Chicken tikka masala is Scottish, chef claims

A Scottish family that claims to have invented the curry chicken tikka masala is now urging the European Union to recognises it as a local speciality.Glasgow's Ali family, which owns Shish Mahal restaurant, claims to have invented the mildly spicy, creamy dish in the 1970s to adapt to Scottish tastes.Restaurant founder Ahmed Aslam Ali said he used to make chicken tikka, until one day a customer asked for sauce alongside it because the dish was "a bit dry".And it seems the taste caught on. Chicken tikka masala is now the most popular dish in British restaurants."We thought we'd better cook the chicken with some sauce. So from here we cooked chicken tikka with the sauce that contains yogurt, cream, spices," Mr Ali said."It's a dish prepared according to our customer's taste, usually they don't take hot curry, that's why we cook it with yogurt and cream."Now Glasgow MP Mohammad Sarwar has taken steps to gain EU legal protection for the curry, that recognises it as a local speciality.He tabled a motion in the House of Commons calling for EU protection. If the European Union gives it ``Protected Designation of Origin'' status, it will sit alongside the likes of Champagne, Parma Ham and Greek Feta cheese. "Tikka masala is perhaps one of the earliest examples of the modern fashion for fusion cuisine," Mr Sarwar said."I am very hopeful that the EU will give chicken tikka masala the official stamp of Glasgow origin."