Monday, November 4, 2019

Celebrations! As Hyderabad Bags UNESCO Title of 'Creative City of Gastronomy'!



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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