Behind Britain’s Love Affair with Chicken Tikka Masala

Words by Maryann Thomas

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Behind Britain’s Love Affair with Chicken Tikka Masala by Maryann Thomas

Back in 2001, when MP Robin Cook hailed chicken tikka masala (or CTM as it’s affectionately known) the national dish, a symbol of modern, multicultural Britain, its effects were felt as far away as Chennai, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India. I was a teenager at the time, and the words were read out to me aloud at the breakfast table by my father, not without a hint of pride.

“Chicken Tikka Massala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences.”

Surely, if a dish originating from India could now find universal appeal among the British, Indian culture must be getting its due recognition, his tone seemed to imply. Besides, it also says something extraordinary about British values and their openness to imbibing new cultures, doesn’t it?