The butter chicken dispute has captured the attention of Indian television stations as they air segments on the history of the dish.
One of India's best-known foods outside the country is butter chicken, which is both tasty and controversial, with two Indian restaurant groups fighting in court over who invented it.
The Gujral family, owners of a famous restaurant brand in Delhi, Moti Mahal, filed a 2,752-page court case against rival chain Daryaganj, accusing it of falsely claiming to have invented the popular curry dish, dal makhani, and of claiming that it was invented in the 1930s.
The lawsuit, which has become a “hot” topic across India, alleges that founder Kundan Lal Gujral created the dish in Peshawar before moving to Delhi.
The Gujral family is seeking $240,000 in damages, also alleging that Daryaganj has copied the design of Moti Mahal's website and “the look and feel” of its restaurants. Reuters reported.
“You can't take away someone's legacy… The dish was invented when our grandfather was in Pakistan,” said Monish Gujral, general manager of Moti Mahal.
Daryaganj, founded in 2019, maintains that its late family member Kundan Lal Jaggi partnered with Gujral in 1947 to open a restaurant in Delhi and invented the dish, which it claims it has a right to claim.
They have shared a handwritten partnership document from 1949 to support their argument.
The dispute has captured the nation's attention, with Indian television stations airing segments on the dish's history and debating it on social media.
Made with tandoor-cooked chicken pieces tossed in tomato sauce with dollops of cream and butter, the dish was ranked 43rd on a list of the world's “best dishes” by Atlas of flavor based on the rating of almost 400,000 users.
It was the second ranked Indian food after garlic and butter naan bread. The two are usually paired.
The case was first heard in the Delhi High Court last week and the next hearing is scheduled for May.
