KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (The Adobo Chronicles®)  –A word war is brewing between the Philippines and its neighbor country, Malaysia.

And no, it has nothing to do with the Philippines’ claim over Malaysian-occupied Sabah, nor the territorial dispute between the two countries over the Spratly islands in the South China Sea, which also involves China and other Southeast Asian nations.

It is all about food. Yes, food.

Shortly after a CNN report named the Philippines the second best food destination in the world, next only to Taiwan, Malaysian celebrity chef  Datuk Redzuawan opposed the survey results, saying that sixth placer Malaysia should have topped the list.

“Blessed with an abundance of seafood, tropical fruits and creative cooks, there’s more to Filipino food than the mind-boggling balut (duck embryo),” CNN said in its report on Monday.

It highlighted the world-famous adobo, which it said was originally Mexican that Filipinos devised as a cooking method. “And that is exactly why the Philippines should not have garnered second place,” the Malaysian chef argued. “ All its foods are copycats from Spain, China, Japan and the U.S.”

In response to the Malaysian criticism, Filipino Chef Claude Tayag, whose version of the adobo was featured in the CNN report, challenged Redzuawan to a one-on-one “Cook-off,” where either chef would prepare his best local cuisine in a show to be broadcast live from the Mall of Asia in Manila.

White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford has been invited to judge the competition, to the objection of Redzuawan.  Comerford is Filipina.

The date is yet to be determined.

The Adobo Chronicles® will be among the sponsors of the cook-off.