India’s BJP erases Muslim legacy from UNESCO food honor for Lucknow
UNESCO cites Lucknow’s Islamic culinary heritage for global award, but Hindu nationalist leaders credit vegetarian culture instead
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — The northern Indian city of Lucknow, famed for its Mughal-era architecture and Muslim culinary traditions, has been named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, honoring its centuries-old cuisine shaped by the Nawabi culture of Awadh.
But the global recognition celebrating South Asia’s Islamic culinary heritage has been met with selective silence from India’s Hindu nationalist leadership.
The designation places Lucknow alongside 407 cities across more than 100 countries recognized for excellence in creative fields such as gastronomy, design, and crafts. It follows Hyderabad, another Muslim-heritage city, which earned the same title in 2019.
UNESCO said the city’s food culture — from the legendary Galouti kebabs and dum pukht biryani to Makhan malai and chaat — reflects “centuries-old traditions enriched by community, history, and art.”
Yet, while UNESCO highlighted dishes inseparable from Lucknow’s Muslim roots, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ministers celebrated the honor by omitting any mention of meat-based cuisine or Islamic contributions.
Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat posted vegetarian dishes from his home state, Rajasthan, calling the award “a recognition of India’s rich gastronomic traditions.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed with a statement praising Lucknow’s “vibrant culture and great culinary heritage” — again without naming any food that defined the award, or acknowledging its Muslim lineage.
Analysts and journalists said the omission reflects an effort by the BJP to Hinduize cultural symbols historically tied to Muslims. Former Indian Express journalist Irena Akbar noted, “UNESCO credited Galouti kebabs, Awadhi biryani, and chaat for Lucknow’s inclusion.”
Senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan called the government’s narrative “an amazing invisibilization of non-vegetarian culinary culture,” adding that “Hindutvavadis believe only in what they like, to the exclusion of all others.”
Others went further. Journalist Vivek Mukherjee accused Shekhawat of “dishonesty and bigotry” for erasing Lucknow’s Muslim artistry from official messaging, while Supreme Court lawyer Sanjay Hegde mocked the attempt, writing: “Yes, yes. Lucknow’s veg biryani has been declared the best biryani in the world.”
Lucknow’s cuisine — rooted in the royal kitchens of Awadh — developed through centuries of Indo-Persian fusion, where Muslim chefs refined techniques such as dum pukht slow cooking and layered rice dishes that now define northern India’s food identity. Culinary historians say that to erase these influences is to deny the very origins of Indian gastronomy.
Cultural observers warn that the government’s reaction fits a broader ideological trend: appropriating India’s Islamic cultural heritage while erasing its Muslim ownership.
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