Vindaloo simulates four battles of the 2^nd Anglo-Mahratta War in India, in which Major General, The Honorable Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, had field command in the Deccan … plus the important battles of the northern (Hindustan) scene (under General Lake); all of which were part of the ongoing efforts of the British, in the guise of their East India Company, to gobble up an entire continent and civilization. The Mahrattas were tough, albeit unusual, fighters who gave the British something they truly quite didn’t understand.  Vindaloo, of course, is a standard element of Goan cuisine derived from the Portuguese carne de vinha d'alhos (literally "meat in garlic wine marinade"), a feisty and spicy dish found in virtually every Indian restaurant.  It does give ole Welly two Loos.

The Battle of Delhi,  11 September, 1803
The Grand Army of Hindustan of the British East India Company vs The Maratha Confederacy
The Marathas initially occupied a strong position with the Yamuna River in their rear. But, General Gerard Lake, feigning a retreat, drew them from their lines and then turning upon them drove them with the bayonet into the river, inflicting more losses upon them. Finally, the city of Delhi fell three days later. As a result, the control of the city of Delhi passed from the Marathas to the British.

The Battle of Assaye,  23 September, 1803
The Deccan Army of the British East India Company vs The Maratha Confederacy
The Battle of Assaye was a major battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War fought between the Maratha Empire and the British East India Company. It occurred on 23 September 1803 near Assaye in western India where an outnumbered Indian and British force under the command of Major General Arthur Wellesley (who later became the Duke of Wellington) defeated a combined Maratha army of Daulat Scindia and the Raja of Berar. The battle was the Duke of Wellington's first major victory and one he later described as his finest accomplishment on the battlefield.

The Battle of Laswari,  1 November, 1803
The Grand Army of Hindustan of the British East India Company vs The Deccan Invincibles of The Maratha Confederacy
Considered by many Indian historians to be a pivotal battle in the history of India , Laswari featured the well-led, highly tuned, but somewhat exhausted British army against battalions of usually good  Maratha sepoys in disarray from lack of leadership at almost all levels…not to mention a depressingly low level of command capabilities., as evidenced by their serious lack of aggression  when opportunity arose.

The Battle of Argaum,  29 November, 1803
The Armies of the British East India Company vs The Maratha Confederacy
Three of Wellesley's battalions, which had previously fought well, broke and fled under a cannonade by the Marathas near Sirsoli, three miles south of Adgaon, and the situation was for a time very serious for the British. Wellesley, however, succeeded in rallying them, and in the end defeated the Marathas, with the loss of all their guns and baggage.