The passing of a Pakistani-Scottish chef named Ali Ahmed Aslam, aged 77, has stirred a debate about who created the world’s first chicken tikka masala.
About Aslam:
Aslam emigrated from Pakistan as a young man. He was the proprietor of Glasgow’s well-known ‘Shish Mahal’ restaurant, which he opened in 1964.
How chicken tikka masala was invented:
According to Aslam’s version, the recipe was created one evening in the 1970s. It was after a customer complained about his chicken tikka being too dry. The chef blended a can of condensed tomato soup, cream, and spices. That blend is what you call ‘chicken tikka masala’ of today.
British claims ‘chicken tikka’ recipe:
A Glasgow MP sponsored a campaign in 2009 to have chicken tikka masala designated as a ‘protected heritage dish.’ However, the bid was turned down when other British restaurants asserted their ownership of the dish.
Popular opinion:
Some claim that South Asia is where the curry was unquestionably created. Head of the well-known Indian restaurant chain ‘Moti Mahal Monish Gurjal claims his grandfather has been serving chicken tikka masala to Indian rulers since 1947.
The other side:
A truly British national cuisine, chicken tikka masala is what the U.K.’s foreign minister, Robin Cook, said in a speech in 2001, exemplifying “multiculturalism as a beneficial force for our economy and society.”
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