TAG: Top 7 Cebuano & Boholano Delicacies From Tabo-an Public Market

After enjoying a four-hour afternoon tour of Cebu, we turned to our friendly and dependable tour guide/driver and asked him to take us to the city's best spot for local delicacies on a budget. 

Without missing a beat, he enthusiastically replied, "Tabo-an Market!"

Inside one of the stalls at Tabo-an Public Market

Heaps of Dried Fish: Danggit; Palompon; Pusit; Espada; Fish Bone; Fish Tocino 

Tabo-an Public Market, located in the heart of Cebu City, has been the go-to place of tourists for many years now, not just for their competitive prices but also for their wide range of products. From an array of interesting dried fish varieties, top-billed by their well-loved danggit selling for around PHP 450 a kilo, to a variety of packaged pasalubong (delicacies), I thought that if only I had enough moolah with me, I could have brought home so many more goodies.

My choice of delicacies at the check-out counter

Several Best-sellers from Tabo-an Public Market

While we were in Cebu, I brought home some remaining delicacies I hadn't tried yet. As I've mentioned in these two posts—Macanese Delicacies and Malaysian Delicacies—whenever we're blessed enough to travel, I make it my primary objective to try out local goodies to better appreciate their food culture. 

Here's a list of 7 Cebuano and Boholano delicacies I tried on our trip, which you may want to try, too.

1. Turrones de Casuy or Baked Waffle Cookies with Cashew Nuts (PHP 95)

Turrones de Casuy is not intrinsically Cebuano but more of a Spanish confection adapted first by those from the province of Pampanga. I'm biased toward Turrones de Casuy because it brings back fond memories from my childhood. During our long drive back to Manila, either from Lubao or Betis in Pampanga, my parents' hometowns, my daddy would stop by at one of the local stores to buy a box full of this amazing delicacy. I remembered being into a carabao-milk colored edible paper wrapped around a tiny bar of (complex) marzipan. The Cebuano version, however, holds polvoron-like ingredients inside a crisp, rolled wafer. Despite the difference, I still enjoyed he confection so much that it took me a few minutes to finish the whole package!

2.  Titay's Liloan Special Rosquillos (PHP 79)

Semi-sweet cookies with a grainy consistency, Rosquillos are best known for their simplicity and no-frills elemental factor. Although I was not really taken by these to some degree, I still found some enjoyment just munching on them out of boredom. When paired with a cup of java or herbal tea, the cookies are transformed into something interesting, perhaps synonymous with what happens to a plain donut when enjoyed with a cup of hot cocoa.

3. Shamrock and Masterline Otap ( around PHP 20)

Otap is an oval biscuit made from flour, shortening, coconut, and a generous dusting of sugar. Shamrock and M sterline are two of the most popular manufacturers of otap in Cebu. After trying both brands, I favored the Shamrock Otap more because it was much softer than Masterline, which is an essential factor for me when eating otap.

4. Philippine Baked Dried Green Mangoes (ar nd PHP 70)

Since I love green mangoes to death, I naturally love their tangy sweetness. Unlike its sibling, Dried Ripe Mangoes, the green mango variant is less sweet and more tart than usual, making it one of my all-time favorites. Good news! These varieties are available at major supermarkets nationwide for roughly the same price.

5. Bongbong's Special Piaya (around PHP 70) 

Bongbong's Special Piaya is a popular delicacy manufactured in Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental. Due to its growing popularity, Bongbong's has managed to supply this delicacy along with several others, namely Banadas, Biscocho, Barquillos, Butter Scotch, and Pastillas de Manga, to nearby provinces such as Antique, Iloilo, Dumaguete, and, of course, Cebu.

I chose their piaya because I've been craving one ever since our arrival. Somehow, I wish Bongbong's had made their unleavened bread much thinner. When it comes to their muscovado (raw) sugar filling, I thought it had that degree of thickness that complemented the bread's flaky nature. A platito (sau er) on stand-by proved to be a best friend since I didn't want to spend the day just cleaning all the crumbs on the floor.  

6. Donna's Peanu Cookies (around PHP 30)

Made of peanuts, cane sugar, egg whites, and vanilla, these cookies were every bit of fun to eat. I adored them enough to finish them off in one sitting. I bought this package from a 24-hour convenience store located inside the Tagbilaran Port in Bohol, which proved to be an enjoyable snack while waiting for our ferry back to Cebu.

7. Peanut Kisses Between PHP 30- PHP 90)

Peanut Kisses are the undisputed number one Boholano delicacy! They are made with the same basic ingredients as Peanut Cookies but shaped like Hershey's Kisses, a fitting tribute to the glorious Chocolate Hills of Bohol! Crunchy, sweet, and with slivered peanuts in every bite, it's no wonder that this unique confection remains one of the most popular delicacies not only in Bohol but also in Cebu. Proof was that Tabo-an Market had stockpiles of peanut Kisses for both tourists and locals alike. 

Taboan Public Market

B. Aranas St.

Cebu City