Philippine government moves to standardise recipe for adobo, prompting backlash over national dish
- Filipinos said the government should not interfere with how Filipinos cook adobo and other local dishes
- Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the move was aimed at promoting Filipino food abroad, not making the recipe mandatory for people
Filipinos on Monday took to social media to tell the Philippines’ trade department to leave their adobo alone after the agency set up a committee to come up with a standard recipe for what is popularly known as the national dish.
Adobo – a stew of pork, chicken or squid marinated and simmered in soy sauce and vinegar – is one of the most popular Filipino dishes.
There are many variations, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has asked a committee of chefs to come up with a traditional standard recipe for adobo and other popular dishes to use for international promotions.
But Filipinos criticised the move, saying the agency should not interfere with how Filipinos cook adobo and other local dishes.
“Leave my adobo alone, DTI,” several disgruntled Filipinos tweeted.
Others joked about their kitchens being raided for using the wrong recipe, while some urged the department more seriously to instead keep an eye on the prices of basic commodities and other food items amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the move was aimed at better promoting Filipino food abroad, and not to make the recipe mandatory for people.
“We all know that the best adobo is the one cooked at home, cooked by your mother, your father or grandfather or grandmother,” he said. “This is not mandatory. We just want a basic traditional recipe so that when we promote abroad, we can call it Philippine adobo.
“We encourage creativity, innovation and even if there are millions of recipes, we all welcome that.”
