When people think of Filipino food they frequently think of “adobo.” Adobo is not just one thing, it’s many. At it’s core, it’s anything marinated in an acid.

On the other side of the world, in Central America, you’ll find similar dishes. I know a Costa Rican dish called “Chicharrones” that is pork marinated in sour orange juice and then cooked. Nearly identical to Filipino adobo.

Cubans eat a pork dish called “masa de puerco” - deep fried pork shoulder that’s been… you guessed it, marinated in an acid.

Did the Spanish bring adobo to the Philippines? Some historians contend that the Filipinos have been marinating meat in acid long before the Spanish arrived. That’s the point.

You and I, and the others, are more in similar than we are not.