What is Adobo?

Before things get really out of hand and some chefs and professional cooks take this word into the stratosphere, let's get this straight.  Adobo is a spanish word that means marinade, dry or wet, and  is used typically in Spanish and Latin American cuisine.  It usually refers to the condiments in which meats such as pork, chicken, lamb turkey or fish are marinaded before they are cooked.

A typical adobo consists of garlic, onions, olive oil, lemon or lime and herbs or spices. Sometimes the adobo is discarded before cooking, other times it is added to the pan.  It can be sauce like if it has wet ingredients such as oil or orange juice or it can be dry if it is just spices and herbs.  It is not a sauce to be enjoyed as part of a dish although the term has now taken that meaning, particularly as it pertains to Mexican and southwestern food, courtesy of creative menu writers and cookbook authors.

Goya makes prepared adobos, both dry and wet which can be found in your supermarket

In Filipino cuisine, adobo refers to a common cooking process indigenous to the Philippines. When the Spanish invaded the Philippines in the late 16th century they found an indigenous cooking process that involved stewing with vinegar. They referred to this method as "adobo". Over time, dishes prepared in this manner came to be known by this name as well, the most famous being chicken or pork stewed in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves and pepper.

In Mexican cuisine it is a marinade or paste made with chillies, vinegar and spices to flavor meats.

Just for the record....