The first food you might serve a friend visiting the Philippines for the first time is adobo—a savoury, slow-cooked dish made with meat, typically chicken or pork, simmered in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns.
The word “adobo” is derived from the Spanish word adobar, which translates to “to marinate” in English. Studies reveal that the existence of this side dish predates Spanish colonisation in the country.
Long before Magellan’s arrival in 1521, native Filipinos were already preserving and flavouring meat using vinegar and salt—an Indigenous method that was practical for storage in a tropical climate. This technique, often applied to seafood, meat or vegetables, formed the basis of what would later be recognised as adobo.
When the Spaniards learnt this native method of food preservation, they likened it to their vinegar-based marinades and began referring to the local dish as adobo. Yet, food historians like Raymond Sokolov argue that this was more a case of “linguistic appropriation” than culinary influence.
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