Beef Wellington's history goes back longer than you might think. The luxurious British steak meal has a complicated and uncertain past.

In 1839, Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, hosted a sumptuous supper to commemorate his victory over Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, an annual tradition he’d started in 1820.

The 1st Duke of Wellington was always very particular about the way he turned himself out — as was his nemesis Napoleon, of course.