This Eid ul-Fitr, it’s not just about Lucknow’s legacy of heavenly kebabs

The Muslims around the world will celebrate the most awaited Eid-ul-Fitr after a month-long fasting.

In Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, food becomes religion during holy month of Ramzan. Known for its nazakat, nafasat and Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, the city of nawabs becomes a hub of best street food in the country during this period.

Lucknow offers varities of mouth-watering Awadhi cuisines: Tundey Kebab, Gilawati Kebab, Kakori Kebab, Boti Kebab, Shami Kebab, Nihari and Khameeri Kulcha, Nalli ki Nihari, Sheermal, dum biryani.

Famous food streets: Victoria Street in Old Lucknow, Nazirabad-Aminabad Road – Both streets are lined up with famous eating joints and roazedars and even Hinuds throng to these two famous streets in Lucknow to relish Iftari food. People also stay there till the time of Shehri.

Famous eating Joints: Tundey Kebabi, Raheem Nihari-Kulche, Alamgir, Mobin, Idris Biryani, Waheed Biryani, Lalla Biryani,

To maintain Ganga-Jamnui tehzeeb of the city of nawabs, Iftaris are organized by the Governor, prominent Hindus, political parties, Hussainbad Trust, influential persons of both sects.

A new tradition began from this year, when Mahant Divya Giri, first woman Head Priest of Lucknow’s oldest and most revered Shiva Temple Mankamenshwar temple organised an Iftari for Muslims brethren for the first time in its history.

Ramzan is a holy month for the world's nearly 1.5 billion Muslims, many of whom practise the ritual of dawn-to-dusk fasting and prayers.

The Ramzan fast, in which even water is prohibited, falls on especially long summer days this year for Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere.

Fasting is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and remind them of those less fortunate.

Tradition holds that it was during Ramadan that the Prophet Mohammed started receiving revelations of the Muslim holy book, the Koran.

Ramzan is one of the five "pillars" of Islam.

The others are the profession of faith ("there is no God but God and Mohammed is his messenger"), the obligation to pray five times a day, charity, and the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Except for the BJP, all other political parties organise Iftar parties during Ramzan. This includes Samajwadi Party, RLD, Congress, NCP etc.

Earlier on Wednesday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi hosted an iftar gathering in Delhi. The gathering was not attended by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who was in the United States at the moment for her health check-ups. 

The gathering had also gained a lot of eyeballs for being a platform for Opposition unity.

For the last two years, SP holds Iftar party at Taj Vivanta.
Two years ago, an Urdu newspaper Aag began a tradition of organizing Iftar parties for Hindu journalists in its office. The party was hosted by Husain Afsar.