Google honors the Philippines' adobo

Today's Google Doodle is of the Philippines' national dish: adobo.

Why today, March 15, of all days? "The word ‘adobo’ was first added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in December 2006, and was included on the word list of the next OED quarterly update, released on this day in 2007," Google explains.

Mind you, we're not talking about the adobo of Spain, Portugal, Mexico or Puerto Rico. The adobo of the Philippines is nothing alike the adobo of the aforementioned countries except for the liberal use of vinegar.

Contrary to popular belief, adobo is not a relic of the 300-year era when Spain ruled over its Asian colony. I don't know who or why the Spanish word "adobo" was applied to this indigenous dish, but the name stuck over the centuries.

With scores of variations, it seems that every Filipino family has its own recipe for the iconic dish, but they all share the common ingredients of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and black pepper.

Google writes: "Several areas within the Philippines give their adobo a regional twist. Locals in Visayas enjoy adobong puti (white adobo), considered by some to be the original indigenous style, which exclusively uses vinegar without any soy sauce. In places like Southern Luzon, where coconut milk is a food staple, creamier adobo recipes like adobong manok sa gata (chicken adobo with coconut milk) are extremely popular. Others substitute meat with seafood like squid, or locally available vegetables like kangkong (water spinach) or sitaw (string beans)."

PORK ADOBO

"For children of immigrants, our relationship with our parents' food is a complex one," says Doodle artist Anthony Irwin. "On one hand, my mother's cooking made me feel like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. It felt special and safe and warm. But on the other hand, most kids just want to fit in. 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," he writes.

"I ordered some southern-style chicken adobo from a local restaurant to stir up some memories while working on the art for this Doodle, and the first thing that hit me was the smell. It was so bright and nostalgic, and instantly filled my apartment with that familiar feeling: this is exactly how things are supposed to be. 

"So I tried to capture that simple childhood joy of leaning in and savoring the kind of food that makes home feel like home. Kain nang mabuti!"

When Filipino American chef Leah Cohen gets that craving for comfort food, she makes her family's adobo which includes coconut milk and onions.

"While working in other kitchens over the years, this has always been my go-to staff meal," she continues. "It is easy to make, and while it braises away in the oven, I can get my prep done. Most importantly, the staff always loves it. Now I make it for my son, Carter G. It is one of his most loved dishes."

TV personality and owner/chef  of Flip Sigi restaurants, Jordan Andino's take on the dish involves shredded pork butt, oyster sauce and Sriracha for a little kick.

"(Adobo) is something I adore and have always loved eating and making. Simplistic and cheap, yet incredibly delicious, this dish gets better as the days go by and can be repurposed in so many different ways for all your make-ahead dinner plans," he tells Today.com.

For TODAY.com's senior health editor, Filipino American Maura Hohman, it's comfort food. "My own twist? A runny fried egg because the adobo’s tartness begs for it, in my opinion. 'You like adobo?' is the subject line of that email, an inside family joke from when two Filipino strangers asked my brother that very question upon finding out his mother’s ethnicity. Of course, I do, and everyone else should, too."

Even Mickey Mouse has an adobo recipe.

There's no mistaking the aroma when you walk into a Filipino household and adobo is being served. I love the aroma as it wafts through the house seeping into the rug and upholstery. While growing up there was a love-hate relationship with adobo; the smell may linger for hours announcing with no uncertainty that this is a Filipino home may make youngsters reluctant to have friends visit, it is an aroma I've learned to savor bringing back warm memories of many family meals of my childhood shared with friends and neighbors. Here's the recipe for my family.

One cool memory I will always treasure: adobo (and a plethora of other Filipino dishes) was served to then-Philippine Vice President Fernando Lopez who was visiting my little suburban California town to give a speech. There was the Philippine Vice President with his wife, members of the high-brow society, eating off of TV tables in our humble living room, proclaiming, "Ito ay masarap!"

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