adobo

[ uh-doh-boh ]

noun

, plural a·do·bos.

1. a Filipino dish of pork or chicken stewed in a marinade of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, herbs, and spices; the national dish of the Philippines:

   The pork adobo we had in Manila may be the best meal I’ve ever had.

2. a Latin American dish of meat or fish prepared in a pastelike marinade of chiles, cinnamon and other spices, garlic, herbs, and vinegar:

   My Mexican brother-in-law makes an awesome adobo with fresh-caught trout.

3. the concoction of flavorful ingredients in which the meat or fish of adobo is cooked:

   The adobo for tonight’s chicken features Saigon cinnamon and a homemade cider vinegar.

adobo

/ əˈdəʊbəʊ /

noun

1. the national dish of the Philippines, which consists of chunks of meat, fish, or vegetables, marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and spices and then stewed in the marinade

Word History and Origins

Origin of adobo¹

First recorded in 1935–40; from Spanish, literally “marinade, marinated meat, pickle,” from adobar “to marinate, pickle,” probably from Old French adober “to prepare, equip (a knight)”; daube ( def ), dub ¹( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of adobo¹

C20: from Spanish

Example Sentences

The final Subsuelo Sunday of the season will be held Sept. 1 — an 11-hour event with Pedro Night of Washington, D.C.’s Adobo party.

From Los Angeles Times

Most of my elementary school friends were Filipino too, and we would eat the home cooked chicken adobo and other dishes our parents made for countless birthdays and Christmas parties.

From Seattle Times

On Instagram he posted a video of himself bringing homemade chicken adobo, lumpia and other Filipino foods to his teammates’ homes.

From Seattle Times

“The Spanish were a colonial power there for 500 years, and they left behind adobo and cooking in vinegar — techniques that, applied to those tropical Asian ingredients, are miraculous.”

From Salon

Cook: Serve this superpunchy one-pan eggplant adobo over rice with a handful of basil leaves.

From New York Times