Coconut-Flavored Biscuit from Cebu - The Salvaro

​Whenever people go to a new place, one of the things they normally look for is the delicacies offered at the place. A delicacy, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “something pleasing to eat that is considered rare or luxurious.” In other words, a delicacy is basically food items you can find in that particular place.

Salvaro – image sources: mugstoria.com

Salvaro of Cebu

Cebu has a good number of delicacies visitors can taste or take home with them. These delicacies include the dried mango, peanut browas, otap and danggit, among others. In addition to these delicacies, Cebu is also home to a flat, oval-shaped coconut cracker, the salvaro. The coconut flavor of these biscuits makes it unique compared to the other delicacies available in this island in the middle of the archipelago.

Salvaro – image sources: blogjob.com

Variations

The salvaro are wafer-thin biscuits with a coconut flavor. It is made of enriched wheat flour, shredded coconut, sugar, shortening and sodium bicarbonate. This coconut-flavored biscuit is considered a nutritious and healthy delicacy. In addition to Cebu, some areas in Mindanao have their own version of the salvaro using cassava instead of coconut as one of the main ingredients. Aloguinsan, a town situated in the western coast of Cebu, offers a salvaro using kamay, a red-colored sugar.

Salvaro – image sources: Gene’s Salvaro de Cebu Facebook Page

​Even with these variations, the salvaro is just one of the many unique delicacies one can find in Cebu. Were you able to taste the salvaro of Cebu already? Tell us about it on the comments section below.