“Lucknow’s cuisine culture is traveling the lanes of the city through a legacy of slow cooking and UNESCO-backed culinary narratives. It is turning home kitchen traditions into a culinary experience,” writes Usha Kumari.
It is always said, “History is tasted as much as it is read.” It remains synonymous with Lucknow.
The kitchen culture of Lucknow is evolving, and it is not just happening by chance. It carries a legacy that goes back through history and slowly cooked recipes, passed down over generations. While the city was awarded the title of UNESCO’s “Creative City of Gastronomy,” there was an underlying, rigorous process behind it. It involved hearing 70,000 voices, including 20,000 street vendors, home-based cooks, and celebrity chefs, all participating in sharing the city’s culinary narrative. And no mention of this would be complete without Ranveer Brar, who can often be seen advocating for and praising the food culture of Lucknow in Maroof Culmen’s anecdote videos.
After returning to the city after a decade, what I find interesting is not the retail or restaurant businesses, because they are meant to grow as the city grows; rather, it is the many home kitchens across the city. For a long time, I have taken my non-Lucknow friends to Naimat Khana, and it indeed deserves credit for paving this path. Another home kitchen known for Oudhi cuisine is Aab-o-Daana, which had a shorter stint and is now closed permanently. These gourmet home kitchens encouraged other Oudh residents to open their doors to delight gastronomers from the city and other states.
Aroma has an innate relationship with Oudhi food. And this food affair has become one of the key elements of tourism as well. Many tourists visit Lucknow only to experience the Oudhi cuisine. Upon arrival, the first thing they would like to explore is the food. Food explorers are always on the hunt for authentic recipes and heritage sites. These kitchens bridge the gap between history and the present. From Kakori Kebabs at Falaknuma Manzil to Sunehre Baigan at Naimat Khana, they want to explore it all through curated lunches and dinners. In between, the snacks of the city steal the show. And, if you are a vegetarian, Naimat Khana should be on your list.
Awadhi Amore and Firdaus Awadhi Kitchen, among the popular home kitchens, are another testament to growing modern dining with heritage flavor. It is refreshing to see foodpreneurship taking centre stage in a city where food has always been part of the discussion at any table. Awadhi Amore—an authentic Awadhi kitchen, operates online and caters to all-sized tables, beginning from home dinner tables to corporate events, which speaks to the potential of formalizing the home kitchen business.
There is another layer to this cultural journey of cuisine: women are at the forefront of these kitchens. Ms. Sheeba from Naimat Khana is one of them, and it is delightful to witness the involvement of women in venturing into this business and growing it. The journey from cooking a meal at home to feeding the guests of the city has a narrative of empowerment and financial independence. It is igniting the spirit of entrepreneurship. The hospitality industry has a stereotype of male dominance, but the city is redefining it.
Oudhi/Awadhi food culture has always been identified with non-vegetarian dishes, but that is only half the story. Delicacies like Sunehre Baigan, Lauki ka Kofta, and Nimona carry the same slow-cooked, nuanced techniques as their non-vegetarian counterparts, and they can easily be found on dining tables at home. The inclusion of more such dishes, and more vegetarian kitchens joining the trail, would bring a fuller picture of this rising cultural significance. It is this attention to detail that makes Lucknow’s culinary heritage stand out, built one home kitchen at a time.
About the author:
Usha is a brand marketing professional and communication expert. She has worked with Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited and CaratLane, and serves as Visiting Faculty at the National Institute of Fashion Technology.
