With common histories of conquest by the Spanish in the 1500's, a fusion of two dishes from these distant nations is a fantastic combination.

Usually fusion food brings to mind bizarre combinations of ingredients from far flung corners of the earth for the purpose of creating tastes and flavors that would not naturally find themselves together.

With a shared history of Spanish conquest, a argument can be made for combining two national dishes from the Philippines and Mexico, especially when the names and ingredients were introduced by the Spanish.

Spanish Conquest of Mexico

The Spanish conquest of Mexico typically refers to the period of time between 1519-1521 as Hernan Cortes and his band of conquistadors decimated the Aztec Empire.

In their haste to reach the new world, Cortez brought plenty of warriors, priests, and healers, but few cooks. Once in the New World, the conquistadors forced locals to prepare meals using local ingredients and ones brought with them.

From the Mexican cooking tradition, this recipe draws in escabeche, a vinegary sauce made with onions, vinegar, and chilies.

Spanish Conquest of the Philippines

The Philippines, named after King Philip II of Spain, was settled by the Spanish in 1565 by a governor from "New Spain", Mexico, forty-four years after Ferdinand Magellan accidentally discovered the group of islands.

The Spanish quickly dominated many of the small islands which were wrapped up in their own conflicts.

Adobo chicken is a national dish of the Philippines despite its Spanish name. There are a wide range of methods to make adobo chicken, but presented here is the simplest and most straight-forward.

Vinegar

Both the adobo chicken and the escabeche in this recipe use vinegar, a product used by sailors in the 1500's to preserve food and a fluid unknown to either the Philippines or the indigenous Mexicans before the arrival of the Spanish.

Adobo Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken legs, thighs and drumsticks separated

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

4 cloves garlic minced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp crushed peppercorns

Procedure:

1) Fry chicken pieces until skin is a dark brown.

2) Boil chicken in remaining ingredients for 30-40 minutes until very tender.

Optional: After boiling chicken, grill briefly for extra smoky flavor and to dry skin slightly so the escabeche adheres better.

Note: For traditional filipino adobo chicken simply serve this over white rice.

Escabeche

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of vinegar

1/2 onion sliced thin

1 jalapeno diced

1 bayleaf

1 tsp crush peppercorns

Procedure:

1) Fry onion until soft.

2) Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.

3) Serve over adobo chicken and serve with Spanish rice.

Note: You can also make quite a bit of this sauce and keep sliced jalapenos and carrots in it to use as a condiment or sauce for months.