Philippine adobo

Philippineadobo(fromSpanish:adobar: "marinade", "sauce" or "seasoning" /English:/əˈdoʊboʊ/Tagalog pronunciation:[ɐdobo]) is a popular Filipino dish and cooking process inPhilippine cuisine. In its base form, meat,seafood, or vegetables are firstbrownedinoil, and then marinated and simmered in vinegar, salt and/orsoy sauce, and garlic. It is often considered the unofficialnational dishin the Philippines.
The cooking method for the Philippineadobois indigenous to the Philippines. The variousprecolonialpeoples of the Philippine archipelago often cooked or prepared their food with vinegar and salt in various techniques topreservethem in thetropical climate. Vinegar, in particular, is one of the most important ingredients in Filipino cuisine, with the main traditional types beingcoconut,cane,nipa palm, andkaong palm. These are all linked to traditionalalcoholfermentation.
There are four main traditional cooking methods using vinegar in the Philippines:kiniláw(raw seafood in vinegar and spices),paksíw(a broth of meat with vinegar and spices),sangkutsá(pre-cookedbraisingof meat in vinegar and spices), and finallyadobo(a stew of vinegar, garlic, salt/soy sauce, and other spices).It is believed that paksíw, sangkutsá, and adobo are all derivations ofkiniláw. They are also related to cooking techniques likesinigángandpinangát na isdâthat also have a sour broth, albeit using fruits likecalamansi,tamarind, unripemangoes,bilimbi,santól, andstar fruitas souring agents instead of vinegar.
When theSpanish Empirecolonized the Philippines in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, they encountered the adobo cooking process. It was first recorded in the 1613 dictionaryVocabulario de la lengua tagalacompiled by the SpanishFranciscanmissionary,Pedro de San Buenaventura. He referred to it asadobo de los naturales("adoboof the native [peoples]").
The Spanish also applied the termadoboto any native dish that was marinated before consumption. However, the concept of cooking adobo already existed long before the arrival of the Spanish in 1521.
In the 1794 edition of theVocabulario, it was applied toquilauìn(kinilaw) a related but different dish which also primarily uses vinegar.In the 1711VisayandictionaryVocabulario de la lengua Bisaya, the termguinamus(verb form:gamus) was used to refer to any kind of marinades (adobo), from fish to pork. Other terms for precolonialadobo-like dishes among theVisayan peoplesaredayokanddanglusi. In modern Visayan,guinamósanddayokrefer to separate dishes.Dishes prepared with vinegar, garlic, salt (later soy sauce), and other spices eventually came to be known solely asadobo, with the original term for the dish now lost to history.
While theadobodish and cooking process in Filipino cuisine and the general description ofadoboinSpanish cuisineshare similar characteristics, they refer to different things with different cultural roots.Unlike the Spanish and Latin Americanadobo, the main ingredients of Philippine adobo are ingredients native toSoutheast Asia, which include vinegar (made frompalm saporsugarcane),soy sauce(typically substituting salt),black peppercorns, andbay leaves(traditionallyCinnamomumspp. leaves; but in modern times, usuallyLaurus nobilis). Unlike Spanish and Latin American adobo, Philippine adobo does not traditionally usechilis,paprika,oregano, ortomatoes. Instead, they only share similarities in their primary use of vinegar and garlic. Philippine adobo has a characteristically salty and sour, and often sweet taste, in contrast to Spanish and Mexican adobos, which are spicier or infused with oregano.
While the Philippine adobo can be considered adobo in the Spanish sense—a marinated dish—the Philippine usage is much more specific to a cooking process (rather than a specific recipe) and is not restricted to meat.Typically,porkorchicken, or a combination of both, is slowly cooked invinegar, crushedgarlic,bay leaves,black peppercorns, andsoy sauce. It is served with whiterice.It was traditionally cooked in small clay pots (palayokorkulon); but today, metal pots orwoks(kawali) are largely used instead.
There are numerous variants of the adobo recipes in the Philippines.The most basic ingredient of adobo is vinegar, which is usuallycoconut vinegar,rice vinegar, or cane vinegar (although sometimeswhite wineorcider vinegarcan also be used). Almost every ingredient can be changed according to personal preference. Even people in the same household can cook adobo in significantly different ways.
