Adobo abounds in Chef Tayag's latest culinary feat in Austria

For renowned Filipino multimedia artist and chef Claude Tayag, "ang adobong walang kuwento, walang kuwenta." Translated, it simply means an adobo that doesn't have a story is not worth it. 

Chef Tayag made his point heard during his cooking exhibition and book tour in Vienna, Austria on July 11, when he promoted his latest publication, "The Ultimate Filipino Adobo: Stories + Recipes from the Heart."

"Adobo cooking is not a method but a philosophy and idea that brings Filipinos back to their family stories and their origins," he shared while cooking three adobo variants, including a unique creation with red currants. He thought of the new recipe while shopping for ingredients some hours before the culinary event.

In this ingenious creation, Tayag fried pancetta (small cubes of salt-cured pork belly) and garlic and mixed the red currant for the sour flavor. He removed the mixture and used the residual oil to cook portobello mushrooms and added balsamic vinegar. He served the mushrooms topped with pancetta and garnished the plate with cooked red currants, mustard greens, and garlic bread.

Chef Tayag created a special mushroom adobo dish in Vienna, using red currants to provide the sourness of a typical adobo recipe. Photo by Andy Peñafuerte III

"Most of our cooking revolves around what is available, preferred in the household, or allowed within your religious contexts or dietary restrictions. You can substitute and make 'authentic' adobo even without using traditional vinegar. It is about following the cooking process using any type of vinegar. That's my definition of adobo: cooking with vinegar as a primary source of liquid."

For Tayag, authentic Filipino cuisine keeps evolving, especially now that the Filipino diaspora creates homes in foreign lands and "make their own stories and traditions."

His culinary book's inaugural edition sold out in December 2022, following a warm reception from Filipino communities in North America. Later, in his book tour in the United States and Europe in 2023, he met Filipino migrants and renowned personalities whose stories and recipes became part of the second edition. These include the "adobo stories" of National Artist Ben Cabrera, Black Eyed Peas singer apl.de.ap, and more.
  
"Filipino cuisine is a never-ending story," Tayag remarked. "Every time I meet Filipinos, new stories come up. I try to recreate our commonality [through this book]."

Tayag's artistry has encompassed the canvas and the cuisine, with his colorful oeuvre of watercolor paintings and his latest culinary publication, 'The Ultimate Filipino Adobo.' Photo by Andy Peñafuerte III

'Quintessential Filipino man'

In addition to his Vienna cooking exhibition and book tour, Tayag also held a back-to-back artistic extravaganza in the Austrian capital on July 12 and 13.

At the exhibition of Tayag's watercolor painting collections, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Philippines to UN Agencies in Vienna Evangelina Lourdes A. Bernas paid homage to her fellow cabalen, whom she described as the "quintessential Filipino man" whose artistic roots are "steeped in the history of our province and of the Philippines."

"He [absorbed] all the art history around him in our province and from different national artists who happened to be friends of his family. He [made] different explorations [while] traveling to Europe with his pen and imagination, not with a camera but drawing his way through. This is the kind of man that the Filipino community is very proud of," Amb. Bernas said to introduce Tayag to several diplomatic guests.

Philippine Ambassador to Vienna Evangelina A. Bernas praises Tayag as the 'quintessential Filipino man' for his contributions to Philippine arts. Photo by Andy Peñafuerte III

Following the exhibition, Tayag co-hosted an art lecture with Sige!, a collective of multidisciplinary Filipino artists based in Vienna. Tayag introduced his art philosophy of maintaining playfulness and presented collections of watercolor-painted postcards, drawings, furniture designs, food art, and other oeuvre since the 1970s. 

His live watercolor painting of a wintry Viennese scene mesmerized his young audience, including siblings Clara and Marta Cases, who are third-generation Filipinos born and raised in the capital.

"I like all of it! I've never seen (anything like this) he drew so good," eight-year-old Marta shared. Her nine-year-old sister Clara was impressed and said she was encouraged to draw more using colored pencils.

Sige art collective's president Charmaine Taus (standing) emphasizes the value of introducing Filipino artists such as Tayag to Filipino diaspora communities, saying he gave 'good insight to the third culture Filipino children in Vienna to see parts of their roots and get to know their cultural heritage.' Photo by Andy Peñafuerte III

Meanwhile, Filipina writer and university student Sarah Jozelle Rojas was inspired by Tayag's spontaneity and message that "there is not a set way of being an artist," and that the lecture enriched her knowledge of Filipino culture.

"[His] drawings really capture ‘Filipino-ness’. I have been exposed only to Austrian artworks, so seeing his works is truly wonderful," Rojas added.

Sonia Zerrudo, a Filipino professional who has retired in Vienna, said the rich Philippine art history, including that presented by Tayag, gives her "so much dignity to be a Filipino living outside [the country]."

"It makes our journey a 'lakbay na marangal' We have to always have that with us. As we try to  integrate into the society of our adopted country, we shouldn't forget our roots and say, 'I'm a proud Filipino and proud to share my culture with my host country." —KBK, GMA Integrated News