There’s no Match for ‘Bada Gosht’, Say Tunday Kababi Patrons

Tunday Kababi’s Akbari Gate outlet is now selling chicken and Mutton Kebab, but why?

Business at Tunday Kababi’s old outlet has dwindled. (Photo: ANI Screengrab)

A day after it shut shop owing to a shortage in supply of Buffalo meat, Lucknow’s iconic Tunday Kababi reopened to empty dining tables on Thursday. The eatery’s famous galawati kebabs – made from minced buffalo meat – had gone off the menu, along with all the beef dishes. The shortage in supply of Buffalo meat was triggered by the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government’s crackdown on ‘illegal’ slaughterhouses and meat shops in Uttar Pradesh. Scrambling to keep operations steady, the eatery, for the first time in its history of over 100 years, has started selling Chicken and Mutton kebabs.

The brunt, however, has not been felt on cash registers alone. The taste too, has taken a hit. Chicken and mutton kebabs may have their own takers, but there’s no match for bada gosht, says Nadeem, a regular at Tunday.

I had to manage with chicken kebabs as the shop has no buffalo meat to sell. Chicken and mutton cannot match up to the taste of Buffalo meat. Moreover, it’s inexpensive compared to other meat.

Nadeem, Patron, Tunday Kebabi

Ever since taking over as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath has ordered the closure of at least 30 butcher houses across Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Meerut.

Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim