Filipino adobo chicken: Google often puts a Google Doodle on its homepage instead of the usual blue, red, yellow, and green letters to mark an important historical event. But what does the March 15 image of two happy kids sniffing hot, flavorful chicken thighs have to do with the date?
Google’s Google Doodle honors “Filipino Adobo” chicken because on this day in 2007, NationalWorld.com reported that after the word “adobo” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in December 2006, it was also added to the word list on the OED’s quarterly update. Google declined MassLive’s request for a comment right away.
Popular Philippine food called Filipino adobo chicken is sometimes referred to as the nation’s unofficial national dish, according to the outlet. Filipino adobo recipes vary according to different regions of the Philippines, just as there are numerous variations and recipes for making adobo in many different cultures.
Typically, to prepare food in the adobo style, the following ingredients must be used: rice, meat, seafood, or vegetables braised into a stew, typically with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and black pepper. However, depending on the local ingredients, regions like the Visayas and Southern Luzon have unique regional styles of Filipino adobo, according to National World. Locals in the Visayas region cook “adobong puti,” which is regarded by some as the “original indigenous style of Filipino adobo” and is said to “use exclusively vinegar and no soy sauce,” according to the outlet. “
“Creamer adobo with coconut milk is more popular,” the outlet said of Southern Luzon. NationalWorld added that Anthony Irwin, the creator of the Google Doodle for March 15, has a particular soft spot for cultural ties when it comes to food. For children of immigrants, our relationship with our parents’ food is a complex one, Irwin told the publication. On the one hand, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be thanks to my mother’s cooking. It was cozy, unique, and safe.
On the other hand, most children simply want to blend in. In America, I didn’t want my food to be particularly special. I wanted to remain the same. I merely desired to resemble everyone else. Irwin claimed that as an adult, he seeks out opportunities to express the pride in his culture and heritage that he did not experience as a child. Filipino cuisine allows for that connection between his mother’s identity and his own.
