The recent ranking by TasteAtlas has sparked a heated debate in the global culinary community. The platform placed a British flag next to Chicken Tikka Masala in its list of the “50 Best Chicken Dishes Around the World,” leaving food lovers, especially from India, questioning the decision. While the dish is globally celebrated for its rich, flavourful sauce, its true origins remain a topic of ongoing dispute. Is it a British creation, or does it belong to the Indian subcontinent?
The TasteAtlas controversy
The rankings stirred controversy by labelling Chicken Tikka Masala as a British delicacy, despite its obvious Indian influence. TasteAtlas's list featured four Indian dishes—Butter Chicken at number four, Tikka at six, Chicken 65 at ten, and Tandoori Chicken at eighteen—but the UK claim over Chicken Tikka Masala confused many. For Indian food lovers, this rekindled the age-old debate about the dish's true origins.
One social media user commented, “How come Chicken Tikka Masala became British? Look at the name itself! Does it sound British to you?” Another pointed out, “Pretty sure it was created by South Asian folks living in the UK. The place of origin might be the UK, but culturally, it's South Asian/Indian.”
The original story
The word “tikka” is derived from the Persian term for bite-sized meat and was introduced to the Indian subcontinent by the Mughal emperor Babur. Chicken Tikka, a dish native to northern India and Pakistan, is made by marinating chicken in yoghurt and spices before grilling it in a tandoor. While this dish is widely acknowledged to be Indian, Chicken Tikka Masala introduces a creamy tomato-based curry, making its exact origin more complex and debated.
The Glasgow connection
One of the most popular claims regarding the invention of Chicken Tikka Masala comes from the late Ali Ahmed Aslam, a Pakistani-origin chef who owned the Shish Mahal restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1972, Aslam reportedly created the dish after a customer found his Chicken Tikka too dry. To remedy this, Aslam added a tomato-based yoghurt sauce, giving birth to Chicken Tikka Masala as we know it today.
Aslam's creation became an overnight sensation in Britain. In 2001, a CNN report noted that Chicken Tikka Masala had even outpaced fish and chips in popularity. The UK’s former Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, famously called it “a true British national dish,” praising Britain’s ability to absorb and adapt external influences into its culture.
Competing claims: The Indian connection
Despite the Glasgow origin story, others argue that Chicken Tikka Masala is merely an evolution of India's Butter Chicken. Kundan Lal Jaggi and Kundan Lal Gujral, who fled to India during the Partition in 1947, are credited with inventing Butter Chicken in Delhi in the 1950s. They, too, served a dish that mixed marinated grilled chicken with a creamy tomato sauce, a recipe strikingly similar to Chicken Tikka Masala.
Monish Gujral, the current head of the famous Moti Mahal restaurant chain, claims that his grandfather served a version of Chicken Tikka Masala as early as 1947, to the delight of Indian leaders. This assertion adds more complexity to the dish's already disputed history.
The Bangladeshi theory
Another claim suggests that Bangladeshi chefs living in the UK during the 1960s were responsible for the creation of Chicken Tikka Masala. According to the Multicultural Handbook of Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics, these chefs altered their native recipes to appeal to the British palate, creating a dish that fused Indian spices with the creamier textures British customers desired.
A debate without end?
The controversy surrounding Chicken Tikka Masala's true origins will likely remain unresolved. According to food writer Leena Trivedi-Grenier, it is possible that multiple people created similar versions of the dish at different times. She dismisses the notion that Chicken Tikka Masala was solely created to satisfy British tastes, calling that assumption ‘garish’.
As the debate continues, perhaps the focus should be on enjoying the dish rather than arguing about who invented it. After all, Chicken Tikka Masala's global appeal transcends borders, proving its universal allure. Whether Indian or British, it's a dish that brings people together through its delicious, creamy, and spiced flavours—no matter its origin.
(Images courtesy: Canva)
