Chicken Tikka Masala is a dish consisting of roasted marinated chicken chunks (Chicken Tikka) in spiced curry sauce. The curry is usually creamy and orange-coloured, due to added food colour. There are two theories regarding the origin of the dish. There are those attributing it to cooks from South Asia living in Great Britain, and those that view it as being created on the Indian subcontinent. Although disputed, it is speculated the dish arrived as a result of British occupation in India. The dish is offered at restaurants around the world.
The origin of the dish is uncertain. Some trace it to the South Asian community in Great Britain and others claim that it originated in the Indian subcontinent. However there is heavy belief that it originated in Scotland.
Chicken Tikka Masala may derive from butter chicken, a popular dish in northern India. Some observers have called Chicken Tikka Masala the first widely accepted example of fusion cuisine. The Multicultural Handbook of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics credits its creation to Bangladeshi migrant chefs in the 1960s, after migrating to Britain from what was then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). At the time, these migrant chefs developed and served a number of new inauthentic ‘‘Indian’’ dishes, including Chicken Tikka Masala.
Chicken Tikka Masala has become a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences. 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.
