THE savory smell of adobo has spread the streets of Silay City as the 19th Adobo Festival was held at the Don Aguinaldo S. Gamboa heritage garden on November 10.

Lyn Gamboa, founder of the Adobo Festival, said that the event started in Balay Negrense 19 years ago. It was meant to make the Filipinos aware of a dish that is basically Filipino.

"In the beginning, there was no refrigeration and the easiest food to keep was adobo because of the vinegar ingredient. They used to keep adobo in a wooden vessel. With that, most families have their own adobo recipes,” she said.

She added: “We went one step further where we can make or cook an adobo using pork, chicken, and vegetable using the ingredient of adobo. Anything you like. That is why, the contest has begun."

The first winner of the Adobo Festival called his cooked adobo as "crisis adobo or takway," because at that time, the prices of sugar went down.

“Takway was so good,” Gamboa said.

The former contestants were invited to sell their dish in the stalls at the Adobo Festival site.