Nothing compares to the danggit (salted dried fish) produced in Cebu, and the Taboan market is the cheapest source of this specialty food in Cebu City.
Danggit is just one of the many kinds of buwad (dried fish) sold in Taboan.
A kilo of danggit in Taboan ranges from 400 pesos to 500 pesos, depending on the size of the fish. Since the fish is already dried and de-boned, a quarter of a kilo of danggit could already last several days. Aside from the salted and unsalted kinds, Taboan stalls also sell the tocino and tapa variants of danggit.
Cebuanos, like other Filipinos, prefer to eat their danggit dipped in vinegar, sometimes seasoned with spices like chopped garlic, pepper, and onion, and paired with rice.
Pinoys travelling to Cebu bring danggit when they go back home as pasalubong or presents for family, friends, or office mates. Some Pinoys bring danggit and other buwad when they go abroad, being able to pass stringent custom checks by carefully wrapping them in newspaper.
Other buward products sold in Taboan include: bolinao (280 pesos/kilo), tambay (the cheapest kind at 180 pesos/kilo), squid (480 pesos/kilo), tapa (300 pesos/kilo), and tocino (440 pesos/kilo).
The buwad sold in Taboan comes from Bantayan, which has perfected the art of drying fish. Bantayan is a municipality found in the northernmost tip of Cebu province.
Getting to Taboan
The Taboan Public Market occupies a block bounded by the following streets: Tres de Abril, Lakandula, B. Aranas, T. Padilla.
It is a few minutes taxi ride from uptown and downtown Cebu City. A taxi from Fuente Osmeña to Taboan would probably cost you 50 to 70 pesos. If you want to take public transport, there are jeepneys that pass near the market. One of these is the Bulacao jeepney (10F) that makes a right turn to Junquera St. (near the University of San Carlos main campus) from P. del Rosario. Tell the driver to drop you near the Cebu City Medical Center since the market is a short walk from there. Another jeepney is the one with the Mambaling signboard (08G) that passes by Colon Street.
