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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
30/10/2025
India’s rich food culture is deeply tied to its cities, like a ‘shayar’ and his ‘shayari’, where history and flavour intertwine. Lucknow’s kebabs tell tales of royal kitchens, Delhi’s Mughlai dishes showcase centuries of tradition, and Hyderabad’s biryanis blend spice and heritage. Discover the stories behind the cities that define India’s diverse cuisine.
India’s culinary landscape is woven not just from spices and recipes, but from the cities that nurtured them. Each metropolis, from the Nawabi kitchens of Lucknow to the street-food stall-dotted lanes of Mumbai, has contributed a chapter to the nation’s cuisines. These cities did more than just give birth to regional delicacies; they defined techniques, preserved traditions, and introduced innovations that shaped how India eats today. Read on for a tour of dhaba-style food to hearty Parsi dishes.
The kebab capital of the country, renowned for its Awadhi cuisine, Lucknow boasts a variety of kebabs – kakori kebabs, galawat ke kebabs, shami kebabs, boti kebabs, and seekh kebabs are among the most popular varieties. The city also gave birth to the ‘dum pukht’ method of slow cooking, in a sealed container. This is a signature technique in Awadhi cuisine, used in dishes like biryani and korma. Lucknow also revolutionised meat preparation through innovations like the melt-in-your-mouth galouti kebab. This dish was made for a toothless Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula by his royal chefs. Another version says Haji Murad Ali was also behind the famous tunday kebabs, who also established Lucknow’s famed restaurant, Tunday Kababi.
The Mughals brought new foods to the subcontinent from Central Asia, such as dried fruits, pilafs, leavened wheat breads, stuffed meat, poultry, and fruits, establishing North India as the birthplace of Mughlai cuisine. Delhi, being the centre, took on the mantle and boasts several Mughlai restaurants across the capital. The Mughlai style of cooking is time-consuming and produces flavourful and indulgent dishes. It has its reaches as far as Uzbekistan, Persia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, as well as the Punjab, Kashmir, and the Deccan region. Mughlai cuisine is rich due to the extensive use of spices as well as rich cream, milk, and butter in the preparation of its curries.
Originating in the kitchens of the Nizam of Hyderabad, this biryani combines elements of Hyderabadi and Mughlai cuisines. Hyderabadi biryani is known for its rich and spicy flavours, while Lucknowi biryani (Awadhi) has a subtle and aromatic taste. The cooking methods also differ, with Hyderabadi using the ‘kacchi’ style. Hyderabad was conquered by the Mughals in the 1630s and ruled by its Nizams, so the city boasts more than just biryani. Mughlai-style cooking merged with local traditions to create Hyderabadi cuisine with dishes like haleem, shikampur kebab, and dal gosht.
A food tour in Kolkata will take you through iconic Bengali dishes like the comforting machher jhol (fish curry), in different gravies, and of course, the renowned sweets like rasgulla, rasmalai and sandesh. Kolkata revolutionised the Indian dessert-scape through innovations in milk-based sweets, transforming simple ingredients into something that feels like soul food. The city pioneered modern sweet-making techniques, from the likes of rasgulla to mishti doi, which are now pan-Indian favourites. Kolkata's sweet shops became cultural institutions, where artisans elevated confectionery into edible art.
To talk about Mumbai, one must talk about the Parsis as well as the street food, which has left an indelible mark on India’s culinary map. The city’s street food culture was shaped by the fast-paced nature of the city, with portable bites becoming the need of the hour. This gave birth to the famous vada pao, pav bhaji, Bombay sandwich, and frankie. Just like street food, Parsi cuisine, especially Parsi bakeries and restaurants, is also synonymous with Mumbai. One must talk about dhansak (a hearty stew of meat, lentils, and vegetables) and farcha (fried chicken), introduced by the Parsi immigrants to Mumbai. Parsi cuisine is a blend of Indian and Persian influences that created some unique dishes like patra ni machhi (fish cooked in coconut chutney and wrapped in banana leaves), and sali murgh (chicken with crispy potato straws served on top).
Amritsar is the undisputed hub of Punjabi cuisine, renowned for its rich and hearty dishes rooted in its deeply community-oriented food culture. One of the most iconic expressions of this is the langar at the Golden Temple – arguably the world’s largest free kitchen, which serves fresh vegetarian meals to tens of thousands of people every single day, regardless of caste, creed, or religion. The city also developed and popularised rich, butter-laden gravies and bread varieties that became synonymous with Punjabi cuisine. Amritsar is famed for its flatbreads cooked in tandoor, like the Amritsari kulcha and ghee-rich lachha parathas.
Karnataka’s capital, Bengaluru, standardised South Indian cuisine for urban consumption and also global export. Known for its bisi bele bath and fermented rice and lentil preparations, the dosa-idli-sambhar trinity has become synonymous with South Indian breakfast culture. Bengaluru's cosmopolitan nature also led it to draw in classic dishes like the masala dosa and mysore pak, and filter coffee and retain them at its heart. The city's tech boom introduced South Indian cuisine to international palates, making it the gateway for global appreciation of South Indian flavours.
Across the country, food is more than sustenance; it translates to cherished memories, local language, and pride. Each city has contributed its fair share of revered cooking techniques and recipes passed down through generations. These dishes, forged in cities, continue to influence kitchens far beyond their borders. From Delhi’s Mughlai flavours that permeate its streets, to Mumbai’s portable snacks, each city makes up the culinary mosaic called Indian food.
