A STUDY ON THE MUGHLAI CULTURE AND GASTRONOMICAL ASPECT OF

THE CITY OF LUCKNOW

SYNOPSIS

Submitted to CHRIST (Deemed to be University) in partial fulfillment Of the requirements

for the award of the degree of
Bachelor of Business Administration (Honors)

By
Zikra Faisal
Registration Number 2013077

Under the guidance of

Dr Sneha. N
School of Business and Management

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

CHRIST (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)
BGR CAMPUS
BANNERGHATTA ROAD,
HULIMAVU
BENGALURU - 560076

2022 - 2023

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction (Background).........................................................................................................3

Problem Statement.....................................................................................................................3

Research Objectives...................................................................................................................3

Research Questions....................................................................................................................3

Literature Review (Remove the Red Marking):.........................................................................3

Minimum 10-15 Literature Review...........................................................................................3

Research Gap.............................................................................................................................3

Research Methodology...............................................................................................................3

Research Area............................................................................................................................3

Scope of the Research................................................................................................................3

Research Technique (Primary or Secondary)............................................................................3

Target Respondents....................................................................................................................3

Sampling Technique...................................................................................................................3

Sample Size/Time Frame/ No. of Firms....................................................................................3

Pilot Study Details......................................................................................................................3

Questionnaire if any...................................................................................................................3

Analytical Tools for each Objectives.........................................................................................3

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 INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

Mughlai cuisine consists of dishes developed in the medieval Indo-Persian cultural centres of
the Mughal Empire. It represents a combination of cuisine of the Indian subcontinent with the
cooking styles and recipes of Central Asian and Islamic cuisine. Mughlai cuisine is strongly
influenced by the Turkic cuisine of Central Asia, the region where the early Mughal
emperors originally hailed from, and it has in turn strongly influenced the regional cuisines
of Northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The tastes of Mughlai cuisine vary from extremely mild to spicy, and are often associated
with a distinctive aroma and the taste of ground and whole spices. A Mughlai course is an
elaborate buffet of main course dishes with a variety of accompaniments.

Food in Lucknow, the “City of Nawabs”, is a sensory experience that every foodie deserves.
The Kebabs, Biryani, Nihari and the desserts of the city are deeply embedded in the history of
this city and now define the culinary experience of the place. The food ties beautifully with
the soul of the city and one is indeed incomplete without the other.

Lucknow lies in the Awadh region of the Gangetic belt. It was established as a subah under
the well-known Mughal ruler Akbar in the 16th century CE. In 1722 CE, it got its first
Nawab, Burhan-ul-Mulk Sa’adat Ali Khan, who was originally from Nishapur, (Safavid)
Persia. This laid down the foundations of a regal culture patronized by a series of Nawabs
with exquisite taste and sophistication. Sa’adat Ali Khan developed the Awadh region and
established his first capital at Faizabad. It was Asaf-ud-Daula (1775- 1797 CE) who moved
the capital to Lucknow in 1775 CE.

Under the rule of the Nawabs, patronage was extended to a variety of arts including literature,
architecture, sculpture and painting. The period also witnessed major innovations in the royal
kitchens which developed a unique blend of local, Mughlai and Persian flavors that the city
holds dear to date. These once regal dishes are now also served in the streets locally and are
revered by children, students, adults and tourists alike.

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The people of Lucknow have reserved a special place in their hearts for tea. It is at one
instance a social activity and at another, an almost routine compulsion. The go-to place for a
steaming cup of tea and a snack of Bun-maska or Samosa is Sharma ji ki Chai in Hazratgunj.
Served in earthen cups, this beverage is so addictive that it has earned the local name of
“opium tea”! It is perfectly complimented with a side of lightly toasted soft golden bun with a
layer of butter in the middle. Those looking to beat the heat can opt for Thandai at Pandit
Raja’s shop which is the oldest shop of Lucknow serving this beverage. Situated at Kamla
Nehru Marg, Chowk, it specially mixes cashews, almonds, saffron, pistachios and cardamom
with chilled milk to refresh both the body and the mind.

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 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The empirical part of the study was carried out in Lucknow, considering huge number of
tourists visiting the place for having Mughlai meals. There are hundreds of outlets of various
categories and capacities that are serving Mughlai foods.

Gastronomic culture is influenced by the Awadhi (Lucknow) style of cooking. According to

historians, it dates back to the reign of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (1822-87). When he was
dethroned and exiled by the British to Calcutta in 1856, he took his bawarchis and khansamas
along with him. Unable to find meat, the cooks started adding potatoes to the dish, which
went on to become the Kolkata biryani.

