The first time I realised there was something special about the food of my home town was after I left my hometown. It started with learning that jalebi was not eaten with dahi elsewhere; the khasta was called kachori and served with a raseydar sabzi, not the sookha aloo I had always eaten it with. But the most brutal blow was knowing that peanuts outside Lucknow did not come with fresh garlic chutney but were handed out like alms, just on their own.
Over the past two decades, as I learnt more about food through my work and experiences of eating across the globe, the belief that Lucknow’s food was truly special grew stronger.
And so, when the recent recognition by UNESCO, which declared Lucknow a Creative City of Gastronomy, came by, I was joyous but not surprised. While everyone agrees that the food in Lucknow is a class apart, it is important to ascertain what sets it apart — and who better to ask than those who know food most intimately: the chefs.
According to Chef Sanjay Agarwal, executive chef at Taj Mahal Lucknow, the most important aspect of the city’s food is its legacy. “In Lucknow, food is not just a means of sustenance but our tehzeeb,” says Agarwal. He adds how techniques like dum pukht, galawat and dunghar, all of which originated in Lucknow, add layers to the taste. “The other thing is how we use spices to add aroma and flavour rather than heat.”
And so you have mace and nutmeg shining through the kabab, cardamom scenting the biryani, and saffron enriching korma. When you ask the chef who has been dishing out the most indulgent nihari and most mellow kebab at Oudhyana for decades now, what his favourite thing to eat in the city is, he doesn’t hesitate for a second. “I am a quintessential Lucknow boy who loves his nihari-kulcha and kabab-paratha,” he quips.
According to Chef Manish Mehrotra, many myths surround Lucknow’s cuisine. “People think it is only meat-forward, spicy, non-vegetarian fare. But you have as much, if not more, and as nuanced vegetarian fare and home recipes in the city. If the kebab is a work of art, so is the meethi chutney that the chaatwala makes every day with dozens of spices and even pani ka batasha,” he asserts. “The balance and deftness of the city’s cooks, chefs, vendors and even home cooks is unparalleled,” adds Mehrotra.
On his part, he has drawn inspiration from many of Lucknow’s traditional recipes, be it galawat ke kabab, which he replicated with foie gras, or his take on malai makkhan, which has become a sensation worldwide. And his favourites? The legendary chef who spent many summers in the city cannot pick one but says he often dreams of malai makkhan, chaat and kadahi wala dooth.
“Food and culture go hand in hand, and in Lucknow, that connection is everywhere. What makes the food truly special is not just how it tastes, but how it is served. Whether you’re at a street stall or a five-star, there’s an unmistakable warmth and pride that people have when they serve you. You can feel the love, the generosity, and the sense of heritage in every meal,” says chef Manish Sharma, executive chef at The Oberoi New Delhi, who feels the simple home-style meals of the city set it a class apart.
“On my recent trip, the highlight was Naimat Khana — a place tucked in the heart of the city where the dinner started with stories and ended with some of the most soulful food I’ve eaten,” This, he explains, included simple dishes like arbi ka salan, yakhni pulav, roghni tikiya and ande ka halwa. Sharma’s heart, however, longs for the unique kulfi at Chanakya, hand-churned in small batches, which he wants to recreate in his kitchen.
“The one thing I saw everywhere in Lucknow was how proud people are of their culinary legacy. Be it something as simple as a chooran on the street, a samosa at the cart or a tikki at the chaat shop,” says chef Varun Totlani of Masque, Mumbai, who has had a first-hand experience of the diversity of Lucknow’s food.
“From the street fare to the homestyle meals to mithai to the Nihari and kabab, everything in the city is outstanding.” This, he feels, is also because the city holds on to traditions and does not run behind trends. “What we chefs are doing now by showcasing our traditional food to the world, Lucknow has been doing forever, and that makes it truly special.”
“While the city is known for the non-vegetarian delicacies, the vegetarian variety I tasted during my two days in the city was a great revelation,” says Chef Nikhil Nagpal, Chef Culinaire, ITC Grand Chola, whose most memorable meal was at a family home and comprised of simple aloo-poori, tehri and mutton curry, things Lucknow walas eat every day.
“I found the food in Lucknow varied in its flavours and textures while also showcasing a variety of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian recipes,” recalls the chef, who was most impressed by malai ki gilori, a traditional dessert made with sheets of malai, which he also carried with him for his true connoisseur friends.
Lucknow is one of the few places in the world where the classics are cooked the old-fashioned way, says chef Naved Nasir, founder of Khadak in Dubai. “The most important thing about Lucknow is that even today, certain places make only one thing — and they’ve mastered it,” says Nasir. “Raheem does nihari, Tunday does kebabs, Idrees Mian makes biryani every single day. That’s why their food is unmatched.”
For him, the city is a living archive of old-timers, or the ustaads, whose stories stretch back six or seven decades, each adding another layer to Lucknow’s remarkable culinary legacy.
“Lucknowi cuisine, for me, is the foundation of Indian cooking and stands out for its refinement and balance. I’ve followed Lucknowi style closely over the years, and in many ways, it has become part of my own cooking language,” says chef Rishi Anand, head of R&D at Dishoom London. “Whether it is the use of fried onions in my cooking, the raita that accompanies a biryani, or the subtle layering of spices, Lucknowi touches are always present in my food,” says Anand, who continuously draws inspiration from Lucknow.
“Our lamb biryani takes cues from the Lucknowi style — light, aromatic, and beautifully layered.” Anand, who believes in preserving the philosophy and techniques of the cuisine, feels it is the patience of dum, the delicacy of galawat, and the slow, thoughtful layering of flavour that are things that set Lucknow’s food apart even outside Lucknow.
