Local foods in Cebu are sure to delight every palate with their unique and tantalizing flavors, aside from its cultural province, which has many historic places to explore and many beaches to discover. Additionally,
Your visits to the many attractions of Cebu won’t be complete without food trips in between. You’ll be surprised by how vibrant Cebu’s food culture is. Now, deciding what food to eat in Cebu is hard when you have a broad selection and more familiar (foreign) choices in the city.
To make sure you get a full taste of what Cebu has to offer, here are the 7 local foods you can’t miss in Cebu:
Local Foods in Cebu
Lechon de Cebu
Lechon is the national dish of the Philippines. It is a sucking pig roasted over charcoal. This popular pork dish originated in Spain, so it’s also a favorite in Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Hawaii, known as Kalua Pig. Cebu has a reputation for having the best Lechon in the entire Philippines.
So what makes it so unique? Well, it’s the kind of Lechon you won’t need any sauce on the side. Its crispy skin and impeccable salty flavor are just enough to get you chewing on this pork.
Cebu also uses organic pigs to make Lechon, so you don’t have to worry about chemicals, pesticides, or commercial feeds getting into your system with this pork favorite.
Cebuanos also keep coming up with innovative twists on this national dish. For instance, they even made boneless Lechon. Just imagine that pig belly stuffed with nothing else but its mouth-watering ingredients.
You can also get a spicy variant of Lechon de Cebu. Here are the stores to get the best-tasting Lechon in Cebu:
Sutukil
Sutukil is a local food in Cebu that is actually a play on the words “Sugba” (grill), “tula” (stew), and “Kilawin” (marinating raw seafood in vinegar). With this dish, you choose any seafood and have it cooked in all three ways. It’s an attractive dish to many tourists since it allows them to taste different local cooking styles of fish at once.
Kinilaw is the most must-try among the three cooking styles. It’s Cebu’s version of sashimi. It’s a locally-cooked dish, so you’ll definitely get the most authentic Cebuano touch out of this dish.
Here’s where you can try the best Sutukil in Cebu:
Puso Rice
Puso rice’s appeal is its portability. It’s wrapped and even boiled in a triangular packing made of woven coconut leaves. It is also known as hanging rice in Cebu since it is hung in batches at local provincial eateries. You’ll also see variants of Puso all over Southeast Asia. Indonesia has what they call Ketupat.
The unique coconut flavor added to the rice makes it more appealing besides its practical casing. If you’re eating in an open-air eatery, it’s also ideal to look for this rice as they are cleaner. The coconut leaves protect the rice from flies and other dirt.
Puso rice would pair nicely with Lechon de Cebu or Sutukil, too.
Ngohiong
Ngohiong is a unique version of the popular spring roll. It is also deep-fried but is made primarily of Ubod or bamboo shots and ground pork. You can eat it with rice.
However, it’s best paired with other street foods. It can be eaten with squid balls, chorizo, tempura, etc. Its strong flavor goes well with any dish.
To get the best Ngohiong, visit Ngohiong Express at Juana Osmena Street, Kambuthaw, Cebu City. They’re open 24/7, so you can try it all day and all night.
Mango Pizza
It’s an odd food combination, but you’ll be surprised how well it works. This pizza delicacy includes mangoes, green bell peppers, cashews, and cheese—not just mango on bread.
If you’re up for the challenge, try this sweet, spicy, sour mango pizza at The Pitstop Restaurant at Don Jose Avila Street in Cebu City. If you do not like this unique pizza, at least there’ll still be familiar kinds of pizza, pasta, and other dishes for you in this restaurant.
Tuslob Buwa
Tuslob Buwa is as exotic as it sounds. Its literal meaning is “to dip into bubbles.” It is made of pig brain, pork liver
or intestines, soy sauce, onions, and other seasonings. The brain and liver are boiled first before they are stir-fried with the rest of the ingredients.
The bubbles in Tuslob Buwa are the heated mixture in oil that later turns into a bubbly texture. Many tourists are hesitant to try this street food due to how it’s made.
Street vendors typically reuse oil to make selling and cooking more efficient, so you can’t blame them for their sanitary concerns.
Although that’s a reasonable concern, you can try the safest one in Cebu’s most popular Tuslob Buwa outlet, Azul on Gorordo Avenue.
Tuslob Buwa is just 3 PHP/ 7 JPY/ 0.06 USD each, while plate serving usually costs around 10 PHP/ 22 JPY/ 0.2 USD.
Puto Maya and Sikwate
One of the best breakfast dishes in Cebu is the classic Puto Maya and Sikwate. It is steamed glutinous rice combined with coconut and ginger.
It is usually accompanied by Tablea or cacao with sugar and Cebu mango. It is a sweet breakfast rice cake that makes each bite just satisfying.
To try the best Puto Maya and Sikwate breakfast combo, visit Tablea Chocolate Cafe on the ground floor of JY Square Salinas Drive in Cebu City.
Conclusion
I’m sure you’ll know what to eat in Cebu when you visit. These dishes are also distinctly Cebuano, so tasting them will give you a genuine sense of the local culture. These mostly homemade foods are just the best welcome you’ll ever get when traveling to Cebu.
