What Is the Difference Between Mexican and Filipino Adobo?

As an American with Afro-Caribbean heritage, Goya Adobo seasoning has always held a permanent piece of real estate in my family’s kitchen. Though my family isn’t from the Spanish speaking Caribbean, my uncle married a Cuban woman, so we have had a lot of holiday gatherings where we enjoy a mix of Spanish and English Caribbean Food (eg. arroz con pollo, flan, curry chicken, fried plantains, baked ham, macaroni pie, moros y cristianos, tostones, etc).

From cooking together, we discovered, despite the linguistic barriers and cultural differences, both cultures use Adobo with meat and rice regardless of what we call the dishes themselves. It is always funny when we realize our cultures overlap more than we differ.  Now that I am grown and have become a trusted family cook, I have even dabbled in a Mexican style chicken adobo with chilies and tomatoes from time to time. So, it should come as no surprise that I have always considered myself well versed in Adobo. I just love the savory, garlic taste with a bit of turmeric and oregano and, sometimes, cumin.

Then, I tried Filipino Adobo. It was sweet, tangy, garlic-infused with fresh scallions aka heaven, but different than what I was used to. How could the two things have such similar names, a vinegary taste, and yet not be the same dish? Is it just variation on a theme?  Or, are these cultures just unaware that they do the same thing? The answer is actually a fun history lesson and not what you might expect. So, here is everything you need to know about the difference between Mexican and Filipino Adobo.

Clarifying definitions

Spanish Adobo or Adobar

Spanish Adobo refers to both the rub seasoning and/or the marinade that people use to preserve and flavor the meat.  At its simplest, the word “adobo” simply comes from the verb “adovar”, which means “to marinate”.  So, originally this word was used to describe a pickling sauce that was made of olives, vinegar, and spices in Spain. Thus, the word “adobo” was used to refer to the preservation of meat through pickling and marinating sauces and rubs. Typically the seasoning or marinade will include paprika, oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar.

Mexican Adobo

Hispanic Kitchen

In Mexico, they use crushed chilies, spices, and vinegar to make a marinade and sauce that is red, thick, and spicy. The meat is grilled and the sauce can be used to simmer the meat with other sides. The base of the Mexican Adobo uses the traditional Spanish spices but adds indigenous ingredients: tomatoes and chilies.  Thus, Mexican Adobo is a fusion of indigenous and colonial influences.

Filipino Adobo

Recipe Tin Eats

Filipino Adobo refers to a whole dish. In fact, it is basically the national dish of the Philippines. The dish includes meat, seafood, or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic. The food is then browned in oil and simmered in the marinade.

Looking at it from an aerial view like this, it is easy to see some similarities: vinegar, garlic, and marinating meat. From there, each culture uses spices that make sense based on their locations and flavor profiles. So, who did it first?  In Mexico, it was a fusion.  For the Philippines, unfortunately, like history, the credit goes to the conquerors when it is not always the case.

Colonization

The Philippines consists of over 7,000 hot islands – literally.  The tropical maritime climate averages 79 degrees each year. So, without refrigeration, food quickly goes bad unless you can preserve it. Filipino Adobo, simplified is soy sauce, vinegar, and spices. The acid in the vinegar and high salt content of soy sauce deters the growth of bacteria in meat.

So, when the Spanish arrived and colonized the Philippines, they saw what the Filipino people did to their meat and probably said something like, “Oh! Adobo!” And, there you have it. Filipino Adobo is an indigenous dish that received a Spanish name because it reminded the Spaniards of how they marinated and preserved meat with spices.  They are not the same, but they are similar because each culture needed to preserve and flavor food so it wouldn’t rot.

Nowadays, the world has fridges. So, regardless of who thought it up first, we all just cook Adobo because, well, we just love it.

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How to Set Your Thanksgiving Table

When you go to the trouble of preparing Thanksgiving dinner, even though you already have more than enough to do when it comes to cooking all that food, you probably want to showcase your efforts on something nicer than paper plates. If you’re an old hand at tablescaping and are in possession of dinner service for 16 or so, not to mention a full complement of silverware that probably includes an asparagus server, then you’re not sweating it. But if you’re not sure where a bread plate goes on the table, or what a charger even is (besides something that plugs into your phone), we’re here to make setting a proper holiday table totally easy.

First things first: if you find it too fussy to set a traditional table, that’s absolutely fine. You can go as casual as you like, whether that means a full-on potluck Thanksgiving or scaling down the table service to one plate per person. However, as etiquette expert Maika Meier says, “When you’re setting your table, there’s nothing pretentious about it.” It’s not necessary to go overboard with specialized utensils; you can “just put the pieces on the table that your guests actually use.” What specific food you’re serving, then, will inform the look of your table, as much as your personal preferences and style.

