There is actually no law or
official proclamation about it (failed bills notwithstanding), but ask a
Christian Filipino what they believe the national dish is, and there is a good
chance they would say adobo. This savory food, consisting of meat marinated in
vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and pepper, has become a Filipino cultural superstar
that even foreigners are aware of it. Though usually taken for granted, people’s
attention to adobo intensified this past weekend following a proposal by a
committee under the Department of Trade and Industry to propose a standardized
recipe for adobo for promotional purposes. After some locals voiced outcry, the
DTI is seeking to explain itself.
Inquirer.net reports that the Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI) has found itself under fire from Filipino foodies for what they perceived
was a mandatory standardization of the recipe for adobo and other signature
Filipino cuisine being undertaken by a technical committee under their
direction. A statement released by the DTI on Sunday, July 11, stressed that
any motion of standardizing the adobo recipe was merely for international
promotion of the dish, and would not have the mandatory force of law especially
in the country.
A public briefing by DTI Secretary
Mon Lopez clarified that the recipe standardization for viands like adobo merely
serves to preserve the Filipino characteristics of the dishes from similarities
with foods prepared in other countries. Adobo’s marinating process comes from
the Spanish, after all; as is the word origin (“adobar”). This also serves to make adobo distinct from other similar
recipes such as humba or paksiw, which usually has some overlap
of ingredients and spices being used. “This will not be mandatory,” says
Secretary Lopez. “We’re doing this because we want to have a basic traditional
recipe we can promote abroad, the so-called Philippine adobo.”
Work on standardizing Filipino
recipes was begun back in May by the DTI technical working group. Its members
comprise of chefs and local culinary specialists, including Via Mare
Restaurants and Catering founder Glenda Barreto, and representatives from the
Food Writers Association of the Philippines and Hotel, Restaurant Association
of the Philippines, UP Diliman-College of Home Economics, National Commission
for Culture and the Arts, and even the Philippine
Daily Inquirer itself.
Much of the recent vitriol
regarding the fuss over standardizing Filipino cuisine like adobo comes from
complaints that government officials and private sector reps are discussing how
food recipes should be made uniform, when the Philippines is still struggling
with more dire issues like natural disasters and the COVID pandemic.
Image courtesy of Rappler
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