Adobo is one of the national dishes, if not the quintessential dish of the Philippines and includes the unique method of stewing meat in vinegar. When the Spanish discovered this local method, they named it adobo, meaning 'to marinate' or season. Chicken, pork or seafood is cooked with garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and vinegar until tender. The vinegar reduces and caramelises in the sauce. This dish can be taken to picnics or transported to functions without refrigeration, as the vinegar acts as a preserving agent.