Chicharon Pasalubong Shop

Carcar built its pasalubong trade on this stretch of the South Road: stalls selling chicharon by the kilo, most family-run and positioned to catch southbound traffic heading toward Moalboal, Badian, and the ferry towns further south. The chicharon here is fried in batches through the day rather than held under heat lamps — the difference between the crisp, blistered skin locals actually buy and the softer version sold as a novelty elsewhere. Carcar’s food economy sits alongside its older reputation as a shoemaking town — leather and rubber shoe stalls still turn up a few blocks from the pasalubong strip.

• Ask for chicharon bulaklak or the plain classic; a shop with visible turnover beats one with a static display case.
• Pair it with local suka, Carcar’s spiced vinegar, usually made with garlic, onion, and chili, rather than the bottled kind sold elsewhere.
• Buy in bulk if you’re heading south — this is the last major pasalubong stop before the coastal towns, and prices run lower than at resort-town gift shops.

Explore More in Carcar

• St. Catherine of Alexandria Church
• Mayus Carcar Lechon