Vindaloo
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- For the song by Fat Les, see Vindaloo (song)
Vindaloo also called Vindalho is a popular Indian dish. It was first brought to Goa by the Portuguese and soon became a pleasing Goan meal often served during very special occasions. Historically this was a pork dish cooked with plenty of wine vinegar and garlic, known in Portuguese as Vinha d'Alho (from "vinha" wine vinegar and "alho" garlic), but it soon received the Goan treatment of adding plentiful amounts of spice and chili. Restaurants often serve this dish with chicken or lamb sometimes mixed with potatoes. Traditional vindaloos do not include potatoes, the discrepancy arising because the word "aloo" means "potato" in Hindi.
Authentic Goan Vindaloo. Goans scoff at the usage of any other main ingredient besides pork in Vindaloo. The authentic taste of vindaloo comes from a unique blend of the fat in the pork, the garlic, vinegar, and the chilli (specifically the Kashmiri chilli, which is very flavorful yet not too pungent). In addition, traditional Vindaloo is not a curry but more of a dry sauce based dish, that tastes better as it ages. Chicken Vindaloo and Cauliflower Vindaloo would make most Goans reel with shock.
The dish has gained popularity in Britain, and has become a common fixture at Indian restaurants and curry houses. In colloquial English it is often referred to as a "Vindy" and is well known for its heat, being one of the hotter curries available. The popularity of the dish even inspired an English football song for the 1998 World Cup.
