Two Restaurants In India Are Fighting Over Who Invented Butter Chicken And Now It’s Gone To Delhi’s High Court
The roots of this dispute can be traced back to pre-independence India, when the country was still under British rule.
![Two Restaurants In India Are Fighting Over Who Invented Butter Chicken And Now It’s Gone To Delhi’s High Court](/content/images/size/w1200/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/butter-chicken-origin-moti-mahal-daryaganj-delhi-lawsuit.jpg)
Two restaurants in India are fighting over who invented butter chicken and now it’s gone all the way to Delhi’s high court.
First, let’s introduce the characters — Moti Mahal and Daryaganj, two iconic restaurants in India’s capital, Delhi.
![butter chicken debate](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/butter-chicken-debate.jpg)
The dispute erupted after Moti Mahal sued Daryaganj, saying it had not only falsely claimed it had invented butter chicken but dal makhani – a buttery lentil dish – too.
![Dal Makhani](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/dal-makhani.jpg)
The roots of this story can be traced back to pre-independence India, when the country was still under British rule.
![Indian butter chicken](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/indian-butter-chicken.jpg)
When India and Pakistan became independent countries in 1947, two men, Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi, migrated from Pakistan’s Peshawar to India’s Delhi.
![moti mahal indian restaurant Kundan Lal Gujral Kundan Lal Jaggi](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/moti-mahal-indian-restaurant-kundan-lal-gujral-kundan-lal-jaggi.jpg)
There, they established a restaurant named Moti Mahal.
![Old Moti Mahal Delhi](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/old-moti-mahal-delhi-2.jpg)
Over time, Moti Mahal became famous for introducing people to different tandoori cuisines, and in 1990s, Gujral and Jaggi sold the restaurant as a franchise.
![](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/moti-mahal-restaurant-india-delhi-butter-chicken.png)
Then, in 2019, Jaggi’s grandson opened Daryaganj to honor his grandfather’s legacy.
![Daryaganj delhi](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/daryaganj-delhi.jpg)
Moti Mahal says Gujral had invented butter chicken when he created a gravy with chopped tomatoes, cream, butter, spices and sugar so he could add it to leftover tandoori chicken every night.
![moti mahal vs daryaganj](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/moti-mahal-vs-daryaganj.jpg)
On the other hand, Daryaganj says Jaggi had come up with the dish to feed a large group of refugees late one night when the kitchen was nearly out of stock except for some bits of tandoori chicken.
![Indian curry butter chicken](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/indian-curry-butter-chicken.jpg)
Moti Mahal, however, argues that the gravy for butter chicken can’t just be made on the spot.
![who invented butter chicken](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/who-invented-butter-chicken.jpg)
It has sued Daryaganj for 20 million rupees or about 240,000 US dollars for unfair competition and infringing on its copyright.
![Indian butter chicken gravy](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/indian-butter-chicken-gravy.jpg)
The Delhi top court began its first hearing in January but has yet to pass judgement.