Battling over butter chicken: why is beloved Indian dish at the centre of a legal fight?

Earlier this month, Moti Mahal, one of New Delhi’s oldest and best-known restaurant chains, dragged another relatively new outlet called Daryaganj to court. Managers in both restaurants claim that their ancestors pioneered the recipe.

1. What’s the history of butter chicken?

Butter chicken dishes are thought to come from the kitchen of Moti Mahal, which is also credited with contributing heavily to tandoori cuisine.

The first Moti Mahal in independent India opened in 1947 as a partnership in the Delhi locality of Daryaganj. As the story goes, it was here that butter chicken was invented by adding cooked chicken pieces to a gravy with tomatoes, butter, cream and spices.

The heirs of men who worked in that first restaurant are now at loggerheads over who gets the inventor tag.

2. Who’s involved in the legal battle?

Moti Mahal told the Delhi High Court that its founder, Kundan Lal Gujral, crafted the dish because he was concerned about unsold chicken turning dry. He came up with the idea of adding chicken to a butter-rich gravy to keep it soft and moist.

Daryaganj claims that it was actually Kundan Lal Jaggi, a chef in Moti Mahal’s kitchen, who created the dish one night to serve a large group of unexpected customers.

Jaggi’s heir is one of the founders of Daryaganj.

3. What are they trying to win – beyond bragging rights?

Moti Mahal is not only seeking a claim to the title of inventor of butter chicken (as well as dal makhani, a dish prepared by slow cooking black lentils in a butter gravy) but also wants the court to bar Daryaganj from suggesting otherwise.

The ruling is bound to benefit the winner of the title given the immense popularity of butter chicken, especially in the city of Delhi, where residents take their food very seriously.

The next hearing is expected in May.

4. Are there more legal battles involving food?

Intellectual property lawsuits involving recipes are unusual but not unheard of.

Ultimately, the court ruled in favour of the grandson of Haji Murad Ali, also known as Tunday, the man who lends his name to the kebab dish.