Maraming salamat, Google! (That's Tagalog for thank you.)
Hannah LeyvaFlorida Times-Union
For many of the millions of Filipino Americans, the dish depicted in Wednesday, March 15's Google Doodle is the epitome of comfort food — Filipino adobo.
The juicy chicken or pork cooked in a blend of vinegar and soy sauce served over rice is a staple in homes across the many islands of the Philippines and throughout the global diaspora. In recent years it has gotten a little more mainstream attention, with celebrities like comedian Jo Koy giving his spin on the classic flavors and music artists H.E.R. and Saweetie opening up about Filipino food in general.
In the state of Florida, Filipino food is also growing in popularity. The Jacksonville area, which is home to the largest population of both immigrant and U.S. born Filipinos, has several restaurants highlighting and celebrating the underrepresented cuisine.
But what exactly is Filipino adobo? Though there's not one unified recipe on the dish, here are some things to know.
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What is Filipino adobo?
Filipino adobo is a dish where something is braised in five basic ingredients — vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves and whole peppercorns. While chicken or pork (or a mix of the two) are the most common proteins used in adobo, vegetables like okra or beans can also be used to make a non-meat version.
While those five ingredients constitute the "typical" version of the dish, there are many varieties found among the different regions and ethnic groups that make up the 7,000+ islands of the Philippines. For example, coconuts and chili are big agricultural products in the Bicol region, and Bicolanos often put coconut and a little bit of spice in their local take on adobo.
Other regions add more vinegar for a lighter dish, while others more soy sauce for a darker one. Some prefer to make it sweeter and add some cane or brown sugar, another big product of the Philippines. Still others add things such as ginger or potatoes or other vegetables in addition to the meat.
Other preferences also include making them with more or less "sabaw" or sauce, referring to the amount of braising liquid. Adobo is always eaten with rice, and the sauce is often spooned over the rice for extra flavor.
What does Filipino adobo taste like?
With the mix of vinegar, soy sauce and garlic, Filipino adobo is a savory dish that is a little tangy, a little sweet and a little salty. The blend and balance of sour and sweet in one dish is a hallmark of Filipino cuisine overall.
Each household and each cook has their own preferred ratios of vinegar to soy sauce, so the amounts of sour and sweet in any given adobo can be different. But balance can always be reached by adding a little more of the other ingredients.
Why did Google choose to honor Filipino adobo today?
Google's Doodle is in honor of the beloved dish making its way into the Oxford English Dictionary on March 15, 2007.
The illustration was made by Anthony Irwin, a designer on Google's Doodle team. On his Instagram page, Irwin wrote of the experience.
"For children of immigrants, our relationship with our parents' food is a complex one ... Growing up in the U.S., I didn't want my food to be special. I didn't want to feel different. I just wanted to be like everyone else."Now as an adult, I get to find all of these opportunities to be proud in ways childhood didn't let me feel proud. I can claim Filipino food as a part of my culture and celebrate the connection it creates between my mother's identity and my own."
Is adobo a Filipino or Spanish dish?
The term "adobo" is derived from the Spanish word "adobar," meaning marinade, sauce, or seasoning. While colonizers from Spain gave the name to the dish, native Filipinos were already using the method of cooking food in vinegar before Ferdinand Magellan and other Europeans arrived in the islands.
Is Filipino adobo the same as Mexican adobo?
Though both the Philippines and Mexico were colonized by Spain for hundreds of years and exchanged food and other things through the Manila Galleons, the term is used differently in each country
Instead of a vinegar-braised dish, Mexican adobo refers to a sauce or marinade with a lot of chilies such as chipotles.
In Puerto Rico, another former colony of Spain, adobo is seasoning put on meats or seafood prior to cooking. There's both a dry rub that contains ingredients like garlic powder, onion powder and other dried herbs and spices, and a wet rub made of seasonings mixed with citrus or vinegar (or both).
Where can I find Filipino food in Florida?
According to Yelp, there are nearly 30 places serving Filipino food in the city with the largest Filipino population in the state. The Jaxson's list of the 10 best Filipino eateries in the area include everything from beloved fast food chain Jollibee (which is more popular than McDonald's in the Philippines) to food trucks to restaurants to places offering home cooked meals to go.
Central Florida is also home to a large population of Filipinos. Yelp's list for the Orlando area has everything from Filipino dessert places to Asian grocery stores selling prepared food.