Living with Landyn

From the very bottom up, the first thing to consider is whether you want to use a tablecloth, and/or a table runner. They obviously serve a decorative purpose, but they also help protect the table itself from spills and scratches. Then again, unless you’re going for disposable versions, you will have to clean them, which is good to keep in mind when choosing colors and fabrics. You might prefer to compromise with place mats, or use them in conjunction to help keep the other cloth clean.

Once the table’s covered (or left bare, if you prefer), there’s the question of chargers. These are large decorative plates that are designed to go underneath the plates you actually eat off of, and they’re completely optional. They can help protect your tablecloth from spills, or your bare table from condensation and heat, but many people simply like the look of them, which is why it makes sense to leave them on the table for the duration of the meal, although some people remove them once the main course is served.

If you do use chargers, put your main dinner plates on top of them, and if you’re serving a separate salad course, it’s customary to stack separate salad plates on top of the main plates. Your plate, or stack of plates, should be positioned about an inch from the edge of the table.

Next, put the silverware in place. The fork shouldn’t be shy and retiring, tucked under the edge of the plate where no one can see it, but sitting out in plain view about 1/2 inch to the left side of the place setting. (If you have salad forks, they go to the left side of the main fork since guests will pick them up first.) The knife and spoon go about 1/2 inch off to the right side of the plate, with the knife closest to the plate and with its blade turned inward. A handy way to remember what goes where is to count letters: “knife” and “spoon” both have 5 letters, as does “right”—so that’s the side they go on. The four-letter fork, on the other hand, goes to the l-e-f-t, conveniently enough.

If you’re using a bread plate, that should go directly above the fork/s, and if you have individual butter knives, they should rest atop the individual bread plates. Of course, if you have individual butter knives, you probably already knew that.

Then there’s the water glass. That goes right above the main dining knife, and wine glasses should be positioned just a bit below the water glasses—because guests will probably reach for the wine first!

If you need a trick to remember where bread plates and glasses go, just stand behind a dining chair and make the “ok” symbol with both hands parallel to the table. Your right hand will form a “d” for drinks, and your left hand will form a “b” for bread. Naturally, you can also find plenty of diagrams to refer to online, like this one:

Tabler Party of Two

Going in for nice dinnerware means your napkins better be cloth, and it’s best to fold them and place them in the center of each dinner plate, since this makes it easier for guests to retrieve them when its time to eat, and also lets you showcase any fancy folds you’d like to attempt. Nothing elaborate is required; you’re no cruise ship steward, after all—but if you are, definitely make some turkeys or something to perch on your plate, or else your talents are just going to waste. Those of us with more intermediate skills and ambitions can try some of the simpler pleats and folds outlined here.

Once all your places are set, there’s the matter of the centerpiece. It can be comprised of any number of things, from artful assemblages of pumpkins to more traditional flower arrangements, but make sure, whatever it is, it’s low enough that it doesn’t obstruct your guests’ view of each other; you don’t want to have to remove your beautiful botanicals from the table, but you also don’t want to impede conversation. A good way to check the height ahead of time is to put your elbow on the table (though that’s a no-no at mealtime, of course), with your hand straight up in the air. The floral arrangement or centerpiece shouldn’t be any higher than your palm.

You see? There’s no need to be daunted by the prospect of dressing your holiday table. With a few simple tips and tricks, it’s actually a really easy way to make your space—and your food—look its best, not to mention impress your guests, judgmental relatives included.

This holds true, too, even if you didn’t inherit any heirloom silver and don’t have the means (or the desire) to shell out for lots of fancy tableware now. There’s a whole world of dinnerware between fine china and Chinet! Plainer pieces, or even mismatched plates and glasses, still have a beautiful impact when arranged more formally on the table.

New York Times

If you want to buy new-to-you without spending too much, you can hit up thrift stores and Goodwill; just look for items in the same general color family and you can create a cool monochrome table setting, or take this advice to heart and seek out complementary-clashing patterns and colors. If you’re hunting for cheap chargers, don’t even worry about the color or design; you can always spray paint them to match each other since you’re not actually putting food on them (do be sure you don’t actually put food on spray-painted surfaces!), but slipping them underneath your existing dinner plates can add real oomph and help tie everything together.

