Uttar Pradesh is well known for its diverse cuisine and deep roots in traditional Indian flavours. From the state’s beloved Awadhi biryani to galouti kebabs, Uttar Pradesh’s culinary heritage is recognised by many food enthusiasts. However, in the district-wise list of traditional food items under Uttar Pradesh’s ‘One District One Cuisine’ (ODOC) initiative, several iconic dishes failed to make it to the list.

The initiative was created with the aim of promoting local dishes by improving their branding, packaging, and market accessibility. The ODOC initiative was launched by Union Minister Amit Shah earlier this year following the success of the ‘One District One Product’ (ODOP) initiative, which helped region-specific products gain global recognition.

Many popular dishes from Uttar Pradesh were missing from the ODOC cuisine list, sparking intense debate online. The ODOC list predominantly focuses on vegetarian dishes and excludes several of the region’s renowned delicacies, such as Tunday and galouti kebabs from Lucknow, mutton korma, Rampur’s seekh kebab, Awadhi biryani, nihari kulcha, and Moradabadi biryani.

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The ‘One District One Cuisine’ scheme was announced by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on November 8, 2025, and the Uttar Pradesh government has reportedly set aside Rs 150 crore for the scheme. Entrepreneurs and artisans will receive a subsidy of up to 25%, which can only be claimed once.

The ODOC list has identified petha and dalmoth from Agra, Ayodhya’s kachori, peda, and kulhad dahi-jalebi, Moradabad’s dal dishes and dahi halwa, Gautam Buddh Nagar’s bakery items and cakes, Lucknow’s mango-based products, revdi, chaat, and malai makkhan, as well as Bareilly’s chole bhature and chaat.

Other notable dishes include Hardoi’s aloo puri and ladoo, Shravasti’s imarti, coconut barfi, kalakand, and ghamanja, Balrampur’s chaat, and Unnao’s kala jamun, samosa, kushli, and trilok pari. Food historian Pushpesh Pant told PTI that the ODOC list of vegetarian food items was a “half-baked move.” He said, “This seems to be a half-baked move that smacks of bigotry. In short, ignorant nonsense,” and further questioned the purpose of such selective discrimination

Netizens React to the ODOC List

One user on X mocked the omission of Lucknow’s classic kebabs from the list and wrote, “Lucknow is known for mango-based products.” Another user claimed, “Chhole bhature, lassi, aloo paratha, dal makhani, and butter chicken are Punjabi dishes that you are appropriating without credit.” An X user also took a dig at the list, writing that it seemed to have been prepared by someone who had never tried Uttar Pradesh’s classic dishes. “No way you have associated dal with Moradabad instead of its famous biryani,” wrote another user.

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