Philippine adobo
Philippine "adobo" (from Spanish "adobar": "marinade," "sauce" or "seasoning" / ) is a popular Filipino dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine that involves meat, seafood, or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns, which is browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade. It has occasionally been considered the unofficial national dish in the Philippines. History. The cooking method for the Philippine "adobo" is indigenous to the Philippines. The various Pre-colonial peoples of the country often cooked or prepared their food with vinegar and salt to preserve them in the tropical climate. Vinegar , in particular, is one of the most important ingredients in Filipino cuisine, with the main traditional types being coconut vinegar, cane vinegar, nipa palm vinegar, and kaong palm vinegar. These are all of which are linked to traditional alcohol fermentation. There are four main traditional cooking methods using vinegar that are still widely prevalent in the Philippines today: "kiniláw" (raw seafood in vinegar and spices), "paksíw" (a broth of meat with vinegar and spices), "sangkutsá" (pre-cooked braising of meat in vinegar and spices), and finally "adobo" (a stew of vinegar, garlic, salt/soy sauce, and other spices). It is  believed that "paksíw", "sangkutsá", and "adobo" were all derivations of "kiniláw". They are also related to cooking techniques like "sinigáng" and "pinangát na isdâ" that also have a sour broth, albeit using fruits like calamansi, tamarind, unripe mangoes, bilimbi, "santól", and star fruit as souring agents instead of vinegar. When the Spanish Empire colonized the Philippines in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, they encountered the "adobo" cooking process. It was first recorded in the 1613 dictionary "Vocabulario de la lengua tagala" compiled by the Spanish Franciscan missionary Pedro de San Buenaventura. He referred to it as "adobo de  los naturales" (""adobo" of the native [peoples]"). The Spanish also applied the term "adobo" to any native dish that was marinated before consumption. In the 1794 edition of the "Vocabulario", it was applied to "quilauìn" ("kinilaw") a related but different dish which also primarily uses vinegar. In the 1711 Visayan dictionary "Vocabulario de la lengua Bisaya", the term "guinamus" (verb form: "gamus") was used to refer to any kind of marinades ("adobo"), from fish to pork. Other terms for precolonial "adobo"-like dishes among the Visayan peoples are "dayok" and "danglusi". In modern Visayan, "guinamós" and "dayok" refer to separate dishes . Dishes prepared with vinegar, garlic, salt (later soy sauce), and other spices eventually came to be known solely as "adobo", with the original term for the dish now lost to history. Description. While the "adobo" dish and cooking process in Filipino cuisine and the general description of "adobo" in Spanish cuisine share similar characteristics, they refer to different things with different cultural roots. Unlike the Spanish and Latin American "adobo", the main ingredients of Philippine "adobo" are ingredients native to Southeast Asia, namely vinegar (made from palm sap or sugarcane), soy sauce (originally salt), black peppercorns, and bay leaves (traditionally  Cinnamomum tamala and related species; but in modern times, usually "Laurus nobilis"). It does not traditionally use chilis, paprika, oregano, or tomatoes. Its only similarity to Spanish and Latin American "adobo" is the 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, pork or chicken, or a combination of both, is slowly cooked in vinegar, crushed garlic, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and soy sauce. It is served with white rice. It was traditionally cooked in small clay pots ("palayok" or "kulon"); but in modern times, metal pots or woks ("kawali") are used instead. There are numerous variants of the "adobo" recipe in the Philippines. The most basic ingredient of "adobo" is vinegar, which is usually coconut vinegar, rice vinegar, or cane vinegar (although sometimes white wine or cider vinegar can 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 as "adobong puti" ("white "adobo""), which uses salt instead, to contrast it with "adobong itim" ("black adobo"), the more prevalent versions with soy sauce. "Adobong puti" is often regarded as the closest to the original version of the Pre-Hispanic "adobo". It is similar to another dish known as "pinatisan", where patis (fish sauce) is used instead of vinegar. Adobong dilaw ("yellow "adobo""), which uses "kalawag" (turmeric) to provide the yellow colouring as well as  adding in a different flavour, can be found in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. The proportion (or even the presence) 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; like "siling labuyo", bird's eye chili, jalapeño pepper, red bell pepper, olive oil, onions, brown sugar, potatoes, or pineapple. It may also be further browned in the oven, pan-fried, deep-fried, or even grilled to get crisped edges. "Adobo  has been called the quintessential Philippine stew, served with rice both at daily meals and at feasts. It is commonly packed for Filipino mountaineers and 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 of bacteria. Variations. Based on the main ingredients, the most common adobo" types are "adobong manók", in which chicken is used, and "adobong baboy", in which pork is used. "Adobong baka" (beef), along with "adobong manók" (chicken), is more popular among Muslim Filipinos in accordance with halal dietary laws. Other  meat sources may also be used, such as "adobong pugò" (quail), "adobong itik" (duck), "adobong kambíng" (goat). There are also seafood variants which can include fish ("adobong isdâ"), catfish ("adobong hitò"), shrimp ("adobong hipon"), and squid or cuttlefish ("adobong pusít"). The method may also be used for vegetables and fruits, like water spinach ("adobong kangkóng"), bamboo shoots ("adobong labóng"), eggplant ("adobong talóng"), banana flowers ("adobong pusô ng saging"), and okra ("adobong okra"). More exotic versions include "adobong sawâ" (snake), "adobong palakâ" (frog), Kapampangan "adobung kamaru" (mole cricket), and the "adobong atáy at balúnbalunan" (chicken liver and gizzard). There are also  regional variations. In the Bicolandia of south-easternmost Luzon and Zamboanga City in Mindanao, for example, it is common for "adobo" to have coconut milk (known as "adobo sa gatâ"). In Cavite, mashed pork liver is added. In Laguna, turmeric is added, giving the dish a distinct, yellowish color (known as "adobong diláw", "yellow adobo"). In the northernmost province of Batanes, the Ivatan prepare a type of "adobo" called "luñiz", where they preserve pork in jars with salt. In Batangas, adobo is cooked with "achuete" seeds, giving it a reddish color. "Adobo" has also become a favorite of Filipino-based  fusion cuisine, with avant-garde cooks coming up with variants such as "Japanese-style" pork adobo. Other uses. Outside of the dish itself, the flavor of "adobo" has been developed commercially and adapted to other foods. A number of local Philippine snack products such as cornicks, nuts, chips, noodle soups, and corn crackers, market their items as "adobo flavored". In popular culture. In 2021, the Bureau of Philippine Standards of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-BPS) of the Philippines unveiled plans to standardize the most popular Filipino dishes to 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 be "Kulinarya: 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.