British? Indonesian? Bengali? Everything about Chicken Tikka Masala is different than you think

What is the most popular dish in Britain? Statistically the most eaten? The national dish, right?

Tada. Chicken Tikka Masala.

This is despite the fact that – even in 2024 – there are still tens of thousands of memes about supposedly ‘bland’ British food. The opinion still seems to prevail that people on the island mainly eat dishes that have actually not been standard since the 1950s.

Certainly, people who hold this view have either never been to Britain, or may just be a bit uneducated (or a combination of both – sit back, USA!). And if you think about it, the whole world thinks that people in Switzerland eat fondue and chocolate and nothing else. But period – back to the topic!

Ultimately, the statistics speak for themselves. The average British family eats curry at least once a week on average. The average Brit will spend around £30,000 per capita on curry in their lifetime. Two-thirds of all takeaways and home deliveries are curry dishes. The total value of the Indian food company in Britain this is estimated at around £4 billion.

And by far the most eaten dish is Chicken Tikka Masala.

Where does the popularity of curry in general and chicken tikka masala in particular come from?

As a seafaring nation, British cities have always been centers of cultural exchange. Seafarers, migrants and traders from all over the world have been part of the social fabric since ancient times. And they all brought their culinary traditions – and ingredients – to Britain.

First mentions of “currey” [sic!] appear as early as the Renaissance. The first curry recipe was published in 1747 in “The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy” by Hannah Glasse. And Sake Dean Mahomed’s Hindostanee Coffee-House, the first curry restaurant, opened in 1810.

Curry restaurants have been around for over 200 years and curry recipes for almost 300 years. But for the development of the typically British Curry House and therefore a specific population group is important for the origins of Chicken Tikka Masala: Lascars was the name given to the Bengali sailors who arrived in the docklands of East London and soon opened the first restaurants for their kind. This cafes on the harbour marked the beginning of what became typical in the 20th century British Curry House would develop.

Ergo, British Indian cuisine is mainly influenced by Bengali. This is still reflected in statistics today: 80 percent of all so-called Indian restaurants in Britain are run by Bangladeshis. And 90 percent of them can trace their origins to a single region: Sylhet. The remaining 20 percent of restaurants are largely run by Pakistanis; here too, most come from two very specific regions: Punjab and Mirpur.

The fact that these restaurants generally called themselves ‘Indian’ – and that people still colloquially say ‘let’s go Indian’ – is a linguistic remnant of colonialism from a time when the subcontinent was not yet divided into the three nations of today Pakistan, India and Bangladesh (initially in 1947 East Pakistan) was divided.

Bengali cuisine had become established in Britain by the mid-20th century. But in the 1970s it became completely mainstream. The 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War led to a large migration of Bengalis (again mainly from the Sylhet area) to Britain, where they integrated into the Bengali communities that already existed throughout the country. Meanwhile, deindustrialization and the lack of jobs led many of them to enter the hospitality industry, which was largely family owned and operated. At the same time, a new generation of younger Britons had developed an appetite for ‘exotic’ foods. And so found it Great British Curry House to its final form: as a restaurant that catered not only to immigrant communities, but also to a white British working class. Foods changed to meet these demands, and Chicken Tikka Masala is the most famous example.

Chicken Tikka comes from the Indian subcontinent and consists of grilled chicken pieces that have been pre-marinated in yogurt and spices (actually: Chicken tandoori but without bones). The ‘masala’ part of the name makes it a British dish. There are a few theories about how it came about, but Ali Ahmed Aslam, owner of Shish Mahal restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland, who first combined chicken tikka with a thick tomato sauce in 1971 after a guest complained that the chicken skewers were too dry , is increasingly confirmed.

From the late 1970s onwards, Curry’s rise on the island became unstoppable. And Chicken Tikka Masala was the spearhead. As a result, it was increasingly seen as less ‘exotic’ and more ‘British’. This culminated in British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook referring to the dish as “the true British national dish” in a 2001 speech – as an example of the success of multiculturalism in Britain.

6,500 times a year. This is how much Chicken Tikka Masala is ordered in one restaurant. Jamil Khan, operator of the Royal Raj Restaurant in Bristol, can attest to this. In an interview with YouTuber Andy Burgess Fault line Khan confirms that even though new dishes are being offered all the time, the majority of customers still insist on chicken tikka masala. What just sounds like annoying stubbornness on the part of the guests is actually indicative of a bigger problem: The Great British Curry House is in disrepair.

The entire hospitality industry in Great Britain is suffering from a staff shortage as a result of Brexit and stricter immigration laws. And the decline in sales due to the pandemic is still noticeable. For classic British curry restaurants, there is another reason for the decline: the success of Chicken Tikka Masala. The dish is so mainstream, so British, that you no longer have to go to the specialty restaurant for it. Every pub does that traditional British pubevery Büezer café all day breakfast served, chicken tikka masala is usually also offered. Every Tesco, Waitrose or Aldi store will have not just one, but a selection of different chicken tikka masala ready meals on offer. And frying a few pieces of chicken at home and mixing them with a ready-made sauce from Sharwoods is certainly not a gourmet meal, but still a reasonable version of the national dish.

Well, the island’s curry houses certainly won’t die out completely. Although the overall number of restaurants in the country has declined somewhat in recent years, the variety of South Asian restaurants is now greater than ever before. Now, not only will you find old-fashioned Bengali-Punjabi cuisine, there are also restaurants specializing in Kerala or Goan cuisine; about Gujarati cuisine, Parsi cuisine and much, much more.

Today, the South Asian hospitality industry in Britain is divided into three categories:

Lo and behold, most of these restaurants still offer chicken tikka masala. Maybe something more elegant, more carefully prepared. Or in a historical version that differs slightly from the current standard. But the dish is still celebrated, and not without pride: Our national dish.

And now it’s high time I give you a recipe. Let’s go!

No not “the” Recipe, because not one is defined. But that’s pretty much how I cook CTM. And that’s pretty much how you should try. It’s delicious.

_{For 4 persons}

_Marinade:

_{Masala sauce:}