Chicken

Chicken Tikka Masala's in a soup again, and we do not mean tomato

Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka

There's little ,masala in Chicken Tikka Masala and lot's in this controversy. Chicken Tikka out the chow's disputed origins are a Glasgow restaurateur and a Delhi hotel wallah who claims to be descended from the blue blooded culinary lines of the royal Mughal chefs themselves. Once famously hailed by British foreign secretary Robin Cook as 'British' true national dish', the insipid fare that has long been the favorite in gourmet restaurants as well as supermarket shelves in England has found few favorable tasebuds in India.

Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka

The issue is the push for a European Union 'protected designation of origin of Chicken Tikka Masala by Scottish MPs for the city of Glasgow, which will officialize its humble origin in a Glasgow restaurant in the early 1970s as fact. Incidentally, even though various urban food legends abound about the dish's origin, that it originated in British has always been the status quo in Her Majesty's Kingdom.

Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka

Disputing that claim is the director of Karim Hotel in Delhi, who thinks the idea is "preposterous,'' Chicken Tikka Masala was invented in our restaurant in the early 70s," asserts Ahmed Aslam Ali, the owner of Shish Mahal, the now celebrated restaurant in Glasgow which has inadvertently landed it self in a curry of controversy continents away."If the dish had originated in Delhi, why would it have an anglicized name? It would be called Murgh Tikka Masala or Murgh Boti or something of the sort." reasons Ali.

Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka

"And how many people from the subcontinent actually eat Chicken Tikka Masala? Who wants a plain Chicken curry of tomato soup and cream? We at home prefer something spicier. Chicken Tikka Masala was created for the indigenous people of Glasgow." However, Ali does not dispute the pedigree of Chicken Tikka , saying the tandoori nuggets undoubtedly hail from India. His claim to fame is his tikka sauce.

Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka

A curry that comes straight out of a can of tomato soup does sound suspiciously British. But rubbishing that claim is Zaeemuddin Ahmed, the director of Delhi's Karim, which is said to be established by a chef of the last Mughals Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar himself. On the field, there was not much to cook with, so they preferred to roast marinated meat. Ali Mughlai cuisine is roasted hence the Chicken Tikka ," say Zaeemuddin. But no one's disputing the nationality of Chicken Tikka , right? It is the masala that has the kitchen knives drawn!

Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka

When asked, Zaeemuddin admits that he was not aware of the masala clause, but he still defends his position. "The basic ingredient, which is the Chicken Tikka , is the same, which is Indian," he asserts. "Tomorrow I can add any curry or even a sherbet or whatever to it, but it is still Chicken Tikka ! How can they patent it? It is a matter of national pride." Food critic Rashmi Uday Singh finds this matter of national pride "really amusing," She says, "They were just making a big deal out of it . Food has constantly been adapted and changed. Take Chinese food, for example - you have New York Chinese, Jain Chinese, Punjabi Chinese and even South Indian Chinese with Karipatta!"

Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka

"It is really a case of curry in the crown, we are colonizing the British through their tastebuds now! And what with globalization and a smaller world, it is silly to dispute where a dish really belongs. There's no point in getting all patriotic; at the end of the day, they have to eat it , not us! Let's not get petty, and let the world get more delicious," Rashmi wraps up delectably.

Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka