Yet according to one Glaswegian, Ali Ahmed Aslam, it was created at his restaurant Shish Mahal in the early 1970s — and his claim to have invented the curry as a suitably mild modification to suit British tastes is generally accepted as the most credible.
“We used to make chicken tikka, and one day a customer said, ‘I’d take some sauce with that, this is a bit dry’,” Aslam said. “So we thought we’d better cook the chicken with some sauce.”
He called his sauce masala, a Hindi word meaning a mixture of elements. Somewhat unpromisingly it was based on a tin of condensed tomato soup that he had bought for its blandness and for his own consumption while he recovered from a stomach ulcer. Whether it was the same branded tin painted by Andy Warhol is not recorded, but to it he added yoghurt, cream and a variety of spices, including coriander and turmeric.
The customer, a bus driver of Asian origin, liked it so much that he brought his friends to the restaurant to taste it. Realising that he was on to something, “Mr Ali” (as he was known to his customers) put the dish on the menu and called it chicken tikka masala. He was soon serving it to Asian and British customers alike; the dish became a potent symbol of Britain’s new-found multiculturalism and was, Aslam said, his gift to his adopted city.
Note that this specific tale is the “most credible” among the origin stories. That chicken tikka masala was invented in Britain is true, that it’s – largely – chicken tikka with a can of tomato soup is true. That it caters to a rather British taste – I want some gravy with that – is true and so on. This particular person in this particular restaurant?
To an extent we’re talking about steam engine time here. But even when we are talking about steam engine time there always is the Newcomen, the Watt, who actually do the thing that’s sleeting through the world as inspirons.
All the available evidence tells us that the doner kebab was invented in Berlin – why not Glasgow for the chicken tikka masala?
Having eaten in the homes of numerous people from various parts of the sub-continent, isn’t all “Indian” cuisine somewhat of a British invention? (Although vindaloo’s Portuguese) What I’ve been served & how it’s been served has never born much resemblance to what Brits eat in an “Indian”. Among the first experiences was in a room hidden behind a greengrocers in Ladbroke Grove where you could get a plate of spiced vegetarian fare for half a crown if they knew you. That’d be about ’68 when Indian restaurants virtually didn’t exist. “Indian” cuisine’s like talking about “European” cuisine. Pickled herring with polenta, anyone?
It’s like talking about “Chinese”. My Chinese is a couple of places in Lyle or Gerrard streets 90% patronised by Chinese. (Cantonese? although there’s another one does Sichuan) The food doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to anything you’d get in a high street Chinese restaurant.
Indeed so. I’ve told this story before. Decades back, did a favour for a business contact by picking up a coder from the airport, looking after him for 24 hours. We went for an Indian – he’d been in Germany for months and was homesick for spice. So, I asked, what’s it like compared to back home. Not is it good, but how does it compare. He said that each individual dish was just fine, very like home. But the mixtures of dishes was weird. This is from one area, that another, you’d not get them on the same table. His most important one was that bread is N India, rice South. Youd not have both at the same time – one carbo at a time sorta thing. In your example above, like having potatoes and polenta on the same plate.
the dish became a potent symbol of Britain’s new-found multiculturalism
It’s all worth it for the delicious curries guys.
Anyone going out for an “Albanian”? Thought not…
It’s also the use of sauces, Tim. They’re something come in side bowls you apply to taste. It doesn’t come smothered with them. I can’t imagine anyone from the sub-continent wanting to tackle a chicken phall.
It’s similar to the S & C American fare we eat here. Sure there’s taste in that part of the world for pretty fierce chili. But salsa picante* gets served in a small bowl. Even chili con carne has just a hint (& isn’t entirely entirely red beans). How much is up to the diner. I wouldn’t smother everything with it.
*Since La Boliviana who lived for some years in Mexico eats with us regularly, this needs to be treated with respect & handled with asbestos gloves.
Some 40 years ago I worked for a company which manufactured and licensed cinematic equipment. Anxious to break into the huge Chinese market they arranged for the visit of a trade delegation.
Entertaining these guests in what were assumed to be the finest Chinese restaurants in London was not a success and usually ended with the consumption of noodles, alcoholic beverages and little else.
Just popped by to wish you all a happy Xmas (although our’s is not until January) & a peaceful & prosperous New Year.
And special thanks to Steve for his constant support throughout what have been difficult months. Let’s keep giving it to those Nazis, eh Steve?
Merry Christmas Father Vova, and please don’t forget the RS-28 Sarmat with 10-15 MIRVs I asked for in my letter.
based on a tin of condensed tomato soup
Where are have all the usual suspects gone? That’s blatant cultural appropriation.
All the available evidence tells us that the doner kebab was invented in Berlin
I’ve seen a number of claims that the Currywurst was invented in Berlin just after the war and is based on ingredients scrounged from Yanks and Brits.
Regret to tell you it refused to leave its silo Steve. The blue touch paper was damp. You just can’t get decent maintenance people these days, can you? I might be able to send something over in a Backfire if we can find one that works.
And, of course, the ever-popular “Balti” was invented in Birmingham.
the doner kebab was invented in Berlin
That’s another one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Greek or a Turk eat elephant leg. (Nor would I having seen it being made at a commercial butchers in Edmonton) It’s something they sell to drunks.