There are even many commonalities between Indo-Persian cookbooks used at the Mughal
court and contemporary culinary works from Safavid Iran, such as the Kārnāma dar bāb-i
T̤ abāḵẖī wa ṣanʿat-i ān (Manual on Dishes and their Preparation) of Ḥājī Muḥammad ʿAlī
Bāwarchī Bag̱ ẖdādī.

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 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Contemporary food trends of avid foodies are not only about binge-eating on anything they
get their hands on, but also to find out the history and stories, source and sustainability of the
foods. It is this trend that has prompted the writing of this paper, in the first place, which
focuses on the traditional authentic dish "Mughlai Culture. The project aims to explore the
authentic review of Mughlai cuture and gastronomical aspect of the city Lucknow and the
various stories associated with its continuous transformations in different cultural contexts
leading to the diverse variants, all relished equally across the country, and even across the
world.

The objectives of this paper are:

 To study the Mughlai culture and gastronomical aspect of the city of Lucknow

 To trace the history of Mughlai cultural food and identify the major types of
gastronomical aspects,

 To explore the characteristics of Mughlai culture for understanding the reasons why
Lucknow food has been able to hold consumer preference consistently since 1939 to
date.

 To analyze the competition, assess the brand’s current situation, its future
prospects, and suggest marketing strategies.

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 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Q.1 Do you had in Mughlai Food in any Lucknow Outlet.

Q.2 Do you think Lucknow biryani is getting popular day by day.

Q.3 Why do you like Mughlai food?

Q.4 Will you help in popularizing Mughlai food culture in other states?

Q.5 Do you feel The Awadh's Dastarkhwan is the best Mughlai food available in market.

Q.6 Do you get discount offer when opting for food combo in Lucknow?

Q.7 How much hours do you spend in cooking weekly?

Q.8 Do you think that Lucknow Mughlai food is lees on spice and are healthy and hold great
taste?

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 LITERATURE REVIEW

Hillel & Shani (2013) study incorporates examples which illustrate its theoretical proposition
regarding the need to substantiate authenticity by offering gastronomic products and
experiences that faithfully communicate an intimate link between food, place and the local
community.

Krishnaswamy (2008) highlighted the scientific study of Indian spices and their medicinal
merits and opined that India has worldwide recognition for the spices and medicinal plants
because of their physiological and pharmacological properties. Recently biomedical efforts
are focusing to provide science-based evidence for the traditional uses and to development of
functional foods. For example the ancient Indian food provokes the use of turmeric for
wound healing, rheumatic disorders, gastrointestinal symptoms, deform, rhinitis and as a
cosmetic. Being scientifically proved, both turmeric and curcumin were found to increase
detoxifying enzymes, prevent DNA damage, improve DNA repair, decrease mutations and
tumour formation and exhibit antioxidative potential in animals (Krishnaswamy, 2008).

Van, (1999) stressed that gastronomy, heritage and tourism are old friends; the relationship
between them is mutually parasitic. Author opined that gastronomy's role as a cultural force
in developing and sustaining heritage acts as a catalyst in enhancing the quality of the tourist
experience. It is argued that gastronomy brings culture and cultures together. Finally author
concluded that place and setting enhance the food experience and arguably vice‐versa.

Long, (2004) in a book on culinary tourism reveled thatculinary tourism raises questions of
intellectual property rights connected to intangible cultural heritage. Similarly, Cohen and
Avieli, (2004) discussed the various ways in which culinary establishments mediate between
the tourists and the local cuisine. They considered the authenticity of dishes in such
establishments and the varieties of culinary experience. However, the Hygiene standards,
health considerations, communication gaps, and the limited knowledge of tourists concerning
the local cuisine, role of ethnic restaurants at home in preparing tourists for the food abroad is
questioned.

Montanari & Staniscia (2009) stressed that food is not merely a source of nourishment:
depending on production methods, food can also become a cultural reference point, an
element of regional development and a tourist resource. This occurs with “local” food,

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representing a model of production and consumption which suggests a strong link with the
region in which the food is produced.

Amira, 2009). study evaluates the role of local food in tourism promotion. It also focuses on
economic development, exploring the potential for creating linkages between local food and
tourism in the context of sustainable tourism practices. The research is based on a case study
of the Republic of Maldives, a country which has gained success in the international tourism
market by promoting the natural beauty of its tropical islands.

