Debate between India and Pakistan has now shifted from samosas and biryanis to the origins of Chicken Manchurian, which some are claiming is a local form of Chinese food. Recently, a recipe for Chicken Manchurian was posted on Twitter by the New York Times, stating that it is a popular dish in South Asian Chinese restaurants. Pakistani users claim that it was developed in Lahore in the late 90s at a restaurant called ‘Sun Kwang’, but Indian users believe it was created by an Indo-Chinese chef named Nelson Wang in Mumbai. The debate continues, with users from both countries claiming ownership of the dish.
image source, Getty Images
Was samosa making invented in India or Pakistan?
Is biryani native to Hyderabad, India or Karachi, Pakistan?
In the coming days, social media users from India and Pakistan may discuss anything from food to cricket on their pages.
Recently, users from both countries got into an argument on social media by presenting a dish that is a local form of Chinese food.
Have you ever wondered where the food came from when eating Chicken Manchurian?
From the grand restaurants of India to roadside eateries, this dish is not without its name on the menu of many shops. So you might think that this dish must have been prepared for the first time by an Indian chef.
But Pakistani online users claim that the dish originated in Lahore. They refuse to accept that it is Indian food.
Why the debate?
image source, THE NEW YORK TIMES / TWITTER
Recently, the American newspaper ‘New York Times’ posted a recipe for Chicken Manchurian on Twitter and said, “It is a combination of Chinese and Pakistani cuisine. Chicken Manchurian is very popular in Chinese restaurants in South Asia.”
Zainab Shah, a Pakistani writer in an American newspaper, wrote that this version of Chicken Manchurian was developed after several trials at a restaurant called ‘Sun Kwang’ in Lahore, Pakistan, in the late 90s.
But a war of words erupted under the ‘New York Times’ column, refusing to accept that Pakistan originated the dish.
Nowhere in the world can you find Chinese cuisine like Pakistani Chinese food. A user named Zoya Tariq posted that only Chinese people living in Pakistan would agree to this.
image source, ZOIATARIQ
User Nayanika posted that it was created by an Indo-Chinese chef named Nelson Wang. He mentioned that his restaurant is in Mumbai.
image source, NAYANIKAAA
Born in Kolkata’s Chinatown, Nelson Wang has been living in Mumbai since his family moved to Canada, Rupak posted. Another user posted that the New York Times would have come to know this information just by looking it up on Wikipedia.
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A user named Manish accused the ‘New York Times’. “Just because the editor of the magazine is from Pakistan doesn’t mean the food is from Pakistan,” he posted.
“It’s not the New York Times, it’s like the Karachi Times,” Bateman opined under the New York Times post.
image source, OUR_LEVODOPA
The responses of Indians under this post make me laugh. Salman Javid has posted that Pakistan is always in the minds and hearts of Indians.
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A user named Khufran Khalid questioned why Indians feel insecure when it comes to food.
An Indian user responded, “Our food is very important in our lives. We are very proud of our food. It’s more than cricket, more than religion.”
“My mom made this dish,” one posted.
“My friends! Are you all right? Shall we fight for Chikan Manchurian now? Will the Indo-Pakistani war be fought for Manchurian next?” Roma jokingly posted.
Some people bring information from Ashoka’s time to prove it as ours. Suhair had posted that this must be the food that existed on the borders of both the countries.
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The controversy that started with the New York Times article continues as of this writing. But till the end we could not decide whether Chicken Manchurian was developed in India or belongs to Pakistan
Users from both countries point to different data, claiming it as their own.
BBC Tamil on Social Media: