In the years following the traumatic 1947 partition of India, two Hindu refugees roasting naan and kebabs at a restaurant in Delhi’s old city struck gastronomic gold. Their apparent innovation – to simmer the tandoori chicken in a creamy tomato gravy to make what is today known as butter chicken – became a staple of Indian menus worldwide.

The question of who exactly dunked the meat into the sauce first has now, almost a lifetime later, become the subject of a Delhi High Court case that has divided India’s culinary scene.