By Kiki in Stories —

Adobo: should we be calling it kilaw?

Post-colonial Spain we had 'adobo', while pre-colonial we had 'kilaw'. With every subo you're tasing a subtext of culture - centuries of interpretation, indigenisation of new ingredients and ongoing celebration of vinegar.

First we had kilaw, then we had adobo

What I’ve learnt so far about filipino food is that it's complex - post-colonial Spain we had ‘adobo’, while pre-colonial we had ‘kilaw’. With every subo you’re tasting a subtext of culture - centuries of interpretation, indigenisation of new ingredients and ongoing celebration of vinegar.

So how did we get the name adobo? In 1613 Pedro de San Buenaventura published the first tagalog dictionary Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala where he listed the dish 'abodo de los naturales' for it's similarity to the tangy, acidic flavours of Spanish adobo. Adobo comes from the Spanish word 'Adobar' meaning 'marinate'. While the flavour profiles are different between the two, key to both adobo's is a vinegar base to cure meat which acts as an effective preservation method. Makes sense Pedro. The preservation method for 'kilaw' is the same, however the acid can be substituted for local citrus.

The cultural exchange of adobo has continued since then. Borja Sanchez, a chef and culinary scientist has delved into more than 500 years of history with cookbooks such as Libro de Cocina by Ruperto Nola (1529) and El Arte de la Cozina by Diego Granado (1599). From his research he found recipes on 16th century 'kilaw' using carabao (native water buffalo) and that perhaps the Philippines may have influenced Spanish adobo with ingredients like bay leaves, black pepper and cinnamon found in the region. Throughout the years adobo became more than just a preservation method, it's the development of unique flavour distinct to geographical regions of the Philippines.

The balance of asim and alat

To describe adobo we need to understand that filipino flavours are a combination of tamis (sweet), asim (sour), alat (salty) and in some areas anghang (spicy). Adobo's flavour profile is a careful balance of asim and alat, a stew coming together over a low simmer. It's meaty, unctuous yet has the cut through with vinegar. Every filipino feels connected to it since it's open to interpretation. You can make it your own. Adubong Pula (red adobo) from Batangas uses achuete (annato) water for alat, Southern Luzon's Adobo sa Gata includes coconut milk to its vinegar braise and as the love for adobo in home kitchens continues, we will see it change over time.

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