(Mise en place or the preparation of ingredients before the actual cooking.)
AS PART of the 21st Tarlac City Charter Anniversary, the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Tarlac City held its 3rd Adobo Festival Inter-school Showdown with 11 participating culinary schools and colleges last April 23, 2019 (Tuesday) in SM City Tarlac.
According to Ms. Anvi Angeles, daughter of Mayor Cristy Angeles, Tarlac is a mixture of different cultures which can be compared to the Adobo – today’s Adobo can be presented in many different ways through many different cultures, yet it truly takes its roots as a pure and original Filipino cuisine.
Adobo is one of the most beloved and most celebrated culinary treasures in the country. Feted for its simplicity and flexibility, households all over the nation have developed their own take on this dish through creative heirloom recipes.
Tarlac’s Adobo festival made a twist to the competition by bringing adobo to the international cuisine. Each school participant has a specifi c country cuisine that they would infuse in the adobo dish which was drawn a day before the competition. The schools and their respective country cuisine were: Tarlac State University (TSU) BS HRM Section 4D – Italy; Primadeli Culinary Institute – Spain; TSU BS HRM Section 4C – China; TSU BTVTED – India; TSU BTTE – South America; Interworld Academy – Korea; Philippines Women’s University (PWU) BS HRM – Thailand; Tarlac School of Arts and Trade Inc. Hotel and Restaurant Services – Japan; Galley Academy of Expert Inc. Cookery NC-2 – Mediterranean; TSU BS HRM Section 3A – Singapore; and TSU BS HRM Section 4A – USA.
The participants provided all their ingredients, kitchen and cooking utensils, and all other equipment or materials they need on the day of the said on-the-spot cooking competition. The criteria for judging are as follows: 50% on Taste/Palatability/Flavor, 30% on Originality/Uniqueness/Creativity and the remaining 20% on Presentation/Appearance for a total of 100%.
The school participants were given 30 minutes for mise en place which means ingredients were prepared and organized, one hour for cooking and plating to whip up their best adobo and the last 30 minutes for clean-up and organization of the work area.
Adjudged as winners are Galley Academy of Expert Inc. (1st pace), Primadeli Culinary Institute (2nd place), and Tarlac School of Arts and Trade Inc. (3rd place).
Adobo is the Spanish word for any meat sautéed in vinegar and soy sauce with garlic, some herbs and salt and pepper, and then cooked in vegetable oil. Today, this adobo has been served in Tarlac City’s world class flavors.
