Biryani, Harees magic: Hyderabad wins UNESCO creative tag

HYDERABAD: The delicious Biryani from the city of Nizam have once again won the world recognition.

Hyderabad is one of the two cities from India to have been officially honoured with the title, ‘Creative City for Gastronomy’ other being Mumbai in Film category.

Hyderabad , which has a sobriquet of ‘City of Pearls’ or “land of Kohinoor” are among the 66 urban settlements designated as creative cities by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Thursday (31 October), it said in a press statement.

The designation came on World Cities’ Day, celebrated on 31 October, making the two cities part of the 246-member Organisation’s Network of Creative Cities.

The State capital is known for culinary heritage and has a number of starred restaurants known for the delicious “Hyderabad Biryani”.

Earlier, in 2010, the delectable Harees prepared during Ramzan  was the first meat-based product in India to honored with the prestigious Geographical Indication (IG) label.

Sharing the news on Twitter, an elated Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) minister K T Rama Rao stated:

“Glad to announce that Hyderabad is selected as @ UNESCO creative city in Gastronomy category on the occasion of World Cities Day today. It’s among the 2 cities from India in list of 66 cities, other being Mumbai in Film category.”

According to the UN body, the Network brings together cities that base their development on creativity, whether in music, arts and folk crafts, design, cinema, literature, digital arts or gastronomy. UNESCO creative cities commit to placing culture at the centre of their development strategies and to share their best practices.

“All over the world, these cities, each in its way, make culture the pillar, not an accessory, of their strategy,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “This favours political and social innovation and is particularly important for the young generations.”