Two Delhi restaurants, Moti Mahal and Daryaganj, are both claiming ownership of the famous curry.
Butter chicken has long been a favorite dish both nationally and globally. Featuring golden, succulent chicken pieces cooked in a vibrant, tangy, and creamy tomato sauce, it is often enjoyed with naan bread or steaming white rice.
Now, this decadent delicacy finds itself at the center of a bitter legal dispute between two restaurants in the Indian capital, New Delhi. The owners of these establishments are currently embroiled in a court battle, arguing over the origins of this beloved curry dish, which has roots predating the partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan. Both restaurants claim to be the original creators of the dish.
The History Of Butter Chicken
The disputed history of butter chicken begins with Kundan Lal Gujral, who initially learned how to cook in a sweets and sherbet shop in Peshawar, now located in Pakistan. In 1947, amidst the tumultuous partition of the subcontinent,
The restaurant attracted a notable clientele, with guests such as India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, first Education Minister Maulana Azad, and former United States President Richard Nixon, along with former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
Gujral later appointed his cousin, Kundan Lal Jaggi, as a partner in the venture. Decades later, this decision would become the source of the butter chicken dispute. Jaggi's descendants opened their own restaurant, Daryaganj, in Delhi in 2019 to honor Jaggi's culinary legacy.
Moti Mahal vs Daryaganj – the feud between the Kundan Lals
A bitter rivalry has emerged between the two restaurants, resulting in a heated legal battle between the two families. Moti Mahal has filed a massive 2,752-page lawsuit against its rival eatery, Daryaganj, alleging that Daryaganj falsely claimed credit for inventing butter chicken. The case had its initial hearing on January 16.
In addition to the dispute over butter chicken, Moti Mahal has also accused Daryaganj of wrongfully attributing the creation of the creamy, slow-cooked black lentil dish, dal makhani, to itself.
Daryaganj had used the slogan "By the inventors of butter chicken and dal makhani," which was reportedly trademarked in 2018, according to local media reports.
But the current owner of Moti Mahal, Manish Gujral, asserts that he has submitted documentary evidence proving that his grandfather, Kundan Lal Gujral, was the true inventor of the dishes.
According to Gujral, his grandfather concocted butter chicken by adding a rich tomato-based gravy to leftover chicken to retain its moisture.
Raghav Jaggi, the grandson of Kundan Lal Jaggi, presents a similar narrative, albeit featuring the other Kundan Lal. Jaggi recounts that his grandfather, left with only a few pieces of tandoori chicken, hastily prepared a gravy to create a heartier meal.
The Daryaganj family argues that the late Jaggi had partnered with Gujral to establish Moti Mahal in 1947, where the dish was invented. Daryaganj contends that this partnership entitles it to claim the creation of the dish.
Moti Mahal is seeking 20 million rupees ($240,000) in damages for copyright infringement and unfair competition. Additionally, the restaurant seeks an injunction barring Daryaganj from asserting that butter chicken and dal makhani were concocted by its predecessors.
Tulasi Srinivas, an anthropology professor at Emerson College in Boston who specializes in South Asian food cultures and gastronomy, suggests that Moti Mahal's legal action is driven by the increasingly entrepreneurial nature of the food production industry.
She discusses the significance of originality in an industry where substantial profits can be garnered through fast-food establishments.
"If you claim to be the original creator of something, it translates into real money. Not all sparkling wines are champagne, right?"
Srinivas, whose mother is a renowned cookbook author and academic, inherited her interest in food. Having grown up in Delhi and occasionally visiting Moti Mahal with her parents, she describes it as a "middle-class luxury restaurant renowned for its smoky tandoori flavors."
Srinivas notes that disputes over food are common, especially concerning inherited culinary knowledge within the same families. "It is frequently the case in restaurant families that there are shared recipes, leading each branch of the family to claim ownership."
Food – Delicious and Divisive
This isn't the first dispute over the invention of a dish within South Asia or elsewhere.
In 2018, the Delhi High Court dealt with a dispute between two kebab shops competing for the brand name "Tunday Kababi". The states of Odisha and West Bengal both lay claim to the iconic rasgulla, a sweet made from curdled milk dipped in sugar syrup.
In 2020, China asserted ownership of kimchi, a fermented cabbage dish central to Korean cuisine, sparking a social media spat between Chinese and South Korean users.
Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria all stake a claim to jollof rice, a West African staple made with long-grain rice cooked with tomatoes, onions, and spices.
What Comes Next?
The owners of Daryaganj are reviewing the petition before filing their response. The next court hearing is scheduled for May 29. In India, legal proceedings can take months or even years to resolve, leaving the case to simmer until then.
Srinivas notes that the outcome of the court proceedings is uncertain and hinges on the lawyers employed and the strength of the evidence presented. While Moti Mahal claims to have documentary evidence, the potency of this proof remains unclear.
However, she looks ahead and predicts, "As Indian restaurants expand globally, we can expect more disputes over family recipes." Questions of recipe ownership and food production methods will become more prevalent.
Srinivas emphasizes that this issue is compounded by the rise of social media influencers who share family recipes in short videos on platforms like TikTok. "If content spreads rapidly and widely on these platforms, it can become diluted," she says, adding that in the future, companies may seek legal protection to establish ownership over culinary creations.
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