Britannica describes chicken tikka masala as "[a] dish consisting of marinated boneless chicken pieces that are traditionally cooked in a tandoor and then served in a subtly spiced tomato-cream sauce." Commonly used in traditional Indian cooking, a tandoor is a "cylindrical clay oven" with a "charcoal fire" at the bottom, providing heat to the whole oven (via Britannica). Interestingly, the origin of tandoor ovens dates back to the age of the pyramids.
Today, chicken tikka masala is most popular in the United Kingdom, with an area of curry houses in London known as Curry Mile (per South China Morning Post). Chicken tikka masala is also the highest-selling ready-to-eat meal at U.K. supermarket Sainsbury's, annually selling around 1.6 million chicken tikka masala meals. In 2009, a Scottish member of Parliament actually requested that the curry dish be granted a European Union Protected Designation of Origin status; however, his request was denied.
So where did chicken tikka masala originate from and how did an Indian dish become the heart and soul of the U.K.? Regarding the dish, Robin Cook, who was the British Foreign Secretary in 2001, said (via South China Morning Post), " ... chicken tikka masala is a British national dish – chicken tikka was an Indian dish and the British added the sauce, because of their desire to have meat served in gravy." Here's the confusing and mysterious origin of tikka masala.
Some believe it derived from butter chicken; others believe it was invented in the UK
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chicken tikka masala, dish consisting of marinated boneless chicken pieces that are traditionally cooked in a tandoor and then served in a subtly spiced tomato-cream sauce. It is a popular takeout dish in Britain and is a staple menu item in the curry houses of London, especially in the East End restaurants along Brick Lane, known as “Curry Mile.”
The dish’s origins are debated. Some believe that it was invented in the 1970s by a Bangladeshi chef in Glasgow, Scotland, who, in order to please a customer, added a mild tomato-cream sauce to his chicken tikka, which is pieces of boneless chicken marinated in yogurt and curry spices and served on a skewer, kebab-style. More likely, it derived from butter chicken, a popular dish in northern India. Some observers have called chicken tikka masala the first widely accepted example of fusion cuisine.
Britannica Quiz
Ultimate Foodie QuizThe dish has taken on a large cultural significance in Britain. It is widely considered the country’s national dish, and in 2001 British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook gave a speech in which he hailed chicken tikka masala as a symbol of modern multicultural Britain. He even offered his own simplified explanation of how the entrée evolved: “Chicken tikka is an Indian dish. The masala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy.”