The Best in CARCAR

The Heritage City of Cebu

             As a heritage city of Cebu, Carcar is home to various Spanish period structures. The Carcar Plaza alone hosts several heritage structure, the church of St. Catherine of Alexandria dominates the area. Within the complex various structures stand-walking towards Sta. Catalina Street one will surely be astonished with the quiant houses and their distinctive architectural details.

St. Catherine of Alexandria Church

       One of the different prominent traces of Spanish Colonization still visible in this city is the church of St. Catherine of Alexandria. The church rests at the elevated part of the city. The 124-year old stand as one of the great wonders of Carcar City since it is the second eldest church in the entire province of Cebu.

       The orders of St. Augustine handled the church in Carcar. It took 260 years before the new building was finally constructed. The architectural design of this church obviously represents a sketch of Hispanic design. Several structures were built during the Spanish period still exist.

          During the Spanish era, Carcar is considered as one of the buy district of Cebu which explains why its streets are filled with Spanish Architecture.

         
          Another thing that marks the uniqueness of Carcar City when we  talk about heritage is the famous, Bahay na Tisa.Bahay na Tisa is situated along Sta. Catalina St. (the street right across St. Catherine of Alexandria, church of Carcar), where several other ancestral houses such as the Sanchez’ House and Noel’s Dakung Balay (or The Big House) can be found.The Heritage Street in Carcar is lined with well-preserved colonial houses but we can only view them from the roadside and imagine what‘s beyond those firmly-shut wooden door and translucent capiz windows. But there is one ancestral house that took us by surprise. Like an onion, Bahay na Tisa, slowly revealed its different layers and open itself to us as we went to see what’s inside an 1859 ancestral house.

       The house was given a name after the original brick-tile roofing locally called tisa when it was open to the public. Carcar is known for retaining the old house reminiscent of the Spanish Colonization. Aside fro the Tisa House, I also enjoy going to the ancestral home of the Mancao's.

Kabkaban Festival 

The Kabkaban Festival in Carcar is one of the more popular festivals in Cebu. The Kabkaban Festival was traditionally meant to sweep away bad luck and bad spirits. The word kabkaban is derived from the name of a specie of grass called kabkab that grows abundantly in Carcar. The tradition was inspired by Val San Diego and the celebration shows the town's history, product and arts. The festival is the highlight of Carcar's fiesta celebrations in honor of town's patroness Catherine de Alexandria.

Famous Delicacy

           A visit to Carcar wouldn't be complete without sampling it's mouth watering delights.Carcar, Cebu is also known as one of the major purchasing centers for chicharon. ‘What exactly is chicharon?, you may ask. Chicharon or pork cracklings are made of pork fat, rind and pork skin (so unhealthy, I know). They are seasoned with salt and deep fried until they are crispy, crunchy and golden brown.

      Carcar is actually known for a lot of things, like shoes or other leather goods (yes they make very durable shoes), but their chicharon is considered one of the very best in Cebu. To be fair, every chicharon I’ve tried from Carcar tastes good. You just need to find the one which has cooked the freshest batch cause nothing beats warm chicharon. Vinegar works well with chicharon as it neutralizes the taste of the pork fat.

          The chicharon-making process isn’t as easy as deep frying pork cutlets. Pork rinds are first cut into small, bite-size portions which are then boiled in a huge drum of water. The water is salted and spices are also added in to add taste to the chicharon. The pork rinds are then taken out of the water and drained. And they are cooked in hot oil and fried.

The chicharon-making business in Carcar began way back in the 1900s. Rumors have it that a married couple started the business. They were to discover the delicious taste of hot-oil simmered pork rind and the first to sell chicharon within the area.