The Famous Delicacy – Bud
Cebuanos are loved by many tourists as Travellens relate because of their delicious delicacies which include buwad. However, some find the buwad as not really appetizing. Buwad is fish that is dried out directly from the heat of the sun. It is really inexpensive and tastes good. Bantayan Island is well-known for its fishing industry and produces thousands of buwad every day. Packs of buwad are then sold in the market of Cebu City and other parts of the country.
If you are in Cebu City, you can find various kinds of buwad in Taboan Public Market. The place displays every kind of dried fish, dried squid, and fish bone. Danggit is the most famous dried fish in Cebu. Fish tocino tapa (sweetened dried fish) is a must-try. The salty buwad is really yummy and cheap. When you go shopping for buwad at Taboan, be aware that the place can get stinky. Various odors of salted and dried fish can even stick to your clothes. Your perfume would definitely be overpowered by the smell of buwad. It is suggested that you immediately go home and change your clothes or you can bring extra T-shirt. Shopping at Taboan is really an adventure especially for foreigners. Local tourists can also buy buwad as a pasalubong (gift) for their loved ones and let them taste the famous dried fish.
Buwad must be fried lightly with oil and not be eaten raw. Buwad is best eaten with a combination of vinegar, onion, garlic, chili, and tomato. Don’t forget the hot rice. When eating buwad, it is recommended to use bare hands (kinamot). Wash your hands before and after eating.
Buwad also known as dried fish
Buwad is a native and cebuano term for “Dried Fish”. Buwad is one of the famous delicacies in Cebu. Cebuano or natives of Cebu dried the Buwad which was heated and dried out directly from the heat of the sun. Packs of buwad are then sold out in public markets.
It depends on the variety of the fish were the price of the buwad also varies. If the quality of the fish is quite good then the price of the buwad also is quite expensive. Once the buwad is cooked and fried, it taste yummy although its a little salty but it tastes so delicious. You may try some native buwad fish when you come and visit in Cebu it is very cheap and affordable.
Roasted Pig Restaurant in Cebu
Zubuchon, with several branches, is the newest lechon restaurant in Cebu. Although their restaurants only cater to 15 tables, their customer service is really great. Zubuchon has gained its popularity after Anthony Bourdain, a well-known food critic, cited them for having the world’s best whole roasted pig. Zubuchon’s pigs are raised personally by certain individuals. They use natural organic ingredients such as homegrown onions, peppers, herbs, and spices, and do not use MSG. Initially, the pigs are acupunctured and then staked on large bamboo poles. Roasted over charcoal, Zubuchon provides a distinct flavor of lechon. Zubuchon and CnT Lechon is served by women who are really experts of using big sharp knives for slicing the lechon.
In Parkmall, a lechon stall according to CEE Trust Portal, Cebu’s Original Lechon Belly, is always surrounded by many people. It is unique among many lechon restaurants because it is boneless and called lechon belly. It is shaped similar to pork roast but mimics the color of most lechon with its crispy skin. You may also order a spicy flavor which is the best seller for a small additional charge. The stall also sells puso (hanging rice). Once order is finished, you can start eating using your bare hands. This is one way Cebuanos enjoy when eating lechon. However, you may plastic as your gloves.
Lechon de Cebu
Lechon baboy or roasted pig is one of the food Cebuanos are proud of. Carcar and Talisay City are famous for their mouthwatering crispy lechon baboy for any occasions. Furthermore, many lechon stores are open in Cebu City to bring out the best lechon ever.
CnT Lechon is one of the best lechon stores in Cebu located near SM Mall. The place is always full of hungry customers and the long lines could get you even hungrier. While waiting for your turn, make up what your mind on how many kilos of lechon you are going to order to avoid delaying the line.
Puso also known as “Hanging Rice”
It’s only in CEBU!
Puso (hanging rice) is the primary dish in Larsian therefore, cupped rice is unavailable. Rice is wrapped using palm leaves and then boiled. Once cooked, the palm leaves are sliced in half thus, exposing the rice. All puso are tied and hung together. When you order puso, servers simply cut it off and slice in half for consumer’s convenience. Each puso is sold as low as Php3.
If you are looking for spoon and fork to begin eating, you cannot find it at Larsian. Puso and barbeque are best eaten using your bare hands. Washing area is available for customer use. Nonetheless, you may use plastic on your hands to avoid contamination when eating. Don’t forget to order your drinks to complete your meal.
Larsian sa Fuente
Larsian is a famous outdoor dining place all Cebuano people know. Owner Col. Alvino Mondarez thought of a remarkable name to use. Larsian is a combination of names of the owner’s mother (Pilar) and her twin sister (Siana). Larsian is located near Chong Hua Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the country. Larsian is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So, if you are in Cebu, there is no excuse for you not to experience dining in long tables at an open air.
Several barbeque stands display chicken wings, thigh, skin, breast, feet, intestine and pork barbeque, liver, chorizo, hotdog and tocino. Chicken intestine, popularly known as isaw, is sold at Php5 for 3 sticks. Chicken skin is sold at Php12 per stick while chicken wings are priced at Php40. Pork barbeque is sold at Php5-Php15, depending on size. Chorizo (skinless) and hotdog ranges between Php8-Php15. For sea food lovers, fish and squid are also available at Php80 each. Some stalls also sell siomai and kimchi.
These grilled foods are paired with a sauce made from a combination of vinegar, patis (toyo in Tagalog), chili, tomatoes and onions.
Pasalubong and Delicacies in Cebu
When traveling, it is always a must for one to bring something home from the place where they visited thus the emergence of Filipino Pasalubong. It could either be something to eat or a souvenir that one can keep for long. If you are in Cebu then there are actually a lot that you can bring home from souvenirs, to food, and not to forget photos and experiences.
Cebu is known for its guitar products, mango preserves and baked products. Here are some of Cebu’s famous treats that you wouldn’t want to miss bringing home.
Tostados
- This are toasted strips of bread coated with a mixture of sugar and margarine prior to toasting. It is a perfect match for coffee, or as siding for pastas, or as ice cream toppings.
Salvaro
- Made of coconut, shortening, sugar and flour; Salvaro is a wafer-thin, crisp brown biscuit which is shaped into an elongated oval.
Otap
- An oval-shaped, crispy treat which is made of eggs, flour, shortening, sugar, and margarine. Otap has become a trademark of Cebu and it has a unique crumbling texture, distinctive sweetness, and a twang of burnt flavor.
Sunflower
- A biscuit that is shaped after the flower and is 7.5 cm in diameter. It has a fine unique flavor and aroma induced by the liquorices-flavored anise seeds that is sprinkled all over the surface of the biscuit.
Chicharon
- A salty and hot flavored crispy deep-fried pork skin which comes in two varieties: special pack because it has a little strip of pork fat in it; and the regular pack which is purely skin.
Mango Products
- Like chicharon, mango products have varieties and two of those are the dried mangoes which are packed of mango strips and are good for snack nibbling or as a dessert. Another one is the Mango Puree which is made of mango extract and is good for thirst quenchers.
And the list actually goes on for Cebu’s delicacies but the ones listed above are my personal favorite.