Was chicken tikka masala invented in Glasgow?

• Zonfrillo said in an interview that one of his favorite Indian dishes, Chicken Tikka Masala, was created in Glasgow.
• The current season of MasterChef Australia: Fan vs Favorites is judged by Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong, and Andy Allen.
• Several candidates have demonstrated their culinary skills with Indian delicacies this season.

Shashi Cheliah and Justin Narayan, contestants on MasterChef Australia, wowed the world with Indian dishes including Chicken Jalfrezi and Fish Curry, as well as their cooking skills. However, did you know that Jock Zonfrillo, the judge on the culinary reality show, grew up eating Indian curries in Glasgow, Scotland? Zonfrillo said in an exclusive interview that one of his favorite Indian dishes, Chicken Tikka Masala, was created in Glasgow.

The current season of MasterChef Australia: Fan vs Favorites is judged by Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong, and Andy Allen. Several candidates have demonstrated their culinary skills with Indian delicacies this season. Is Zonfrillo, on the other hand, is a fan of Indian cuisine. He turns out to be no stranger to desi khana.

Read more: Gordon Ramsay suffers setback as BBC considers cancelling SECOND show.

“I am from Glasgow, Scotland. We have a huge Indian population there and I grew up eating in the ‘curry houses’ (restaurants) of Glasgow. For me, it’s nothing unusual or strange. I think part of my job in Masterchef is to make someone who doesn’t understand the finer details of a culture-cuisine like Indian cuisine (understand it). Someone who knows nothing about Indian cuisine might say a curry is a curry, and they wouldn’t differentiate between a Thai Green Curry, an Indonesian curry and an Indian curry. India has 29 states and each state has a different representation. When you discuss it with them, they say ‘Oh, I didn’t know’. It’s not that they did not want to know, but nobody actually took the time to tell them. I love that. That’s one of my greatest passions – talking about differences within our culture-cuisines. There is so much more than just a curry.”

Read more: Lemon and Amaretti trifle wins the official dessert competition for Queen’s jubilee celebration

Chicken Tikka Masala is Jock Zonfrillo’s favorite Indian meal, which he grew up eating in Glasgow. But he also revealed an interesting fact that the dish was originated in Glasgow in the 1970s, not in India.

Talking about his favorite Indian dish, he added, “For me, I grew up eating (Chicken) Tikka Masala. I think it was invented in Glasgow in the early 70s. Obviously, its origins are derived from India, but it’s definitely a favorite as I grew up eating it. Also, Bengali food is really really big in Glasgow. I don’t fully understand the cultural settlement of Indian people in Glasgow, but in terms of cuisines, there was a lot of Kashmiri, Punjabi and Bengali food predominance in Glasgow. So, those are the ones I was drawn to more.”

Read more: Foods That The Queen Prohibits The Royal Family From Eating