FRANKFURT, GERMANY — Publishers and fair visitors flocked to the Philippine stand and reception at the Frankfurter Buchmesse (FBM) on its second day, led by acclaimed chef, author, and artist Claude Tayag who introduced the six variations of the Filipino adobo on the world stage.
In a talk held on October 19 Central European Time (CET), Chef Claude shared his ingenious adobo insights with the international community and promoted his book, The Ultimate Filipino Adobo: Stories Through the Ages. Published in 2023 by the Foreign Service Institute, the book chronicles the diverse universe of cooking adobo, a popular Philippine dish with multiple interpretations across Filipino households.
Following this was an event titled “Happy Hour” that the National Book Development Board (NBDB) hosted together with the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt and Publishers without Borders. This event offered a taste of Filipino hospitality through hearty servings of Chef Claude’s gourmet adobo and rounds of prime Ube Liqueur.
On October 20, Komiket Founder Paolo Herras pointed out the importance of Filipino representation in the world of comics as part of the panel in “Comic Matinée: from Latin America to Asia.” Meanwhile, the Philippine market was presented by Poet and filmmaker Kristian Cordero and NBDB Director Anthony John Balisi to German publishers in an event called “Books & Breakfast,” where they emphasized the role of the Philippines’ translation program in bringing our archipelago of stories to the international community.
In his speech, Kristian highlighted the novels Andrea and Yñiga by Rom Factoran and Glenn Diaz. He hopes that by way of translation and collaboration, their stories may be shared with the German public and the rest of the world.
Towards the end of the fair, fictionist and journalist Criselda Yabes joined a panel on women authors in Asia on October 21. That day also saw the Philippine delegation meeting with FBM President Juergen Boos.
