Hyderabad is world-famous for its Chaar Minar and Dum Biryani. But the hub of royal Mughlai cuisine also offers numerous delectable dishes namely Paaya, Keema Samosa, Dum Pukht, Maghaz Masala, Burani Raita, Kebabs, and many more. We, Indians are well-aware of the endless variety of delicious food Hyderabad offers but it has recently bagged coveted world-recognition too!
Hyderabad has won the title of UNESCO’s Creative City For Gastronomy’. With this, it has become the second Indian city to feature on the list. Mumbai has bagged the title of ‘Creative City For Films’ this year.
Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister, K.T. Rama Rao shared the good news on his Twitter handle.
Glad to announce that Hyderabad is selected as @UNESCO CREATIVE CITY in Gastronomy category, on the occasion of World Cities Day today. It’s among the 2 cities from India in list of 66 cities, other being Mumbai in Film category.
Great effort @arvindkumar_ias & Maud team 👍 https://t.co/3iotAdnyOP
— KTR (@KTRTRS) October 31, 2019
The food industry in the city reportedly employes around 12% population. According to to Hindu, Hyderabad consumes about 700 tonnes of chicken every day and 2,000 tonnes during festivals. These figures probably played a major role in bringing Hyderabad to the top on the list. After all, massive demand encourages the best competition in the culinary industry with a myriad of delectable recipes.
Chefs and food historians around the country have welcomed UNESCO’s decision of awarding the coveted title to the city.
“The city boasts of the famous ‘kacche gosht ki biryani’ and its meat ‘kormas’, ‘gosht ke kebab’ cooked in cold curd, ‘roti pe boti’, ‘sookha mutton’, ‘nihaari’ and ‘haleem’ are equally popular. The Deccan city is a “melting pot of northern influences and southern flavours”, Delhi Taj Mahal Hotel’s executive chef Arun Sundararaj told HT.
“Hyderabadi cuisine has borrowed from other culinary cultures like those of Mughals and evolved over the years with the use of local ingredients”, he added.
“The characteristic ingredients or spices of the cuisine include curry leaves, ginger, chili, tamarind, and all local seasonal vegetables. “Compared to the curries in northern India, which are lighter and smoother due to the use of pistachios or cashew, Hyderabadi curries are heavier because they often use ‘khus khus’, coconut or peanuts,” Sundararaj further said.
“Unique to Hyderabad is also the much revered “mirch ka saalan” that is served along with the Hyderabadi biryani. The city’s cuisine is extremely “evolved and intensive in taste”, Corporate Chef, ITC Hotels and Welcomhotel, Manish Bhasin told News 18.
“The Hyderabadi blend of spices cannot be found anywhere else in India. Besides elementary spices like ginger and tamarind, what renders the cuisine its unique flavour are ingredients like ‘ambada’, a sour leafy plant sorrel, dry roasted coconut and saffron. Hyderabad’s very own ‘potli ka masala’ is almost a game-changer,” said Delhi-based food historian Salma Husain.
“It is made with sophistication and found nowhere else other than Hyderabad. They dry roast the spices and then grind it. Not only sophisticated, but it also requires a lot of time too,” she added.
Desi Twitter is quite happy with Hyderabad’s win. They are calling it a well-deserved victory.
Wow! Thought this could be one of those fake WhatsApp forwards that do the rounds, but looks like it's actually the real deal! CHEERS to #Hyderabad #HyderabadiCuisine, and its custodians! Go treat yourself to something beyond a regular biryani today 🍚 #UNESCO #butrealdeal pic.twitter.com/hh9zKq3crK
— Ashish Chowdhury (@ash_chowder) November 1, 2019
My hometown #Hyderabad is on this list for “Gastronomy” . Time to celebrate with biryani! #workdcitiesday #CreativeCities @UNESCO 🥳 https://t.co/t5gJWaWGmI
— Gautami (@GautamiPalanki) October 31, 2019
This is fantastic news & many congratulations! From the piquant Biriyani to the saporous double ka meeta, #Hyderabad always surprises me with her sui generis cuisine ♥️
— Janaka Pushpanathan (@JanakaP) November 1, 2019
Great to see #Hyderabad added to list by #UNESCO for gastronomy on the occasion of world cities day(only 2nd city from India).World famous for #Biryani and a lot more.#WhereIBelong@riteshreddy10 @milingarachh @Obaid1O @FranklyHisham @amancarlos @karthik211187 @Drvarunkadiri20 https://t.co/hAVeVHKy6C pic.twitter.com/oG8rhY4uap
— Nihaal Reddy (@nihaal08) October 31, 2019
Chuck dieting, let’s celebrate Hyderabad win with some Kebabs and Biryani!