Who invented butter chicken? A court is expected to decide.
CBSN
New Delhi — Indian food lovers have made butter chicken a staple item on virtually every menu featuring the Asian nation's cuisine around the globe. But who invented it? Two Indian restaurant chains are locked in a legal battle to settle the dispute over which of them actually created the hugely popular dish, along with another traditional delicacy, dal makhani.
Owners of Moti Mahal, a famed Delhi restaurant chain, filed a lawsuit at the Delhi High Court against rival brand Daryaganj, accusing it of falsely claiming to have invented the two popular dishes. Moti Mahal claims its founder, Kundan Lal Gujral, invented butter chicken in the 1930s when the restaurant first opened in Peshawar (which is now in Pakistan) before it moved to Delhi.
Daryaganj, which was established in 2019, claims the late Kundan Lal Jaggi, a member of its founding family, had partnered with Moti Mahal's Gujral to open the Delhi restaurant in 1947, where he invented both dishes.