A rarer version without soy sauce is known asadobong puti("white adobo"), which uses salt instead, to contrast it withadobong itim("black adobo"), the more prevalent versions with soy sauce.Adobong puti is often regarded as the closest to the original version of the prehispanic adobo.It is similar to another dish known aspinatisan, wherepatis(fish sauce) is used instead of vinegar.
Adobong dilaw("yellow adobo"), which useskalawag(turmeric) to provide the yellow colouring as well as adding in a different flavour, can be found inBatangas, theVisayas, andMindanaoregions.
The proportion of ingredients like soy sauce, bay leaves, garlic, or black pepper can vary. The amount and thickness of the sauce also varies as some like their adobo dry while some like it saucy. Other ingredients can sometimes be used; likesiling labuyo,bird's eye chili,jalapeño pepper,red bell pepper,olive oil,onions,brown sugar,potatoes,pineapple, or lemon-lime sodas likeSprite. It may also be further browned in the oven, pan-fried, deep-fried, or even grilled to get crisped edges.
Adobohas been called the quintessential Philippine stew, served with rice both at daily meals and at feasts.It is commonly packed for Filipinomountaineersand travelers because it keeps well without refrigeration. Its relatively long shelf-life is due to one of its primary ingredients,vinegar, which inhibits the growth ofbacteria.
Based on the main ingredients, the most commonadobotypes areadobong manók, in which chicken is used, andadobong baboy, in which pork is used.Adobong baka(beef), along withadobong manók(chicken), is more popular amongMuslim Filipinosin accordance withhalaldietary laws.Other meats may also be used, such aspugò(quail),itik(duck), andkambíng(goat).Seafood variants include fish (isdâ),catfish(hitò),shrimp(hipon), andsquidorcuttlefish(pusít). Vegan options utilizevegetablesandfruits,likewater spinach(kangkóng),bamboo shoots(labóng),eggplant(talóng),banana flowers(pusô ng saging), andokra(okra).
Offalandgibletscan also be cooked asadobo, likeliver,gizzard,heart, andneck.
More exotic versions includeadobong sawâ(snake),adobong palakâ(frog),Kapampanganadobung kamaru(mole cricket),and theadobong atáy at balúnbalunan(chicken liverandgizzard).
There are also regional variations. InBicol,Quezon, and south inZamboanga City, it is common foradoboto havecoconut milk(known asadobosa gatâ). InCavite, mashedpork liveris added. InBatangasandLaguna,turmericis added, giving the dish a distinct, yellowish color (known asadobong diláw, "yellow adobo"), as well as a red variant usingachueteseeds in the former.In the northernmost province ofBatanes, theIvatanprepare a type ofadobocalledluñiz, where they preserve pork in jars with salt.
Adobohas also become a favorite of Filipino-basedfusion cuisine, with avant-garde cooks coming up with variants such as "Japanese-style" pork adobo.Porkadobowith rice is a combination ofjasmine ricewithpandan leafand served with magnoatchara.
Outside of the dish itself, the flavor ofadobohas been developed commercially and adapted to other foods.  A number of local Philippine snack products such ascornicks,nuts, chips, noodle soups, and corn crackers, market their items as "adobo flavored".
In 2021, the Bureau of Philippine Standards of theDepartment of Trade and Industry(DTI-BPS) of the Philippines unveiled plans to standardize the most popularFilipino dishesto make it easier to promote them internationally as well as keep their cultural identity. Philippine adobo will be the first of such dishes to be standardized. The definition will be set by a technical committee headed by Glenda Rosales Barreto, and includes representatives from the academia, government departments, the food industry, chefs, and food writers. The main reference will beKulinarya: A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine(2008), authored by Barreto and the committee vice-chairperson Myrna Segismundo, both notable chefs of Filipino cuisine in their own right.The announcement has received some criticism from the public, but the DTI-BPS clarified that it's not mandatory and will only aim to define a basic traditional recipe that can serve as a benchmark for determining the authenticity of Filipino dishes in the international setting.
On March 15, 2023,Google Doodlesreleased a Philippine Adobo doodle.