Or, if you have more cash to spare but just don’t want to commit to purchasing a lot of extra dinnerware, you can always rent it for the occasion—which is also helpful if you’re low on storage space and only feed a horde of hungry friends and relatives once or twice a year.

Then again, don’t do anything that’s going to stress you out even more! Staying calm, or at least attempting to, is imperative during the holidays. Be true to your own instincts and style as well, and remember, as long as you’re serving everything up with love, no one will mind eating off of paper plates balanced on their knees with everyone scattered around your rooms. The whole point is to enjoy being together, and to have a great time.

For more Thanksgiving tips, hacks, and recipes, check out our Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide.​

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7 Ways to Put a Thanksgiving Spin on Dump Cakes

What is the first thing you typically want to do after Thanksgiving dinner? Chances are, you’re probably thinking about taking a nap…or having just a little bit more to eat before calling it quits. But after such extensive dinner preparation, sometimes you don’t have the strength to muster up a fancy dessert spread, and understandably so.

Behold the power of the dump. Yes, you read that correctly: a dump cake. This easy dessert with the most unappealing name—yet ironically, the best taste—is a must-have, especially if you’re too wiped out to channel your inner Betty Crocker.

The best part about this option? Your time in the kitchen is minimal. The prep process for one of these bad boys is exactly what you’d imagine: dump the pre-made ingredients (according to a particular order that the recipe calls for) and bake. Viola! All you need to do is grab a base of cake mix and a few fillings—that’s all it takes.

Of course, now that Thanksgiving is getting closer and closer, you have to start thinking about every little detail. Here’s how you can embrace the season and provide a swoon-worthy autumn dump (most importantly, with minimal effort).

Use your Thanksgiving side dishes as inspiration:

Apple Cranberry Dump Cake

Happy Go Lucky

Whether you prefer your cranberry sauce from the can or whipped up from scratch (Team Can all the way, in case you were wondering), it is the perfect fall flavor to put in your dump. Kara, the brains behind the blog Happy Go Lucky, decided to provide her readers with an excellent example of a Thanksgiving dump: Apple Cranberry—two fall favorites in one. You’ll be in business with ½ cup of chopped walnuts, yellow cake mix, cranberry sauce and apple pie filling, and a stick of butter. Get the recipe.

Channel one of your favorite fall activities:

Apple Spice Dump Cake

Never Ending Journeys

What October and November is complete without bobbing for apples? After an apple picking excursion with friends and family, set a few pieces of fruit aside for an Apple Spice Dump Cake. Never Ending Journeys gives readers a little bit of spice and everything nice with Betty Crocker spice mix, apple pie filling, ground cinnamon, and melted butter. Much on one of the apples you picked while making this delightful dish. Get the recipe.

Don’t be afraid to embrace the pumpkin:

Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake

The Country Cook

Look, you might have been sipping Pumpkin Spice Lattes since August, but you cannot escape the orange goodness this time year, no matter how hard you try. And let’s be honest: It is pretty tasty, so the more pumpkin desserts, the merrier. The Country Cook’s Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake—spice cake mix, pumpkin puree, ground cinnamon—basically screams “Happy Thanksgiving.” Get the recipe.

Put a new spin on classic desserts:

Pumpkin Pecan Pie Dump Cake

My Incredible Recipes

The Pecan Pie is no stranger to holiday tables, but you can turn the typical dish on its head thanks to Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake from the blog Incredible Recipes From Heaven. You’ll be treated to the best of both worlds with the pecan and pumpkin taste. No need to tell me twice. Get the recipe.

Go decadent:

Crock Pot Chocolate Caramel Dump Cake

Tammi Lee Tips

It’s cold outside and you’re more than entitled to a dish of comfort food. Chocolate Caramel Dump Cake from Tammilee Tips drives the coziness factor into full effect. With the combination of devil’s food cake mix, caramels, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and chocolate pudding, who could resist? Get the recipe.

Let the finishing touch make a statement:

Caramel Apple Dump Cake

Wine and Glue

When desserts are gifted with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, it really puts the icing on the cake… well, you know what I mean. Might I suggest a bit of vanilla ice cream to accompany Wine and Glue’s Caramel Apple Dump Cake? Really indulge and add some whipped cream, too. Why not? It’s Thanksgiving. Get the recipe.

Find some seasonal drinks to go with your cake:

Pinterest

You can have regular ‘ol tea and coffee any time of the year, but get into the festivities this Thanksgiving with options such as the Mocha Nut Latte or Apple Cranberry Tea from Trader Joe’s.

For more Thanksgiving tips, hacks, and recipes, check out our Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide.​

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