Adobo standardized? DTI establishes committee to set standards for it and other Pinoy dishes

The Department of Trade and Industry - Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) has established a technical committee that aims to standardize Filipino dishes like adobo.

According to DTI’s website, the BPS/TC 92 or technical committee on Filipino Dishes will develop Philippine National Standards (PNS) on popular Filipino dishes.

The department said BPS/TC 92 have already started developing a PNS for adobo last May and is using “Kulinarya: A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine” as their main reference.

According to BPS/TC 92 Vice-Chairperson Chef Myrna Segismundo, the public’s numerous ways on cooking adobo has made the original recipe a blur or unrecognizable.

“There will be different approaches and opinions [on cooking Philippine adobo]. As long as I have, say one to three steps, it’s this recipe,” she said.

“Anything else you add to it is a variation to the cooking technique,” she continued.

Adobo has been made with various ingredients like laurel, coconut and atsuete. As such, they have this question in mind: “How can we say that this is the basic Philippine adobo?”

BPS director Neil Catajay said the plan will help everyone identify adobo’s authenticity.

“Standardizing the basic cooking technique for Philippine adobo will help ordinary citizens, foodies and food businesses to determine and maintain authentic Filipino adobo taste.”

The PNS draft for Philippine adobo will be circulated nationwide, once available, for review and comments from concerned stakeholders.

Catajay said they also plan to include sinigang, lechon and sisig to their work program. — LA, GMA News

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