Adobo is Mexican?
The origin of adobo has produced much debate among casual eaters who wonder how the so-called Filipino national dish can have a distinctly Spanish name and in its most popular preparation use the very Chinese ingredient that is soy sauce.
Fake-news purveyor CNN recently weighed in and casually declared that adobo is of Mexican origin. (Likely attributable to a poor comprehension of Doreen Fernandez’s mention of the link in her famous essay on Filipino food.)
Among Philippine-born Filipinos though, the consensus is clear: Filipino adobo is Philippine in origin.
Before foreigners even arrived in the Philippines, our ancestors would often cook adobo because there was no refrigeration at the time. Meat was cooked in vinegar and salt, along with other spices to prevent spoilage. When the Chinese arrived, Filipinos learned to replace the salt with soy sauce, which was made from beans that the visitors brought with them. The name “adobo” comes from the Spanish “adobar,” which means to marinade before cooking.
An adobo in Spanish is a marinade or seasoning mix. Meat that has been seasoned with adobo mix is described as being adobada.
The Filipino adobo is a preparation that involves meat (pork, chicken, etc.) or vegetables (kangkong), or another main ingredient stewed in vinegar and soy sauce. There is a rare version of adobo that does omit the soy sauce. Other iconic ingredients in the classic Filipino adobo are garlic, pepper and bay leaf.
I’m not surprised if Pilipino “Adobo” has a Mexican origin. In fact many of Philippine food names come from México such as “Camote” (“Kamote” in the Philippines), “Champurrado” (“Champo(u)rado” in the Philippines). Some other Mexican Spanish words had been adopted by the Pilipino people such as “palenque” (“palengke” in the Philippines).
It may have a Spanish name in origin but it’s uniquely Filipino. It’s only the name that is “fusion”.
Great pictures and easy directions to follow. However I see a problem not only in this website but all over. Comments on the origins of Adobo. Nowadays most say it originated in Philippines and that is inaccurate. This specific way of doing a Pork Adobo might likely be original from Philippines but there are many other recipes of Pork Adobo that existed before or independently from the Philippino recipe. It has been pointed out that the Spanish explores in the 1600s described a Native Adobo. True, but they would not have described it as such if they were not used… Read more »