World Food Day: A journey into the origins of Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken is one of the most loved delicacies in India. It is the go-to dish for chicken lovers out there. Butter chicken originates from Delhi, India. Just like any genius recipe, this was also the product of an experiment gone right and since its creation. Butter chicken is also called as Murgh Makhani in Hindi. Read more to know about the surprising origin story of this mouth-watering delicacy. There may be several variants of chicken dishes in the Mughlai cuisine, but the silky texture of the gravy, the succulent pieces of chicken, the sweetness of the tomatoes and the crunch of the side of onions along with a tandoori naan is an irreplaceable feeling that only Butter Chicken offers.

READ | World Food Day: Visit These Indian Cities Famous For Its Food

Origins of Butter Chicken 

READ | World Food Day: Explore What Maharashtrian Cuisine Has To Offer

Butter Chicken originated during the 1950s in Delhi. It has been reported by several food blogging websites that a man named Kundan Lal Gurjal operated a restaurant called Moti Mahal which went on to become the birthplace of Butter Chicken. It is said that the cooks of the restaurant would mix the leftover marinade juices with butter and tomato, and then stew the tandoor-cooked chicken with it. This is how they stumbled upon this amazing dish unknowingly. Butter chicken has many variations across the several states of India. In some versions of the recipe the chicken is cooked with many variations, it can be boiled, stir-fried, and grilled. The basic recipe remains the same. The butter-chicken is either served with roti, pav, and bread. 

READ | World Food Day: What Is Molecular Gastronomy And Why It's Worth Trying

World Food Day 

The World Food Day is celebrated on October 16. The day is celebrated in honour of the establishing of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which was founded in the year 1945. The occasion is celebrated globally and focuses on raising awareness on food-related issues like hunger and poverty. The aim of celebrating this day is to provide healthy and good food to the underprivileged section of the population. World Food Day is also celebrated to spread awareness of eating right to counter the increase in an unhealthy diet among the current youth. 

READ | World Food Day: Here is the theme, date and history of the occasion