Delicacies of districts tempt taste buds at ODOC pavilion, uphold UP culinary heritage

Lucknow: Foods, flavours and memories passed down through generations took centre stage at One District One Cuisine (ODOC) pavilion up at Rashtra Prerna Sthal to mark the three-day Uttar Pradesh Diwas celebrations.Officially launched on Saturday, cultural and tourism initiative ODOC aims to promote UP's diverse traditional food heritage. A signature dish from each district—reflecting its history, ingredients and culinary traditions—is being showcased to help scale up local businesses and generate employment.
Each stall represents stories of legacy, migration, resilience and new aspirations. Kshitij Swaroop, a fifth-generation entrepreneur from Mainpuri, whose family has been selling soan papdi for over a century and is also associated with national campaign to promote millets through bajra laddus, said, "We are a 125-year-old entity employing 200 people and ODOC has given us achance to think bigger." Hapur stall is represented by Raju Parekh, whose great-great-grandfather's brand of handmade papads, Pandit Gangajali Papadwale, was launched in in 1851. Parekh's ancestor migrated from Rajasthan and rebuilt his life after leaving his native village following dispute with a regal employer."Our family legacy of women-led home production aligns naturally with the Modi-Yogi emphasis on women empowerment," Parekh said, adding, "The platform helps us connect with Gen Z. We want them to know that papad is a far healthier fast food, ready in 20 seconds, quicker than instant noodles." From Jaunpur came the famed imarti of Beniram Debi Prasad, a shop started in 1855 by brothers Beniram and Debi Prasad. Ashish Gupta, a fifth-generation owner, said the recipe remained unchanged for nearly 170 years. "That's why our imarti melts in the mouth. The scheme will help us reach connoisseurs in many other cities," he said.Unnao is represented by gulab jamun from Chaklavan village, which proved to be a crowd favourite. Vivek Kumar, who runs the stall, said the initiative could help secure future of his son Aditya. The younger entrepreneur, in turn, saw ODOC as a launchpad for expansion. "People often fear losses and liabilities while thinking of scaling up, but official patronage reduces the risk significantly. I will now give my dreams a shot," said Aditya.Chandauli's official entry was its nutritionally rich black rice, showcased by Chandauli Kala Chawal Krishak Samiti, a farm producer organisation. "We are a group of small farmers and hope the scheme will help us find more takers and better markets," said member farmer Ram Asrey Kumar Pal.Gorakhpur's Gangadhar Dubey, promoting baati chokha as comfort food, said the initiative would strengthen his franchise model. "I returned home during the pandemic after working in Bengaluru. This Purvanchal staple has power to win hearts, and ODOC will make the journey easier," he said.The pavilion also had sellers of the popular Agra ka petha, Mathura ka peda, Farrukhabad ki dalmoth, Pratapgarh's amla burfee and laddus and pickles from Kanpur. Gazak from Meerut and revdi from Lucknow also mark presence at the pavilion.
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