It’s also the use of sauces, Tim. They’re something come in side bowls you apply to taste. It doesn’t come smothered with them. I can’t imagine anyone from the sub-continent wanting to tackle a chicken phall
I remember the first time I went to an Italian restaurant that had the option of garlic and olive oil for the pasta instead of one or another of the sauces that drown pasta in most places. It’s that drowning that made me not like tomato-based sauces on pasta growing up and why I use a white sauce today.
“Britain’s new-found multiculturalism and was, Aslam said, his gift to his adopted city.”
I thought the British Empire went back much further than the 1970s and covered 25% of the Globe – isn’t that multicultural?
New? French, Italian and Greek food/restaurants pre-dates ‘Indian’ – or doesn’t that count as ‘multiculturalism’?
Spiced dishes are not ‘new’.
“Kickshaw”: a fancy dish in cookery especially a non-native one. First noticed use 16th Century. Derived from – quelk-chose from English pronunciation of French quelque chose “a something, a little something.”
Exotic spices have been used in English cooking since the Middle Ages including: peppers, ginger, galangal, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, saffron.
Spice Trade, British East India Company. Does nobody know history? I blame the schools.
Entertaining these guests in what were assumed to be the finest Chinese restaurants in London was not a success
Quite simple, to explain. Unlike in China, the meat was probably was already dead when cooked.
When my wife took some new Chinese friends out for “a Chinese” their first comment was how big the portions were and their second was how much better the pork was than at home.
Anyhoo, multicultural tuck. Trinity College Cambridge claims to have introduced Crème brûlée into English cuisine and further claims that it was originally introduced to the college by a student – later a Fellow – from Aberdeenshire.
Like chop suey. Invented in America for American customers, means something close to “random mixture”.
Don’t worry about repeating yourself, Tim – I missed that anecdote first time round. It sounds a pretty close match to the verdict of those literate in Asian decor and architecture on Brighton Pavilion. Happy Christmas.
In Vanity Fair, Amelia’s brother, Joseph returns to England from India, looking forwars to some “proper” food. In order to make him feel at home though, his mother makes him – to his horror, but feigned delight – a pilau for his homecoming dinner.
Vanity Fair is set in and around the Battle of Waterloo.
Beeton reveals that mid Victorian middle classes were aware that you could make a curry by adding “curry powder” and cayenne pepper to a good old British braise, and I suspect this is a more plausible, being more ancient, origin for the “cook in sauce” British curry-house curry than Glaswegian CTM, albeit with stock-based rather than substantially cheaper tomato-based sauces.
I guess meat stocks are basically unknown in India (as were tomatoes and chillis until evil colonialists took them there), and not an option for many of the residents anyway.
I know 1 curry house in the UK that cooks in meat stocks. Sublime.
@ Alan Peakall: A few years ago, I tried to interest some Chinese school students in visiting the Pavilion while on a day trip to Brighton. “But it’s all old, Sir!” they cried! Instead, the went to Pizza Hut for lunch and then went to watch a movie. So much for Brighton!
One thing that encouraged me to stay away for “Indian” restaurants is the length of the menus. There’s simply no chance most of that’s not microwaved up. And knowing the amount of out-cooking that goes on. They were doing it at a house next to one I owned in the East End. They’d set up a roof down the side of the back addition with a couple of stoves under it & were knocking it out all day, every day. Summer, winter flies or not. The smell in the air you could nearly cut into lumps. It used to go out in trays of foil containers to an unmarked non-refrigerated van late in the evenings. Probably sat in there until they delivered it whenever, wherever.
In Sheffield there used to be a proper Chinese restaurant, run by HKers for HKers, hidden down a staircase behind a door between two shops. One of those proper HK restaurants where you watch the kitchen, pick out what you want, hang around for four or five hours.
It closed years ago, and the city is swamped by mainlanders and their furrin muck now.
jgh,
Even the setting sounds authentic!
No one has mentioned where fish and chips was invented and by whom. London by some Greek fishermen from my memory.
Greek? Maybe. The usual thought is that it’s summat to do with Jewish immigrants. Don’t really know why fish fried in batter would stem from such a source but there we are.
I don’t suppose one could attribute it to any particular culture, Tim. It’s a technique to prevent the frying process drying out what’s being fried. It turns up in all sorts of cuisine. If you tried deep frying the sort of low oils whitefish used for fish ‘n chips, you’d end up with something like leather.
Personally I think it’s a horrible thing to do to an innocent unsuspecting fish. But there you go. Tastes vary. I don’t deep fry. Mostly it gets baked in the oven wrapped in cooking paper. Achieves the exactly the same ends but fully preserves the delicate flavour of the fish.
Also see baked in salt & baked in clay. Latter is apparently good for hedgehog. The spines come away with the clay shell leaving something bearing a resemblance to a rat. Served on a stick?
Tim, you should know that one! Britain’s “oldest ally” is commonly attributed. Same origin as the Japanese tenpura.
JGH: “In Sheffield there used to be a proper Chinese restaurant, run by HKers for HKers, hidden down a staircase behind a door between two shops.”
Zing Va!
Nice story.
Nice restaurant, nice man and his sons are nice blokes as well.