In Britain, vindaloo is the most notorious of all curries, more rite of passage than culinary dish. Late on a Friday or Saturday night, young British men exit the pubs and pile into the Indian restaurants. With alcohol-fueled bravado, they invariably ask for the hottest thing on the menu: A vindaloo.

But what they are served is not remotely authentic. A restaurant vindaloo tends to be the repository for all the leftover chili powder in the kitchen. The taste of the meat — chicken, beef or lamb — is obliterated by the fearsome heat. Pain and copious amounts of sweat invariably ensue.

The real vindaloo is a more subtle, more interesting dish, usually featuring pork. The Goan original is a fusion of Portuguese and Indian cooking. The name itself is an amalgam of two Portuguese words meaning “wine” or “vinegar” and “garlic.” Vinegar is the key ingredient, lending a flavor that is quite distinct from other Indian curries.

Although a Goan vindaloo will often be hot, the chilies never mask the other flavors. Like Goa itself, it is a blend of ingredients.