Cebu Foods

Cebuanos are not just known for being kind-hearted and polite but also known for having a great talent when it comes to cooking. Cebu has over 170+ islands under its name, the reason why fishing is one of the resources of the people who lived there. Local people have lots of seafood to serve at the table with different ways of cooking them from ordinary seafood to exotic ones, from fried to stew to soup, they have it all in Cebu! Your tummy will surely burst from eating lots of Cebu foods.

Cebu was the first island in the Philippines that Spaniards discovered, through Magellan’s Voyage, before they fully colonialize the whole country. Because of this historical event, many Cebuano heritage cuisines are influenced and take inspired by Spanish cuisine. Eventually, Cebuanoes turned them into their very own and added a Filipino taste to them.

Key Takeaway

Cebu offers a variety of foods for you to enjoy! From their seafood dishes to their very own Cebu Lechon, it is a must to have a taste of them when you visit the province. Most of their cuisines are influenced by Spanish but some of them are created by the local Cebuanos who love inventing dishes based on the resources that they have.

Here is the list of foods that you should try when you visit Cebu:

• • • • Cebu Lechon
      • Balbacua
      • Linarang
      • Utan Bisaya
      • Cebu Pochero
      • Fried Bakasi
      • Ngohiong
      • Pancit Bam-I
      • Pintos
      • Puto Balanghoy
      • Masi
      • Binignit

Cebu Lechon

Image Source: Cebu Bulletin

You will never experience Cebu to its fullest form if you don’t try their Cebu Lechon!

It is one of the well-known food of Cebuano. Unlike any other Lechon that you can purchase in any restaurant around the Philippines, Cebu Lechon has its own taste that you will never find in any place other than Cebu.

The tenderness of the pork, the perfectly grilled crunchiness, and the over-loaded foods inside the Lechon are definitely a to die for! The original recipe from the family where the Cebu Lechon originated is still not fully revealed and is still a secret. The reason why many Filipinos who want to get a taste of Cebu Lechon are intentionally visiting the province and having their vacation on the island. So if you’re already there, why not give it a try?

Balbacua

Image Source: Simpol

Beef lovers, where you at? This dish is for you! Balbacua is one of the prides of Cebuano when it comes to food dishes that originated with them.

Balbacua is a beef stew that is usually paired with rice or noodles like Misua or Miki noodles. But unlike any other beef dish, Balbacua is using part of the beef that is rich in collagen such as the oxtail, skin, and joints. Great food to eat for dinner or lunch with the family. You can taste it through local restaurants around Cebu or try cooking it on your own.

Linarang

Image Source: Ang Sarap

If Sinigang is your favorite and you love sour dishes with a mix of spiciness in them, then you should try Linarang of Cebu!

Linarang is a fish dish, there’s no specific fish to use, you can use any white meat fish available in the market but Cebuano usually used eel fish when cooking this dish. People sometimes compare it to the Filipino dish–Sinigang because of the sourness that it brings but aside from the sour taste, there are no other similarities between the two Filipino dishes. Both have their own unique taste that makes them more special.

If you want to get a taste of Linarang of Cebu you can search for the recipe online or find a restaurant nearby if you visit the city.

Utan Bisaya

Image Source: Maggi PH

If you’re a vegetarian or simply love vegetable dishes then you should try this Visaya dish called Utan Bisaya.

It is a vegetable soup that composes of a variety of vegetable ingredients. You can get a lot of nutrients by eating a bowl of this dish. Good for someone who’s health conscious or if you have a diet to follow. Aside from the nutrients it brings, it is easy to cook as well. You just need to put all the vegetables needed in a casserole, add water and spices (optional: add fish to it) and it’s ready to serve! It can be a go-to-dish when you don’t have the luxury of time to prepare food to eat.

Cebu Pochero

Image Source: Ang Sarap

If you’re into the Bulalo of Batangas then you should try the Cebu version of it called the Cebu Pochero!

Cebu Pochero or the Visaya version of Pochero is a beef soup. Unlike the Tagalog Pochero which is a stew, this version is more like a Bulalo than any other version of Pochero. Interesting right? ‘Cause, why not call it Cebu Bulalo rather than Cebu Pochero? The answer is its taste. Many locals who taste the Cebu Pochero easily determine the difference between the two. You need to find out for yourself if you want to know more about it!

So find out the difference between the two dishes by yourself when you visit the land! You can search online for some of the restaurants where Pochero is the specialty.

Fried Bakasi

Image Source: Flying Off-Course

Bakasi is a Cebu term for Eel fish. I know Eel is not the usual fish to use in cooking dishes but not in Corvoda, Cebu!

