Who invented butter chicken? Indian judge set to decide

Bangkok Post Group

Butter chicken, one of India's best-known dishes globally, is delicious and apparently also contentious, with two Indian restaurant chains doing battle in court over claims to its origins. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00 Who invented butter chicken, one of India's best-known dishes?

00:05 A deli judge is set to decide, with two Indian restaurant chains duking it out in court.

00:13 This is Moti Mahal, a well-known deli restaurant brand that has served famous guests such as

00:18 former U.S. President Richard Nixon.

00:21 The family behind the chain brought the lawsuit forward.

00:24 It claims founder Kundan Lal Gujral created the dish, which is made with tandoor-cooked

00:29 chicken, tomato gravy, cream and butter, in a restaurant in Peshawar in the 1930s, before

00:35 it moved to Delhi.

00:36 MONISH GUJRAL, Founder, Butter Chicken, India: We will not allow anybody to take out, take

00:40 away our legacy.

00:41 NADJA DROST: Monish Gujral is the chain's managing director.

00:44 MONISH GUJRAL: It is just for public knowledge.

00:46 We don't want public to be misled.

00:48 NADJA DROST: In a court filing that is more than 2,700 pages long, it's suing rival Dharia

00:54 Ganj over the invention of butter chicken, as well as a popular lentil dish.

01:00 The Gujral family is seeking $240,000 in damages, alleging the rival eatery has also copied

01:07 the look and feel of its branches.

01:10 Dharia Ganj was established in 2019.

01:13 It counters that a slate family member teamed up with Gujral to open the deli restaurant

01:18 in 1947, and that's when the dish was created.

01:22 That means Dharia Ganj can also lay claim to the dish's invention, it argues.

01:27 Amit Baga is Dharia Ganj's CEO and co-founder.

01:31 AMIT BAGA, Co-Founder, Dharia Ganj, India: Butter chicken and dal makhani are dishes

01:33 which were invented in a restaurant called Moti Mahal.

01:37 And this Moti Mahal restaurant was founded by three partners, and Mr. Kundalaj Jaggi

01:41 was one of the co-founders of that restaurant.

01:44 And that is why we use this name.

01:46 NADJA DROST: The dispute has gripped the country, with the next hearing set for May.

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