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Here Are 5 Batangas Pasalubong We Think Are the Best; Would You Agree?
What to buy in Batangas? Don’t be surprised if kapeng barako is on the list.
By: Irene Sanchez | January 01, 2024
Batangas’ kakanin (rice desserts) game is strong.
Images: (from left to right) Department of Tourism – Philippines Facebook page, Edwin C. Tuyay, Ona's Batangas Blades
It wouldn’t be hard to find what to buy in Batangas since some of these Batangas sweet delicacies, and pasalubong can usually be purchased at supermarkets and public markets and from vendors who ply their goods at the bus stops and bus terminals. Here are some Batangas pasalubong items that are uniquely Batangas and tips on where you can buy them.
1. Kapeng Barako
Where to Buy: Batangas local public markets, Café de Lipa, Adorachitos Coffee, Dairymoor Coffee, Gregorio’s Coffee Bean
Price Range: PhP200 to PhP250 per kilo
Barako coffee, strong and kicking, is a great way to perk up one’s day.
Image: Gregorio's Coffee Bean
If there is one product that is a Batangas trademark, it is Kapeng Barako. Kape is the Filipino word for coffee, while barako is the word for male stud, brave and strong. You can still smell the aroma on your way home by bringing this Batangas pasalubong. Kapeng Barako is the Liberica variety of coffee with a strong taste and aroma. The first coffee tree in the Philippines was planted in Lipa.
Kapeng Barako is the first on the list of what to buy in Batangas. This Batangas pasalubong is best partnered with pan de sal (bread of salt), cakes and pastries, and Batangas delicacies like panocha and kalamay and Taal breakfast made of tapang Taal or longganisang Taal. The taste of this popular beverage can also be savored through the Kapeng Barako-based cake, which is featured in the province’s Ale Eh! Festival every December.
2. Panocha
The ubiquitous and affordable panocha is an all-time favorite pasalubong from Batangas.
Image: Department of Tourism – Philippines Facebook page
Next on our list of Batangas pasalubong is known by its common name, Panocha. But in Batangas Tagalog, panocha is called panutsa or panucha. But this Batangas sweet delicacy differs from the panocha that most Filipinos are familiar with. In most parts of the country, panocha refers to matamis na bao or muscovado. In Batangas, this Batangas pasalubong panocha is a native confection while the matamis na bao is called sangkaka. Add this to your list of what to buy in Batangas, so you won’t miss it!
The disc-shaped Batangas panocha is made of whole peanuts and caramelized raw sugar. This Batangas pasalubong has two types: tuyo (dry) and basa (wet). The tuyo type has a granular texture and crumbles when nibbled. The basa type is smooth in texture, shiny in appearance, and crunchy when eaten.
3. Tapang Taal and Taal Longganisa
Where to Buy: Taal local public markets
Price Range: Pork tapang Taal - PhP250 per kilo; Beef tapang Taal - PhP300 per kilo; Taal longganisa - PhP270 per 22 pieces
Tapang Taal and Taal longganisa are available in public markets.
Images: JC Dimailig Delector
If you’re in the place and wondering what to buy in Batangas, there’s Batangas pasalubong in Taal you should buy is more than just a heritage town. It has also Tapang Taal and Taal Longganisa. According to the Taal locals who sell them, most of them are either second or third-generation sellers and producers. The business of selling them started in the early 1950s.
Tapang Taal, Batangas pasalubong that, can either be pork or beef, but it has the same marination process that involves soy sauce, garlic, calamansi, and other ingredients. Taal Longganisa is a sausage delicacy prepared traditionally using pig intestines as casing. It is garlic-based with hints of sugar and vinegar.
4. Tableya
Where to Buy: Batangas local public markets, FG Pure Chocolate
Price Range: Round tableya - PhP9 to PhP10 per piece; Tablet-like tableya - PhP5 to PhP6 per piece
In the olden days, tableya drink is known to be a VIP drink.
