode and Gwalior in UNESCO Creative Cities Network |
