Why Filipino chef Claude Tayag is committed to writing the ultimate book on adobo

When Claude Tayag learned of the Philippine government’s plans to standardize adobo, the celebrity chef knew it was a recipe for disaster.

The 2021 initiative called for the establishment of a committee of chefs to prescribe an official way of preparing the popular dish – a stew of braised meat, chicken or squid marinated in vinegar and soy sauce.

The idea was quickly scrapped after a nationwide outcry that included hashtags and memes reading “Leave my adobo alone.”

Tayag also used his public position to write 18 newspaper columns denouncing the move.

In response to the uproar, former Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez reportedly described the action as a way to promote the Philippines’ unofficial national dish internationally and counteract any confusion caused by the growing popularity of Mexican adobo with its chili marinade.

“This makes no sense at all, because the main feature of adobo is its diversity,” says Tayag The National“It is no exaggeration to say that the reaction at home was angry, because people’s emotions cannot be standardized.

“When you talk about adobo recipes, you are actually asking a question: What does adobo mean to you?”

More than a dish

It is a line of thought that Tayag explored in his biting columns before expanding on it in the 2022 book they co-authored The ultimate Filipino Adobo: stories from all eras, which he recently discussed at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

Through interviews with local and foreign chefs and cultural figures, the book is a sumptuous love letter to the staple food and a celebration of Filipino identity.

According to the book, adobo is not so much a dish as it is a cooking method. “This explains why it is so versatile and you can braise all kinds of meat like chicken, beef, quail, duck, seafood or just vegetables,” says Tayag.

“There is something for everyone here, for every taste and every income, and therefore it contributes to the egalitarianism in Filipino society and is open to all other cultures.”

“But if you try to find the ultimate key that makes an adobo dish a Filipino version, it’s the vinegar. We don’t use it as an addition to a marinade, but rather it’s the primary liquid source for the dish.”

Such a minimal baseline value for authenticity allows Filipino adobo to differ not only between regions but also between households. In fact, family is a major theme in The ultimate Filipino Adobo Among those present were Filipino-American academic Randy Gonzales and Californian restaurant owner Dean Patrick Ramirez, who described how their adobo is inspired by family recipes passed down over generations.

“The area you come from, your religious, dietary or even economic restrictions all play a role in the type of adobo you had as a child,” says Tayag.

“It’s really these elements that make it an emotional and personal dish. The people I talk to tell me they try to recreate the dishes their mothers and aunts made.”

When asked why the book does not include cooking instructions, he replies that adobo is ultimately a matter of taste.

“Basically, you can make it with what you have available without really having to import anything. It also has this democratic value because you serve it with vinegar, fish and soy dipping sauces and the guest can customize it to their liking,” he said.

“This is different from what you find in Western cookbooks or in chef-run restaurants where you ask to be thrown out if you want ketchup with it.”

However, Tayag has a personal problem with adobo. “There is nothing worse than ordering an adobo where the meat or chicken is not crispy,” he says. “It makes you want to kill someone.”

Preservation of cultural heritage

One aspect of adobo that is widely agreed upon, says Tayag, is that it is best eaten with the hands.

“There are over 140 different languages ​​in the Philippines, and many of them have an idiom or words that describe the importance of eating with your hands,” he says.

“If you go to the malls in the Philippines at lunchtime, you will see employees and business people all eating adobo from a lunch box, with their clothes wrapped in plastic for protection. And in many cases, they are eating with other people.

“The fact that these scenes take place at home and outside shows that they are not just eating a dish to nourish themselves, but that they are nourished by their heritage.”

This mix of history and adaptability means that adobo is one of the world’s most famous dishes, alongside Thai green curry or Mexican nachos.

Tayag says the dish is already establishing itself on the U.S. culinary map thanks to the success of Chicago’s Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant Kasama.

In their review, the Michelin chefs praised the “creative interpretation” of traditional Filipino cuisine, particularly the salmon with smoked roe dressed with spicy tamarind sauce on a bed of tender leeks and a lamb belly dish with peanut curry.

“This is basically adobo food, but prepared in a very Western and Instagrammable way,” says Tayag. “It also shows how food, like any culture, evolves… If you sit down a Filipino anywhere in the world, you’ll see that they’re making some version of adobo.”

Updated: June 21, 2024, 6:02 p.m.