Cebu dining is never complete without a taste of its popular delicacies. To buy the perfect pasalubong and experience unique Cebuano taste, do check out our list of Cebu’s best local food!
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This is considered as one of the most favorite snacks not just by Cebuanos but by local and foreign visitors. Why not? Otap, which is a puff pastry, comes with a sweet taste and a flaky surface that satisfies both the mouth and the stomach! It’s topped with sugar and is usually composed of flour, coconut, and shortening. To taste some really good otap, head to Shamrock stores found in Capitol Site, corner V.Gullas, Fuente, Barili, and Mactan Island.
Buwad/Danggit
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Lots of locals say that one has not fully enjoyed Cebu if he/she hasn’t tried the city’s buwad or dried fish yet. Some of the best Cebu buwad varieties can be found in Taboan market, located in the downtown area, near Don Carlos A. Gothong Memorial High School. It’s also in this vast market that you can easily buy danggit, another tasty Cebuano seafood that comes from Bantayan Island, Cebu’s leading dried fish producer. One kilo of dried danggit usually costs around 500 pesos.
Masareal
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If you are into sweets, this pasalubong treat will definitely delight you! Masareal is a famous delicacy that is said to originate from Mandaue City. It usually comes in rectangular bars that are carefully wrapped in paper. You can find a simple masareal recipe here.
Chicharon
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Pork lovers will surely love this crispy treat that is best bought in Carcar, a province found in the southern part of Cebu. Chicharon are tasty pork skin cracklings made from pork rind and fat. Dip it in vinegar and you’ll experience HEAVEN! This famous snack can be a perfect pulutan or partner for alcoholic drinks, an afternoon snack while traveling, or a side dish for a lunch with soft drinks. Oh no, you gotta control your drooling there.
Bibingka
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Have you tasted the famous bibingka from Aloguinsan? Well, it’s definitely a must-try! But, if you don’t want to travel that far, you can always go to Mandaue City where special bibingkas are always for sale for about 10 pesos each.
Binignit & Biko
These 2 can inseparable simply because they are almost always part of every Cebuanos’ Holy Week recipes. Binignit (a sweet thick soup comprising of sweet potato, bananas, jackfruit, sago, tapioca pearls, taro, coconut milk, and a variety of other colorful and tasty local ingredients) and biko (a sticky rice cake that’s made from sweetened coconut milk, sugar, bits of ginger, and caramelized coconut cream or latik, which gives the biko that specially sweet and mesmerizing taste) are best eaten when hot. They can be perfect snacks for a rainy afternoon or tongue-tickling desserts after a heavy Filipino meal.
Watch out for more mouthwatering delicacies in the second part of this post!
