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Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo is one of the most popular dishes in the Philippines. It is one of the most well-known foods in the Philippines, being well known for it's salty and sour, and often sweet taste. It is a famous Filipino favorite. Different kinds of meats can be cooked as Adobo, in this case chicken.

What is Adobo?

More than a recipe, adobo is a cooking technique. To “adobo” something means to cook it in vinegar and aromatics. Perhaps the most classic and popular interpretation of adobo is to soak pork or chicken in a brine of vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaves and braise it in the same marinade. It is often served with rice, as it pairs with the delicious, sharp-flavored sauce.

Origin of Adobo

When the Spanish Empire arrived, they saw how the Filipinos used vinegar to marinate their chicken, pork, and fish. The Spanish word 'adobar' refers to a marinade or pickling sauce. In the writings of Pedro de San Buenaventura, he labeled the Filipino version "adobo de los naturales", meaning adobo of the natives.

History of Adobo

The way of cooking Adobo is native to the Philippines. Over the years, the indigenous Filipinos have discovered many different, various ways to preserve food. In the late 1600s to 1700s, when the Spanish Empire has colonized the Philippines, they encountered the process the cooking technique of "Adobo". It was first recorded in the 1613 dictionary, "Vocabulario De La Lengua Tagala", meaning Tagalog Language Vocabulary, compiled by the Spanish Franciscan missionary, Pedro de San Buenaventura. He referred to it as "adobo de los naturales", or in engish "Adobo of the native people". The Spanish applied the term 'Adobo" to any native dish that was marinated before it was consumed. Although, the concept of the adobo cooking process has already existed even before the Spanish arrived in 1521.

Characteristics of Adobo

Although there are basic ingredients for Adobo, you may notice that some recipes include other different ingredients and spices. The most essential ingredients are vinegar and soy sauce, but over the many many years Adobo has been in the Philippines, different components have been added depending on the preference of the one making the Adobo or the recipe. Some include sweet things like sugar or honey, to add a touch of sweetness to the Adobo. The flavor of Adobo can be changed and varied depending on the vinegar used. In the Philippines, the most common are coconut vinegar, rice vinegar, and cane vinegar.

Some of the most basic recipes for Adobo are seasoned with garlic, bay leaf, and black pepper, sometimes even ginger, onions, and other vegetables. Although, it's not only the sauce or the seasonings that can vary from Adobo. All the numerous kinds of meats can be cooked and be part of Adobo. It can be cooked with pork, beef, fish, chicken, and all other kinds of meat.

There are hundreds of different varieties of Adobo. Hundreds that people not only in Philippines but people around the world enjoy daily.

Most Common Types of Adobo

Even though the adobo marinade can be different, from region to region—and cook to cook, some adobo dishes are made more often than others. Like chicken, pork, and beef. It is your preference on how you want to cook these, as you can follow different recipes online or in a cookbook.