2. LUCKNOW
Lucknow is the capital city of the Indian state of Uttar
Pradesh. It is the eleventh most populous city and the twelfth
most populous urban agglomeration of India.
Lucknow has always been known as a multicultural city that
flourished as a North Indian cultural and artistic hub, and the
seat of power of Nawabs in the 18th and 19th centuries.
It continues to be an important centre of governance,
administration, education, commerce, aerospace, finance,
pharmaceuticals, technology, design, culture, tourism, music
and poetry.
According to one legend, the city is named after Lakshmana,
a hero of the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana. The legend
states that Lakshmana had a palace or an estate in the area,
which was called Lakshmanapuri
3. CLIMATE
Lucknow has a humid subtropical climate with cool, dry winters
from mid-November to February and dry, hot summers with
thunderstorms from late March to June.
The rainy season is from July to September when the city gets
an average rainfall of 896.2 millimetres (35.28 in) from the
south-west monsoon winds, and occasionally frontal rainfall will
occur in January.
In winter the maximum temperature is around 25 °C (77 °F) and
the minimum is in the 3 °C (37 °F) to 7 °C (45 °F) range. Fog is
quite common from mid-December to late January.
Occasionally.
4. FLORA AND FAUNA
Lucknow has a total of only 5.66 percent of forest cover, which
is much less than the state average of around 7 percent.
Different varieties of mangoes, especially Dasheri, are grown in
the Malihabad. The main crops are wheat, paddy, sugarcane,
mustard, potatoes, and vegetables such as cauliflower,
cabbage, tomato, and brinjals.
Similarly, sunflowers, roses, and marigolds are cultivated over a
fairly extensive area. Many medicinal and herbal plants are also
grown here.
The Lucknow Zoo, one of the oldest in the country, was
established in 1921. It houses a rich collection of animals from
Asia and other continents. The zoo also has enjoyable toy train
rides for the visitors. The city also has a botanical garden, which
is a zone of wide plant diversity.
5. LUCKNOWI CUISINE
Awadhi cuisine is a cuisine native to the city of Lucknow,
which is the capital of the state of Uttar
Pradesh in Northern India. It is very closely related
to Bhojpuri cuisine of it neighboring region, Bhojpur.
The cooking patterns of Lucknow are similar to those
of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Northern India with
the cuisine comprising both vegetarian and non-vegetarian
dishes.
The Awadh region has been greatly influenced by Mughal
cooking techniques, and the cuisine of Lucknow bears
similarities to those of Central
Asia, Kashmir, Punjab and Hyderabad. The city is also
known for its Nawabi foods
6. The bawarchis (chefs) and rakabdars (gourmet cooks) of
Awadh invented the dum style of cooking or the art of
cooking over a slow fire.
Their spreads consisted of elaborate dishes such
as kebabs, kormas, biryanis, kaliyas, nahari-kulchas,
zarda, sheermal, rumali rotis, and warqi parathas.
The richness of Awadh cuisine lies not only in the variety
of cuisine but also in the ingredients used
like mutton, paneer, and rich spices, which
include cardamom and saffron.
Lucknow is proud of its Kebabs. There are several
varieties of popular kebabs in Awadhi cuisine viz. Kakori
Kebabs, Galawat ke Kebabs, Shami Kebabs, Boti
Kebabs, Patili-ke-Kebabs, Ghutwa Kebabs and Seekh
Kebabs are among the known varieties.
7. LIST OF POPULAR KEBABS
The Seekh Kebab has long been considered a piece de
resistance in the Awadhi dastarkhwan. Introduced by
the Mughals it was originally prepared from beef mince
on skewers and cooked on charcoal fire.
Tunde ke Kabab in Chowk is the most famous outlet for
Kababs even today. The tunde kabab claims to be unique
because of the zealously guarded family secret recipe for
the masala , prepared by women in the family. It is said to
incorporate 160 spices.
Kakori kabab is considered blessed since it was originally
made in the place by the same name in the dargah of
Shah Abi Ahder Sahib with divine blessings.
8. Shami Kebab is made from mincemeat, usually with
chopped onion, coriander, and green chillies added. The
kebabs are round patties filled with spicy mix and tangy
raw green mango.
An unusual offering is the Pasanda Kebab, piccata of
lamb marinated and then sautéed on a griddle.
Boti kebab is lamb marinated in yoghurt and cooked on
skewers in a tandoor oven.
Vegetarian kebabs include Dalcha Kebab, Kathal ke
Kebab, Arbi ke Kebab, Rajma Galoti Kebab (kidney bean
kebab cooked with aromatic herbs), Zamikand ke Kebab
(Lucknowi yam kebabs), etc.
