That answer is contingent on your location (Puerto Rico? Mexico?). What about the Philippines? What do you talk about (at your kitchen table?) and who do you talk to?
People adore adobo all around the world. Adobo is important and versatile in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Philippines. But what precisely is adobo? The answer varies depending on your location and who you're speaking with.
Adobo is a term derived from the Spanish word adobar, which means "to marinade." It refers to the numerous places that were previously part of the Spanish Empire. However, despite the Spanish influence, adobo is an example of how distinct cultures survived and evolved. The phrase adobo refers to a shared history of Spanish occupation, but when you compare adobo from Mexico to adobo from the Philippines, you can see how the two cultures differ.
What is Spanish adobo?
We might start with Spain, where the verb adobar creates the noun adobo, which means dressing or marinade. (The word's etymology says it has even ancient roots: The Spanish adobar is derived from the Old French adober, which originally meant to outfit a knight in armor but later came to mean food.)
Pimentón, oregano, salt, garlic, and black pepper are commonly used in these vinegar-and-olive-oil marinades. They were developed in the years before refrigeration to aid with the preservation of proteins, which was especially important in humid coastal areas where meat rotted quickly. Cádiz, for example, is known for cazon en adobo, a dish in which hefty chunks of dogfish are marinated in vinegar and spices for a long time.
What is Puerto Rican adobo?
Puerto Rico's colonization began in the early 1500s, bringing with it many of the same Spanish influences. In Puerto Rico, adobo historically refers to a wet marinade made with garlic, some form of acid (vinegar or citrus), oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil, much like it does in Mexico.
According to Abdy Mercado, CEO of encanto Foods, LLC, the proportion of components varies on the type of meat used. According to Mercado, a dense protein such as pork shoulder can withstand an adobo with more garlic and a stronger acid like vinegar or naranja agria (bitter orange), whereas a delicate fish demands a sauce with less garlic, less salt, and citrus instead of vinegar.
Adobo not only preserves meat, but it also adds flavor to the rougher cuts of meat that were originally typical on the historically under-resourced island. "I would argue that for most Puerto Ricans, we would never prepare any form of protein without applying some kind of adobo," he explains.
Another type of adobo that many people in the Puerto Rican diaspora adore is the dry seasoning that comes in a glass mason jar and was introduced by encanto Foods, LLC. in 2022. This seasoning blend of salt, granulated garlic, oregano, black pepper, and turmeric can be used in a variety of dishes, from sauces and stews to popcorn. "It's just a super tasty flavor punch," Mercado says, explaining. However, he points out that the components of the wet spice paste and the dry spice paste are similar—basically, different approaches to the same goal.
If you can dream it, you can adobo it:
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