Filipino officials retract statement after outcry over ‘one recipe’ for adobo

A day after the Philippine government said it was considering a proposal to standardize the recipe for adobo, several across the country denounced the move, questioning the government’s priorities amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The protests spilled over online, with the hashtag #donttouchmyadobo trending on social media and users claiming there were “more than 100 ways” to cook the traditional dish of meat stewed in vinegar and soy sauce.

The outcry followed the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) announcement to set up a committee to develop national standards on cooking adobo and other local dishes such as sinigang and sisig.

“With various cooking methods for Philippine Adobo published online ...the (committee) aims to standardize the cooking technique for the wellknown Filipino dish,” the DTI said in a statement on Friday.

“Benchmarking the cooking technique for Philippine Adobo will help preserve the country’s cultural identity despite the variations made to it,” it added.

The agency’s announcement, however, drew flak from many Filipinos, who said those “behind the move lacked an appreciation and understanding of the Philippines’ multifaceted culture.”

“Standardization goes against the very grain of Philippine traditional cultures, where every person or community has the creative freedom to make (his or her) own version of a dish — resulting in great richness and variety. You are going to kill this communal creativity,” Felipe M. De Leon, former chair of the National Commission for Culture and Arts, said in a Facebook post.

De Leon further asked whose recipe the DTI would base the standards on, as every dish had hundreds of variations.

“There is no such thing as a generalized recipe (in the same way there) is no generalized human face. Likewise, there is no such thing as a standard ice cream flavor. Each one is distinct in taste and texture,” he added.

Others drew attention to the COVID-19 outbreak raging across the country.

“Which is more important: setting a standard on how to cook Adobo or standardization of health protocols against COVID-19 (being enforced) nationwide to avoid confusion,” Twitter user @RafsChivas said.