Image: Talisay Batangas
The next on our list of what to buy in Batangas is Tablea or Tableya in Manila and other parts of the country. But in Batangas, Tablea or Tableya is called Tabliya. This well-known Batangas pasalubong is the most popular breakfast after siesta and a comfort beverage next to coffee. Tableya usually comes in two shapes: round and semi-thick flat discs, almost the size of five- and ten-peso coins. The round ones are sweetened, while the tablet-like shapes are unsweetened. Besides coffee, Tableya is one of the food legacies of Spain to the Philippines.
This Batangas pasalubong comes from cacao beans and goes through the same process as coffee—drying, roasting, grounding, and molding into semi-thick discs or round shapes.
Besides using it to make a hot chocolate drink, Tableya, a known antioxidant, is used in champorado, a rice-based Filipino dish, and as a cake flavor. Adding this to your list of what to buy in Batangas will complete your Batangas pasalubong.
5. Kalamay
This triangular and brown kalamay is a traditional part of Batangas fiestas.
Image: Edwin C. Tuyay
A fiesta in Batangas is complete with the ubiquitous Kalamay (Rice Cake) that can be bought in cedera (sidewalk bazaar). This staple Batangas sweet delicacy is a favorite Batangas pasalubong of those who come to the plaza to watch serenata (serenade) concert or at the perya (or peryahan), the local version of an amusement park.
Kalamay Batangas is distinct because of its triangular shape and brown color. If you’re finding what to buy in Batangas to satisfy your craving for sweets, this Batangas pasalubong can cure it! Kalamay is made from malagkit (glutinous) rice, sangkaka (muscovado sugar), and coconut milk. Sometimes, it is made with latik (coconut milk residue or desiccated coconut) toppings.
This sweet, sticky, filling Batangas pasalubong delicacy is best for breakfast and snacks.
6. Sweet Tamarind
Sweet tamarind in its generic package in white and red colors
Image: Kristina Raizah C. Liwanag
For a province with brazen and brave people, Batangas is studded with sweet pasalubong. Aside from panocha and kalamay, Sweet Tamarind is another Batangas pasalubong for the sweet tooth.
This sweet pasalubong originated from Lobo, Batangas where tamarind trees abound. It comes in several variants—seedless, with seeds, and sweet and spicy.
7. Balisong
Where to Buy: Taal local public market, Balisong stalls in Brgy. Balisong and Brgy. Buli, Taal Batangas
Price Range: PhP80 to PhP3,000
Balisong is not just a pasalubong but also a form Batangueño craftsmanship.
Image: Ona's Batangas Blades
Last on our list of what to buy in Batangas is Batangueño craftsmanship. Suppose there is a Batangas pasalubong product that is true to Batangueño’s form of being bold and brave, aside from kapeng barako. In that case, it is Balisong, also known as Batangas blade, butterfly knife, or pocket knife. It is also commonly known as bente nueve (twenty-nine), which refers to the 29-centimeter length of a Balisong when fully opened. Considered the Batangas version of the Moslem kris, the origins of Balisong are dated back as early as 800 AD, one of the Malaya-Polynesian weapons.
Going to the city isn’t just all about the Batangas’ sweet delicacies; they also have other pasalubong to offer that you can bring home. Balisong is not just a piece of a deadly weapon and just a Batangas pasalubong; it is also a craft that goes through an intricate process that involves an assembly line not made of machines but humans. The whole tapestry of making Balisong consists of a blacksmith who produces the blade and several craftsmen whose basic skills involve the sharpening of the blade, making the handle and polishing it, and putting together the blades, grips, and clasps. Finding what to buy in Batangas for someone who likes crafts and swords, Balisong is a great Batangas pasalubong for them!
Buying pasalubong for loved ones and colleagues has become a pleasant de rigueur part of a travel itinerary. Batangas pasalubong items are not just unique and representative of Batangas’ life and culture but are also affordable and readily available.
Visit Yoorekka Magazine for more pasalubong options in Batangas and Southern Luzon!
Prices may change without prior notice.
This article was initially published in Yoorekka on April 30, 2020.
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About Irene Sanchez
Irene is from Batangas and savoring life in her city. She loves writing stuff about life, discovering new and old things and places of interest, and doing research in her spare time.
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