Hyderabad: To submit a 20 page dossier to Unesco in June this year in the hope of an award, officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) held 54 consultative meetings with over 20 identified partners which included hoteliers, chefs associations, women's self help groups, street vendors, hawker associations, NGOs, government agencies, academic institutions, research organisations and food journalists/bloggers.
A mapping of the culinary industry in terms of the variety and history of dishes present in the city, employment generated, socio-economic backgrounds of the dependent population and so on was conducted.
Focused group discussions were held with citizens groups to capture their aspirations and a plan of action was formulated incorporating their feedback and comments. A core committee comprising representative stakeholders was formulated to frame this application and to oversee the implementation of the prepared plan of action on the ground.
The rich repository of the city's cuisine has evolved over centuries of strong associations that this land shares with the rest of the world. Recipes have been historically brought from all over the globe (particularly the middle east and central asia) and, over time, have blended with local flavours resulting in universally acclaimed dishes such as haleem and biryani. This unique gastronomical culture offers a big value addition to the international platter, and hence Hyderabad deserves to be a part of this creative network.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, additional commissioner GHMC, Musharraf Faruqui, said: "It is not just about the food, this award also delves deep into the economy of the food enterprises. All of that aside, haleem is my favourite."
This, he hoped, would provide an impetus to the ongoing efforts aimed at eliminating poverty, hunger, reducing inequality, generating employment and establishing gender equality. This network will provide access to ideas, knowledge and technology which will help in creating a sustainable physical and social infrastructure.
