Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 15): Taboan the Pasalubong Center of Cebu City

"Bili ka ng danggit" - is the usual spiel of my Beloved Wife Lei whenever I have a trip to Cebu.

What the wife commands the good husband obeys so I dedicated a day to visit the pasalubong center of Cebu City, which is none other than the Taboan (Tabo-an) Market.

I have been to Cebu so many times but I still have a hard time going to Taboan Market. There was an instance that I reached Carbon Market instead of Taboan. Losing my way was not a total disaster since I got the chance to visit the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

My visits to Taboan Market are dizzying experiences not only because of the strong odor of dried seafood but also of the variety of dried fishes for sale here. First time visitors will be amazed by the sheer volume of dried goodies.

I thought that Taboan was so called because dried seafood is "tabo tabo sa sobrang dami!" Well, I was wrong.

I read from the article of Clarence Paul Oaminal in Freeman that Taboan Market was established after the Tres de Abril Battle between the Katipuneros and the Spaniards. The revolutionaries lost the battle and the colonial government arrested almost all the residents of the San Nicolas District where many of the Katipuneros came from.

San Nicolas became a ghost town since the residents fled to the mountains to avoid arrest and interrogation.

The responsibility for reviving the town fell to a certain Teniente Indong and some San Nicolas officials who were released from the prison in Fort San Pedro. They revived San Nicolas by establishing a market in a place called Tagbu-an, where the consumers from the city and the vendors from the mountains would meet.

The place eventually became the center of trade in the Visayas where produce from the seas and mountains are sold. In time Tagbu-an became Tabo-an.

I thought that danggit is the Visayan word for "dry" or "dried". Lei laughs at me whenever I ask if she wants the "danggit na pusit" aside from "danggit na isda". I was wrong because danggit is the local name for rabbitfish.

I bought dried danggit for Lei and I also bought dried squid, which is my favorite. We usually fry them and then dip then in vinegar. It is best paired with sinangag.

Aside from dried seafood, I also saw other Cebu pasalubong like the langgonisa hanging like fat hair strands.

Those sausages are enticing but Lei didn't want it because they are exposed to the elements and flies.

I also saw Cebu pasalubong sweets from like broas, otap, and dried mangoes. However, I didn't buy from Taboan because I prefer to buy directly from Shamrock. Souvenirs such as key chains and ref magnets are also available in Taboan.

A visit to Taboan is truly overwhelming. I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of dried seafood. I was also overwhelmed by the fishy odor that sticks to my shirt.

If you are a visitor to Cebu, I suggest that you drop by Taboan and buy all your Cebu pasalubong in one go.

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Read more of my latest adventure in the island of Cebu!

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 19): Temple of Leah - The House of Vanity
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 18): A Better Stay in Bayfront Hotel in Cebu
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 17): A Great View of Cebu City from Tops Busay
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 16): A Taste of Mandarin in Cebu City
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 14): My Accidental Visit to Mt. Carmel Church

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 13): Another Visit to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 12): Why Cebuanos Call Mama Mary as Birhen sa Regla?
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 11): Sto. Niño Basilica - Mother and Head of All Churches of the Philippine Islands
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 10): A Visit to the Fake(?) Magellan’s Cross
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 9): The Story of Rajah Humabon - King of Cebu
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 8): Calle Colon, the Oldest Street in the Philippines
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 7): The Worst Cebu Hotel
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 6): The Colorful Lighthouse of Lilo-an
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 5): The Mysterious Church of Lilo-an
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 4): Bagacay Point Lighthouse

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 3): Feasting on Consolacion’s Fresh Talaba
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 2): Finding Consolation in Consolacion Church

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 1): My Boat Ride Under the Bridges of Mactan Channel

A Foretaste of Cebu in Mactan Cebu International Airport

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