Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

Vindaloo a term which appears in the curry section of menus in Indian restaurants worldwide. It belongs to goa and has been described by Madhur Jaffrey (1995) as Goa’s most famous export to the western world. She points out that it is often taken to mean the hottest available curry, but that historically this is not so; and continues thus:

The correct spelling, vindalho, gives away the main seasonings of the original dish which was once a kind of Portuguese pork stew seasoned with garlic (alhos) and wine (vinho) vinegar. There were probably some black peppercorns in it as well, especially at the tables of affluent families. The vinegar acted as a preservative, allowing the stew to be eaten over several days.