Lucknow from UP, Designated as UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy under UCCN

On October 31, 2025, on the occasion of World Cities Day(WCD), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh, UP), the city of nawabs, as a ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’ under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

• The announcement was made during the ‘43rd session of UNESCO’s General Conference’ held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, placing Lucknow among 70 global gastronomy hubs.
• With this recognition, Lucknow became the second Indian city after Hyderabad (Telangana) to receive this title under the UCCN.

UNESCO Expands Creative Cities Network in 2025 with 58 New Members:

UCCN: It was established in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities that recognize creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
Creative Field: In 2025, for the first time, the UCCN expanded its scope by introducing ‘Architecture’ as a new creative field, joining its seven existing fields Crafts and Folk Arts, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.

New Designations (2025): In 2025, UNESCO designated 58 cities as new members of the UCCN, bringing its total membership to 408 cities from over 100 countries.

• The 2025 cohort of newly designated Creative Cities includes Kisumu (Kenya) and New Orleans (USA) for Music; Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for Design; Matosinhos (Portugal) and Cuenca (Ecuador) for Gastronomy; Giza (Egypt) for Film; Rovaniemi (Finland) for Architecture; Malang (Indonesia) for Media Arts; and Aberystwyth (United Kingdom) for Literature.

Next UCCN Annual Conference: The Creative Cities will convene for the 2026 Annual Conference in Essaouira, Morocco, designated a Creative City of Music in 2019.

About UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy:

Gastronomy: It is the art and science of good eating, emphasizing the study of food, cooking traditions, and how cuisine reflects a region’s culture and identity.

Recognition: The title honours cities with a rich culinary heritage, vibrant food industries, and cultural traditions deeply rooted in gastronomy.
Criteria: Cities must uphold sustainable food practices, encourage local ingredients, foster culinary education, and preserve traditional markets; the status is reviewed every four years for renewal.

About Lucknow’s Recognition:

Nomination Process: Directorate of Tourism, Government of UP submitted Lucknow’s nomination to the Ministry of Culture on January 31, 2025, and the Government of India (GoI) officially selected the city as its national entry on March 3, 2025.

Culinary Heritage: Rooted in the royal kitchens of the Nawabs of Awadh, Lucknow’s Awadhi cuisine is famed for its dum pukht technique and signature dishes like kebabs, kormas, biryani, sheermal, and shahi tukda.
Cultural Identity: The city’s gastronomy embodies the Ganga-Jamuni culture, blending Persian, Muslim, and Indic influences, and thriving through vibrant street food hubs such as Hazratganj, Chowk, and Aminabad.
Preservation Efforts: Institutions like the Lucknow Bioscope Gallery document culinary traditions through exhibitions and archives, supported by celebrated chefs such as the late Imtiaz Qureshi who globalised Awadhi cuisine.

India’s Creative Cities: India has 8 cities in the UCCN, each recognized for their unique creative strengths: Jaipur (Rajasthan) – Crafts & Folk Art; Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, UP) – Music, Chennai (Tamil Nadu, TN); Music, Hyderabad (Telangana) – Gastronomy; Mumbai (Maharashtra) – Film, Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir, J&K) – Crafts & Folk Art; Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh, MP) – Music, and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh, UP) – Gastronomy.

About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Director-General (DG) – Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters- Paris, France
Established- 1945