Eel is one of the easiest-to-catch fish of the fishermen of Cordova. They invented lots of dishes using Bakasi such as Linarang na Bakasi, Misuang Bakasi and the famous one is Fried Bakasi. Like any other fried food, you just need to deep fry the Bakasi in hot cooking oil. You can pair it with rice or simply eat it as your pulutan.

If you’re finding interesting food to eat, then you should try Fried Bakasi when you visit Cebu! The most famous Bakasihan eatery in Cordova is Entoy’s Bakasihan. It is also featured in some food blogs online.

Ngohiong

Image Source: Ang Sarap

One of the Chinese influence food in Cebu is Ngohiong!

If you love Lumpiang Shanghai, then Ngohiong is not much different from that, it is like a combination of spring roll and lumpia. Inside Ngohiong you will find ground pork or sometimes shrimp, onion, garlic, jicama, and what they called the Chinese-five seasoning, wrapped together using a lumpia wrapper. You can find it in some of the street food stalls around Cebu. Locals usually eat it as a street food snack or a pulutan when they are having a celebration.

Pancit Bam-I

Image Source: The Odehlicious

We all love Pancit! probably one of the best cuisines that we inherited from the Chinese when they colonized our county. But did you know that Bisaya people have their own version of Pancit? Yes, and it is called Pancit Bam-I!

It is a noodle dish that is said to originate in Cebu. Unlike the original Pancit, this Bisaya Pancit has two different noodles in it: pancit canton noodles and sotanghon. It makes the Pancit more tastier and appealing. They are also using chicken breast and shrimp! Perfect for big celebrations and mass gatherings.

After eating heavy meals and savoring the taste of the Cebuano cuisines, let’s go on to their famous sweet delicacies that you might want to try when you visit the province.

Pintos

Image Source: Sugbo

Corn lovers and sweet tooths this first delicacy is for you!

Pintos is a sweetcorn tamales wrapped in a corn husk that is one of the special delicacies of Cebu. It is made out of corn, glutinous rice flour, sugar, and margarine. The ingredients are very convenient because you can buy them in any local market. You can find it anywhere in the city and make it your best almusal or meriyenda paired with a hot coffee.

If you don’t have the means to visit Cebu but are craving to try PIntos, then try this recipe:

Puto Balanghoy

Image Source: Kusina Ni Malou

This next delicacy is very nostalgic as it is one of the famous Filipino meryenda that we often buy when we were younger. Locals are selling it on the palengke or anywhere in the country, but in Cebu, this delicacy is owned by them.

Puto Balanghoy is a steamed cassava cake with grated coconut and brown sugar. Perfectly paired with a hot chocolate or a coffee. You can also add butter on top of it to make it more tastier! One serve of it is enough as it is very heavy in your tummy, but if you want to have some more, no one is stopping you to do so!

If you want to try Puto Balanghoy you can surely find one in any local market but of course, it is more special when you get a taste of it in Cebu!  

Masi

Image Source: Wikipedia

Another mouth-watering delicacy that you should try is Masi!

Masi is a Chinese-influenced delicacy from Cebu that is made out of glutinous rice with peanut butter and muscovado on the inside. It is a small white glutinous rice ball that when you bite, you can see the peanut butter filling inside of it that will give you delicious meryenda! Just by thinking of it, my tummy is growling in hunger! Imagine when you bite it and the peanut inside is melting in your mouth, a heaven taste!

If you want to try it, you can search restaurants around Cebu that have a Masi on their menu or try to eat in a Chinese restaurant with your family or friends.

Binignit

Image Source: Create with Nestle

Last in our Cebu Foods is the very famous Binignit of Visaya or widely known in Tagalog as Ginataang Bilo-bilo!

Binignit is literally a Ginataang Bilo-bilo. There’s no difference and they follow the same method of cooking. The term is based on what region are you from, in Tagalog areas is it Ginataang Bilo-bilo but in Visaya it is Binignit. The taste of the coconut with the chewy glutinous ball in it is one of the reasons why locals are listing it as one of their favorite meryenda. You can see it in any stalls in the Philippines or find your Mom and Grandmother cooking it in every siesta. The popularity of this food is making it convenient as you can taste it anywhere.

Each region and places around the world have its own food that they are taking pride in and Cebu has no different from that. Your Cebu travel will never be complete if you don’t try any of these foods at every Cebu tourist spot that you’re visiting. You will surely forget your name when you get a taste of any of these dishes. Enjoy your little vacation and have the best Voyage!

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