Q: Are kachori and puri the same?

A: Kachori might resemble puris, but they are quite different. Puris are softer and puffed, usually unfilled, while kachoris are thicker, crispier, and usually stuffed.

Q: Are petha and peda the same?

A: No, petha and peda are different. Petha is made from ash gourd, while peda is a soft milk-based sweet. Both come in different flavours and differing tastes.

Q: What is the best way to cook carrots in gajar ka halwa?

A: The best method is to slowly cook grated carrots in ghee and full-fat milk. Simmering breaks down the raw carrots and infuses them with the flavours of spices and the richness of the milk.

Highlights From Uttar Pradesh’s One District One Cuisine Scheme (ODOC List): Peda, Kachori, And More

15/05/2026

Regional Cuisine

Written by

Neelanjana Mondal

Copy Writer

Highlights From Uttar Pradesh’s One District One Cuisine Scheme (ODOC List): Peda,
Kachori
, And More

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Quick Summary

The Uttar Pradesh government has approved the recent ‘One District, One Cuisine’ (ODOC) Scheme, under which an extensive list of 208 local dishes has been promoted. The ODOC list promotes the state’s vegetarian dishes across the state's 75 districts and 18 divisions, and it builds on the state’s 'One District, One Product' (ODOP) programme, which has already boosted regional crafts and products on national and global stages.

Deep Dive

The One District One Cuisine (ODOC) Scheme features famous foods like Agra’s petha, Mathura’s peda, and the iconic kachori-sabzi lanes of Varanasi and Ayodhya, among others. What is glaringly absent is the non-vegetarian delicacies associated with the region, like its famous kebabs – tunday kebab and galouti kebab – biryanis and meat dishes. To which Uttar Pradesh’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Rakesh Sachan shared that the list was flexible and open to public opinion.

The ODOC List Structure

75 districts of Uttar Pradesh are assigned one or more signature traditional dishes, ranging from sweets (mithai) and snacks to local rice preparations and street food. Here is a region-wise look at some of the most notable entries from the ODOC list:

District	Division	Signature Dish(es)	Category	Notes
Agra	Agra division	Petha, dal-moth	Sweet and savoury	Ash gourd sweet (GI tagged), spiced lentil snack
Mathura	Agra division	Peda, khurchan, and mishri sweets	Sweets	Khoya-based temple sweet offered as prasad to Lord Krishna
Varanasi	Varanasi division	Kachori, thandai, tiranga barfi, lassi, Banarasi paan	Street food and sweets	The iconic Kachori Gali, saffron thandai, tricolour barfi
Lucknow	Lucknow division	Malai makkhan, chaat, revdi, mango products	Street food and seasonal	Airy winter sweet, tangy chaat, sesame candy
Ayodhya	Faizabad division	Kachori, tikki, peda, kulhad dahi-jalebi	Street food and sweets	Ram ki Paidi kachori, temple peda, clay-cup jalebi
Prayagraj	Prayagraj division	Kachori, samosa, rasmalai	Street food and sweets	Famous kachori-sabzi, crispy samosas at Sangam ghats
Meerut	Meerut division	Revdi, gajak	Winter sweets	Sesame-jaggery brittle, winter specialty
Firozabad	Agra division	Tikki, kachori (potato-based)	Street food	Potato snacks unique to this city
Aligarh	Agra division	Dairy products, kachori	Dairy and street food	Milk-rich and dairy tradition
Barabanki	Lucknow division	Chandrakala	Sweets	Moon-shaped stuffed sweet filled with khoya and dry fruits
Jaunpur	Varanasi division	Imarti, traditional sweets	Sweets	Jalebi cousin made from urad dal batter
Mau	Azamgarh division	Litti-chokha	Main course	Baked wheat ball with roasted aubergine mash
Ballia	Varanasi division	Sattu-based dishes	Main course and snacks	Protein-rich roasted gram flour preparations
Azamgarh	Azamgarh division	Teheri, white carrot halwa	Rice dish and sweets	Spiced vegetable rice, winter gajar halwa
Saharanpur	Saharanpur division	Honey-based products	Health foods	Regional honey-infused sweets and beverages
Muzaffarnagar	Saharanpur division	Jaggery sweets	Sweets	Gur-based traditional confections
Mainpuri	Agra division	Sohan papdi, boiled potato preparations	Sweets and snacks	Flaky, melt-in-the-mouth sweet
Amethi	Faizabad division	Samosa, jaggery sweets	Street food and sweets	Crispy samosas and gur-based sweets
Kasganj	Agra division	Moong dal halwa, singhada snacks	Sweets and snacks	Water chestnut flour snacks, dal-based halwa
Ambedkar Nagar	Faizabad division	Batasha, khoya Items	Sweets	Sugary drops used in religious offerings

Note: This is a curated selection of notable entries from the ODOC list. The full scheme covers all 75 districts across 18 divisions of Uttar Pradesh.

