The history of vindaloo, loved in Britain: why India has Portuguese explorers to thank for the famous hot curry
- The dish first found its way to Goa in India through Portuguese explorers in the early 15th century, where it was adapted by the local community
- It became popular further afield after British colonisation of India in the 1800s, and in Britain in the 1970s when Indian restaurants became all the rage
The story of the vindaloo curry is as piquant as its taste. While its origins are tied up with global conquest and appropriation by European colonists, the dish itself is a poster child for global integration, with ingredients and culinary cultures from three different continents coming together to create an exhilarating blend of flavours.
The vindaloo is a traditional recipe of the Catholic community of Goa, an Indian state on the country’s southwestern coast. However, its origins lie 5,500 miles (8,850km) to the west, in Portugal, from where an earlier variant of the dish made its way to Goa with Portuguese explorers in the early 15th century.
“Vindaloo is normally regarded as an Indian curry, but in fact is a Goan adaptation of the Portuguese dish ‘carne de vinho e alhos’ … The name vindaloo is simply a garbled mispronunciation of vinho e albos,” says food historian Lizzie Collingham in her book Curry: A tale of Cooks and Conquerors.
“To preserve meat for long durations, the Portuguese developed a unique style of marinating, where the meat was immersed in a stock composed of vinegar, salt, garlic and wine to preserve and enhance its flavour,” explains 41-year-old Jesus Lee, the Goa born chef and owner of Jesus e Goes, a restaurant in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, serving Goan cuisine.
“The vinegar preserved the marinated meat so explorers could live on this for months on end sailing across the oceans, letting the meat cook in the spices and vinegar.”