9. CURRY PREPARATIONS
Korma is actually the Indian name for the technique of braising
meat.
It originated in the lavish Moghul cuisine wherein lamb or
chicken was braised in velvety, spiced sauces, enriched with
ground nuts, cream and butter.
kormas are rich, they are also mild, containing little or no
cayenne or chillies.There are both vegetarian (navratan korma)
and non-vegetarian (chicken, lamb, beef and fish korma)
varieties of korma. Murgh Awadhi Korma is a classic from
Lucknow.
10. RICE PREPARATIONS
• Pullao is made by cooking meat in ghee with warm aromatic
spices and then layered with meat curry or marinade
(depending on the type of biryani), then sealed and cooked over
low heat until done. The vegetarian version is called tehri.
11. BREAD PREPARATIONS
As wheat is the staple food of the state, breads are very
significant. Breads are generally flat breads baked in a
pan; only a few varieties are raised breads.
Improvisations of the roti are of different types and made
in various ways and include the rumaali roti, tandoori
roti, naan kulcha, lachha paratha, sheermaal and
baqarkhani.
Breads made of other grains have descriptive names only,
thus we have Makai ki roti, Jowar ki roti , Bajre ki
roti, chawal-ki-Roti .
12. Chapati is the most popular roti in India, eaten for breakfast,
lunch, or dinner.
Puri are small and deep fried so they puff up.
Paratha is a common roti variant stuffed with fillings of
vegetables, pulses, cottage cheese, and even mince meat and
fried in ghee or clarified butter. This heavy and scrumptious
round bread finds its way to the breakfast tables of millions.
Rumali Roti is a thin bread baked on a convex metal pan. The
Urdu/Hindi word rumaali means kerchief.
Tandoori Roti is thicker bread that is baked in a tandoor, and
can be crispy or chewy depending on its thickness.
Naan is a pan-baked soft thick bread.
Sheermaal is a sweet baked yeast naan made with flour, milk,
sugar, and saffron.
Baqarkhani is a variation of sheermaal that is cooked on a
griddle rather than baked.
13.
14. CHAAT
Chaat and Samosa originated in Uttar Pradesh but now are
popular nationwide and abroad. these are the integral part of street
foods across India.
The chaat variants are all based on fried dough, with various other
ingredients. The original chaat is a mixture of potato pieces, gram
or chickpeas and tangy-salty spices, with sour home-made Indian
chilli and Saunth , fresh green coriander leaves and yogurt for
garnish, but other popular variants included Aloo tikkis , dahi
puri, golgappa, dahi vada and papri chaat.
There are common elements among these variants including dahi,
or yogurt; chopped onions and coriander; sev and chaat masala,
a spice mix typically consisting of amchoor cumin, Kala
Namak coriander, dried ginger, salt, black pepper, and red pepper.
The ingredients are combined and served on a small metal plate or
a banana leaf, dried and formed into a bowl.
15. DESSERTS
• Winters are dedicated to halwas of all kinds that came to stay in
India. There are several varieties of these, prepared from
different cereals, such as gram flour, sooji, wheat, nuts and
eggs. The special halwa or halwa sohan, has four varieties:
Papadi, Jauzi, Habshi and Dudhiya.
16. Most Famous dishes of Awadhi Cuisine
1. Murg Musallam
Murg Musallam is a stuffed roasted chicken. The chicken is first
marinated for several hours and stuffed with boiled eggs and dry
fruits, which is further cooked in different spices. This dish is
considered as favorite one of the royal family. The dish is
garnished beautifully with chandi vark.
17. 2. Biryani
One of mu favorite, it is a dish consisting of rice cooked with
meat, different spices, and dry fruits. It is cooked in a special
way known as “dum”. The dish is always served with dahi raita
and green chutney which adds up its flavor. The garnishing of a
dish is done in a very different way i.e. with sliced up fried
onions.
18. 3. Makkhan Malai
The Awadhi cuisine is not just famous for its vegetarian and
non-vegetarian dishes, but also for its amazing desserts too.
This is a special dessert made of churned milk flavored with
saffron and cardamom. It is lighter than air and you will not even
feel a thing in your mouth except refreshing flavor of saffron,
cardamom and dry fruits.
19. 4.Mutton Korma
The dish is prepared by cooking mutton in the spicy gravy made
out of dry fruits, yogurt, and cream. The mutton is cooked on a
low flame so that the spices added to the curry add its flavors to
it. The mutton becomes tender and juicy in taste. It is served
with paratha or rice and tastes delicious.
20. 5. Nihari Ghost
It’s a dish made of spicy sauce and tender meat. The content of
sauce of this dish is more with tender mutton soaked into it. The
spicy sauce of this dish will blow your mind.