Vindaloo or vindalho is an
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
curry
A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included.
There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in tradit ...
dish, which is originally from
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
, based on the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
dish
carne de vinha d'alhos
() is a Portuguese dish categorized according to mode of preparation as an . The name means "meat marinated with garlic and wine".
Originating in Madeira and the Azores islands, it is typically made with cloves, thyme, paprika, red pepper pas ...
.
It is known globally in its
British Indian
British Indians are citizens of the United Kingdom (UK) whose ancestral roots are from India. This includes people born in the UK who are of Indian origin as well as Indians who have migrated to the UK. Today, Indians comprise about 1.4 mil ...
form as a staple of curry house and Indian restaurant menus, and is often regarded as a fiery, spicy dish. The traditional recipe uses pork, but alternative versions have been prepared with beef, mutton, prawns, chicken, lamb, vegetables, and tofu.
History
A standard element of
Goan cuisine
Goan cuisine consists of regional foods popular in Goa, an Indian state located along India's west coast on the shore of the Arabian Sea. Rice, seafood, coconut, vegetables, meat, bread, pork and local spices are some of the main ingredients in ...
derived from the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
''
carne de vinha d'alhos
() is a Portuguese dish categorized according to mode of preparation as an . The name means "meat marinated with garlic and wine".
Originating in Madeira and the Azores islands, it is typically made with cloves, thyme, paprika, red pepper pas ...
'' (literally "meat in garlic marinade"), a vindaloo is a dish of meat (usually pork)
marinated
Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origin of the word alludes to the use of brine (''aqua marina'' or sea water) in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flavor b ...
in vinegar and garlic.
[ The basic structure of the Portuguese dish was the Portuguese sailor's "preserved" raw ingredients, packed in wooden barrels of alternate layers of pork and garlic, and soaked in ]red wine
Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grap ...
. This was adapted by the local Goan cooks with the substitution of palm
Palm most commonly refers to:
* Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand
* Palm plants, of family Arecaceae
**List of Arecaceae genera
* Several other plants known as "palm"
Palm or Palms may also refer to:
Music
* Palm (ba ...
vinegar
Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to et ...
for the red wine, and the addition of spices. It evolved into the localized and easy-to-pronounce dish "vindaloo".
The British Indian
British Indians are citizens of the United Kingdom (UK) whose ancestral roots are from India. This includes people born in the UK who are of Indian origin as well as Indians who have migrated to the UK. Today, Indians comprise about 1.4 mil ...
version of vindaloo calls for the meat to be marinated in vinegar, sugar, fresh ginger and spices, then cooked with more spices.[
]
Traditional Goan preparation and Indian variations
Restaurants in Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
offering traditional Goan cuisine prepare vindalho with pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...
, which is the original recipe. Christians from Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
, Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
prepare using pork or beef, the former being more widely consumed and made. The dish was popularized by Goan cooks (whom the British favoured, because they had no issues in kitchens and bars when handling beef, pork or alcohol) in the British establishments and the ocean-going liners. Restaurants in other parts of India prepare vindalho with other meats (like beef (second most popular), chicken or goat meat
Goat meat or goat's meat is the meat of the domestic goat ''(Capra aegagrus hircus)''. The common name for goat meat is simply "goat", while that from young goats can be called ''capretto'' (It.), ''cabrito'' (Sp. and Por.) or ''kid''. In South ...
or lamb
Lamb or The Lamb may refer to:
* A young sheep
* Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep
Arts and media Film, television, and theatre
* ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut
* ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...
) or even seafood because of local taboos against pork, and these meats are sometimes mixed with cubed potatoes to reduce preparation costs. Even though the word ''aloo'' (आलू) means ''potato'' in Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
, traditional Goan vindalho does ''not'' include any potatoes, as the name is a corruption of a Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
phrase with no Hindi etymology.
Some Indian versions do include potatoes due to the confusion with the Hindi.
Outside India
Vindaloo has gained popularity outside of India, where it is almost universally featured on menus at Indian restaurants. Vindaloo served in restaurants of the United Kingdom differs from the original vindaloo dish; it is simply a spicier version of the standard "medium (spiciness)" restaurant curry with the addition of vinegar, potatoes and chili peppers.
Vindaloo is one of the spiciest dishes available on British Asian menus where it is served, although British Bangladeshi
British Bangladeshis ( bn, বিলাতী বাংলাদেশী, Bilatī Bangladeshī) are people of Bangladeshi origin who have attained citizenship in the United Kingdom, through immigration and historical naturalisation. The term ...
restaurants have innovated the ''tindaloo'', which is a quite different dish that originated in Bangladesh. The British variation originated from British Bangladeshi restaurants in the 1970s. Vindaloo is considered a predecessor to phall
Phall ( bn, ফাল, , jump), also spelt fall, faal, phaal, phal or fal, is a curry which originated in the Bangladeshi-owned curry-houses of Birmingham, England and has also spread to the United States. It is not to be confused with the char-gr ...
.
See also
*List of topics on the Portuguese Empire in the East
Topics related to the erstwhile Portuguese East Indies and that was later reduced into Portuguese Goa and Damaon (officially "'' Estado da India''" or Portuguese India), with the capital at Velha Goa, moved to Panjim in the end.
Articles of His ...
References
External links
Vindaloo
at The Foods of England
{{Indian Dishes
Anglo-Indian cuisine
Goan cuisine
Portuguese fusion cuisine
Indian cuisine in the United Kingdom