Our gorgeous city of Hyderabad known for its royal food and
delectable style of cooking is already very popular in India. And five days
ago, on the occasion of World Cities’ Day, celebrated on 31st October by UNESCO,
our city was designated as ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’! Hyderabad was among the 66 cities named by the
UNESCO this year in the list of new Creative Cities which aims at pushing the
Sustainable Development Goals through innovative thinking and action. It is
among two from India in a list of 66 cities chosen with Mumbai being the other
in the Film category. Making the announcement of the new cities, UNESCO
Director-General Audrey Azoulay, said, “All over the world, these cities, each
in its way, make culture the pillar, not an accessory, of their strategy.”
Hyderabad is the first city in India to be selected to this honour
of ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’ and the 28th worldwide, ever since this
programme was started 15 years ago by UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). I
am happy to hear of this recognition and honour. It will surely help in promoting my city and
its cuisine all over the world and help in improving tourism and I hope in many
other aspects.
The Creative Cities Network, a UNESCO programme instituted in 2004,
recognises cities world-wide who foster innovation and creativity as key
drivers for a more sustainable and inclusive urban development. The programme
focusses on seven creative fields: Craft and Folk Art, Design, Film,
Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music. While differing geographically,
demographically or economically, all Creative Cities commit to develop and
exchange innovative best practices to promote creative industries, strengthen
participation in cultural life, and integrate culture into sustainable urban
development policies. Needless to say, cities in this programme can also be
appealing travel destinations for the traveller interested in the cities'
creative speciality and other things as well.
It is said that the Hyderabad delegation in its dossier submitted
to the UNESCO stated, “Pre-Islamic Kakatiya cuisines (12th century) have
interacted in an incredible fashion with the arrival of Turks in 15th century,
followed by Mughal influences in the 17th century”. And as per the dossier, the
industry employs 12% of the city’s population either directly or indirectly,
according to the study. About 700 tonnes of chicken and 2,000 tonnes during
festivals and 291 tonnes of meat is consumed per day in the city!
The number of restaurants and street food outlets are increasing
almost by the day. Apart from local, all-India and international cuisines are
now available in Hyderabad.
The above four posters are in celebration of this honour. They
contain the names of many popular mouthwatering local dishes, that I could remember immediately. I am sure they
are sufficient to generate your curiosity and desire to relish them, especially in
Hyderabad.
Welcome to Hyderabad and our foods!
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