Originally posted May 5, 2021
Which Origin Story Do You Believe?
Chicken Tikka Masala is one of Britain’s most loved dishes. Does it have true Indian roots or British origins? Discover all the possible origins of the Chicken Tikka Masala history.
Chicken Tikka Masala History & All Of Its Origin Stories
Chicken Tikka Masala combines the traditional Chicken Tikka in a Masala gravy. Tikka is basically marinated boneless chicken pieces cooked in a tandoor oven. Masala is the spiced tomato-cream curry sauce that can vary depending on the cook, the spices, and the cream or coconut cream.
It Starts with the Tikka
The depth of flavor from the chicken tikka masala starts with the tandoor oven-roasted chicken. The tandoor oven has been around for over 5,000 years. While tikka was first created in the 16th century.
The origin tells of the first emperor of the Mughal Dynasty, Babur, finding chicken a lethal threat as one could swallow the bones and die. So the rather than whole chicken parts, boneless and bite-sized chicken pieces were marinated in yogurt and curry spices, placed on metal skewers, and cooked in the tandoor.
Chicken tikka was popular not only with the emperor but with all the classes in the Mughal empire.
Butter Chicken vs Tikka Masala
Some argue that chicken tikka masala was inspired by butter chicken, or murgh makhani, which is also tomato-based. Butter chicken was created in an Indian restaurant in New Delhi in 1948 in which butter to make the tomato curry sauce creamier and richer.
There is no doubt that butter chicken is traditionally Indian. However, there is much debate whether chicken tikka masala is truly Indian or British Indian.
Authentically & Traditionally Indian?
Because of tikka’s history in the Mughal Empire, it has been argued that chicken tikka masala also originated from this time period when the dish may have been cooked for the emperor and passed down through the generations of cooks.
At the same time, it is believed that tikka masala is a Northern Indian dish from Punjab where many of the curries are saucy like masala.
Some even debate that tikka masala is the British butter chicken that originated in British India for the British palate. The British love their gravy, and masala is a type of gravy sauce.
The Origins of British Indian Cuisine
While it is not confirmed as the one true history, many tell the story of chicken tikka masala as a British Indian creation born in the UK.
In the 1950s, Indians migrated to the United Kingdom where they opened up many Indian restaurants in the 1960s. The chefs and cooks learned to make Indian cuisine suitable to the British palate.
One night in the 1970s in Shish Mahal, a curry house in Glasgow, Scotland, a British customer complained that the tikka was too dry. The chef looked around his kitchen and found his personal supply of cans of tomato soup.
So he decided to make a gravy out of tomato soup, spices, and cream. The result, tikka chicken in this masala gravy, or chicken tikka masala.
In any case, what is certain is that chicken tikka masala has become one of the national dishes in Britain and it is representative of modern, multicultural Britain.
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