Henderson (2010) shows that food hawking in Singapore, just as in many other countries,
serves a number of purposes, including meeting local food needs and providing food
experiences for tourists. Her research indicates that the government promotes food hawkers
as “unique icons of Singapore”, but at the same time threatens the authenticity of hawking
through regulation and control.

Sengupta, (2010) examines themes related to cooking, food, nutrition, and the relationship
between dietary practice and health in late-nineteenth century and early-twentieth century
Bengal, and argues that food and cuisine represented a vibrant site on which a complex
rhetorical struggle between colonialism and nationalism was played out.

Tamang et. al.(2010) study stressed on the importance of ethnic food. They opined that
ethnic foods possess protective properties, antioxidant, antimicrobial, probiotics, bio-
nutrients, including other health-benefits. They stressed that due to rapid urbanisation, other
developments, especially introduction of fast foods have adverse effects on production as
well as consumption patterns of ethnic foods. Therefore people should be ascertained about
the worth indigenous knowledge they possess, and biological significance of their traditional
foods.

Mohanram (2011) examines the relationship between feast and famine, the logic of
modernity and imperial rule. It juxtaposes two different ‘texts’ of British imperialism – the
1878 cookbook Culinary Jottings of Madras and the Madras famine of 1875–1878 – to
examine the dynamics between feast and famine, not only under imperial rule, but also in the
present.

Bali, (2014) advocates that despite of multiple religions existence in India, the Hindu and the
Muslim traditions have influenced Indian cooking and food habits as per their own culinary
practices. Each and every invader came up with culinary innovations and it really took the

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shape of super specialty while mixed with Indian traditional practices if not fully at least a
part. With colonization, Indian food lost its glory and all kinds of changes came in which is
apparently visible from the modern recipes. No qualm the ‘kababs’ and biryanis’ were
brought by Mughal emperors to India from Persia and Iran but still the strongest influence on
Indian food is from ayurveda as it deals with areas concerning the healthy and long life of
human being.

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 RESEARCH GAP
Local food plays a very important role to present way of living style and culture of the
region; it attracts the tourist because of the authentic taste of the destination. Culture
establishes a structure of the culinary background of the society and conveys itself as an
important, beautiful& attractive value. Therefore, authentic dishes and Local food redevelop
an excellent tourist product and attractive factor of a tour. This project seeks to discover the
potential of Lucknow city to host gastronomic tourist and tries to find out whether Mughlai
culture have an relationship between Indian food culture and attraction of gastronomic
tourist. I have developed questionnaire by using Google doc and conducted online survey
among the respondents who have visited the city and experienced the Mughlai food in
Lucknow. I have used ANOVA statistical test to understand the respondent’s culinary
experience in the city. Data collected have been analysed by graphs have been generated
using Microsoft Excel.

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 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In general, the methodology of research and term of research design are seems to signify the
equal thing, but actually they are not same. Research design is “a plan or a blue print of how
a researcher intends to conduct a study”. The actual significance of research design is to
direct the way of data collection procedure and examine the data in order to response for
recognized research problem(s); but, the research methodology is to illustrate how something
would be done.

Research Area
A study on the Mughlai culture and gastronomical aspect of the city of Lucknow

Scope of the Research

Cuisine leaves its own imprint on history. India has witnessed many invaders; with every
invader came a different culture and a new cuisine. Muslim invaders like Turks, Arabs,
Persians, and Afghans introduced the culture of feasts to India. The Mughlai cuisine that
India is famous for developed from the 15th century to about the 19th century during the
reign of the Mughals. The Mughals raised cooking to an art form, introducing several recipes
to India like biryani, pilaf, and kebabs.

Research Technique
Primary
The study is largely based on the primary data, which has been collected through the
structured Questionnaire Method.
Secondary:
Sources of Collection of Secondary Data in my Research has use:
 Internet
 Book
 Official website
For this study Primary Data and Secondary data both has been used for research topic.

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Target Respondents
Population means the whole universe of study in which the researcher does her study /
research and the population for my research is people of Lucknow only.

Sampling Technique
The sampling method will be Random Sampling and Convenience Sampling.
Sample Size/Time Frame/ No. of Firms
The sample size of the study will be 100. The responses will be captured from respondents on
a questionnaire. The area of study is Lucknow.

Questionnaire if any
Will be attached in the project report annexure

Analytical Tools for each Objectives

 Diagrams

 Percentage

 Chart

 Graph

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