The Most Iconic Dishes in the ODOC List

The table was the lowdown of some of the foods of Uttar Pradesh promoted by the local government. So, here’s zooming in on some of the classics of the state.

1. Agra Petha

If there is one sweet that has become inseparable from the identity of Agra, it is the petha. Made from ash gourd, boiled and turned into a candy-like sweet by cooking in sugar syrup until it resembles chunks of unpolished gemstones, petha is believed to have originated in the Mughal era. It comes in a variety of flavours, with the original being white and sweet, then there’s the angoori petha and flavoured ones like kesar petha, paan petha, chocolate petha and more. Old shops like Panchhi Petha (est. 1926) at Sadar Bazaar remain the most sought-after places for the Agra petha.

2. Mathura Peda

Ask anyone returning from Mathura what they are carrying, and the answer is almost always peda. Mathura ka peda is a dense, round sweet made from khoya (reduced milk solids), green cardamom, and sugar. It is offered as prasad to Lord Krishna in the city's ancient temples, including the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi. The sweet embodies Mathura's deeply sattvic (pure) culinary tradition, shaped by the city's identity as the birthplace of Lord Krishna and its long tradition of dairy farming in the Braj region.

3. Banarasi Kachori

No food in Varanasi is more universally loved than its kachori. Whether eaten at dawn on the ghats or at a bustling street stall in Kachori Gali, every visitor or local relishes it. The deep-fried kachori is stuffed with spiced dal or paneer and is always served with a savoury, spiced potato gravy. Varanasi's ODOC list also features thandai (especially popular during Holi and Maha Shivratri), tiranga barfi, Banarasi lassi, and of course, Banarasi paan. You will find these snacks and sweets thriving in the Varanasi lanes of Ram Bhandar, Kachori Gali, and Deena Chat Bhandar.

4. Lucknow's Malai Makkhan and Chaat

Lucknow's entries in the ODOC list spotlight two very different but equally celebrated foods. There’s the malai makkhan, also called daulat ki chaat or nimish, a winter confection that is made from cream whipped overnight in the chilly, dewy air, which is set and sweetened. It practically melts on the tongue before it can be truly tasted, and beside this street food, is also Lucknow's famous chaat. Lucknow is also India's largest mango-producing state, so mango products were also noted in the ODOC list, along with revdi (a sesame-jaggery candy).

5. Ayodhya's Kachori and Kulhad Dahi plus Jalebi

Ayodhya put its iconic kachoris in the spotlight, especially those near Ram ki Paidi. They are crispy and generously stuffed, and part of the morning pilgrimage ritual for countless devotees. Another savoury dish on this list is tikkis. The ODOC list also mentions Ayodhya's kulhad dahi and iconic jalebi, both served in clay cups called kulhads. Pedas, often sold near temples, is another Ayodhya signature dish on the list.

6. Other Notable Dishes From Across the ODOC List

Beyond the headline names, the ODOC list reveals a treasure trove of lesser-known regional specialities worth noting:

Litti-chokha (Purvanchal): Baked wheat balls filled with spiced sattu (roasted gram flour), served with a mash of roasted brinjal (baingan bharta) and tomato mash. It’s a soul food of eastern UP, shared with Bihar and Jharkhand.
Imarti (Jaunpur): A cousin of jalebi made from urad dal batter, shaped into flower patterns and soaked in sugar syrup. It’s chewier and denser.
Chandrakala (Barabanki): A deep-fried sweet shaped into a half moon, stuffed with khoya, dry fruits, and spices. It’s a Holi and Diwali favourite in central UP.

Sohan papdi (Mainpuri): It’s a flaky, melt-in-the-mouth sweet made from chickpea flour and ghee, popular across India and also known as soan papdi.
Gajak and revdi (Meerut): These are sticky sweets made with sesame and jaggery, popular in the winter months. One is bigger and the other smaller.
Sattu dishes (Ballia): Preparations made with roasted gram (sattu) flour, ranging from sharbat to stuffed parathas, are a staple of eastern UP.
Tiranga Barfi (Varanasi): A tricolour sweet made with layers of white khoya, green pistachio, and saffron orange, serves as a patriotic mithai.

The ODOC List Boosts UP's Economy

Drawing on the success of the earlier ODOP programme, which has already helped many artisans, including being sanctioned loans, the ODOC list aims to do the same in promoting the state’s authentic food. The foods in the list will support and create formal livelihoods for local halwais, cooks, dairy workers, and women's self-help groups. It will also increase their visibility and commercialise what the state produces.

blurb

One popular theory of petha's origin holds that the sweet was created to keep the 22,000 workers building the Taj Mahal satisfied and nourished.

FAQs

A: One District One Cuisine is an initiative promoting a signature dish from every district of Uttar Pradesh, to preserve regional food traditions, boost tourism, support local businesses, and celebrate India’s diverse food habits.