Buying pasalubong for our loved ones is an act of extending them the mouthwatering culinary experience and the great adventures we had during our travel. We want to make sure that although they may not see the sights we see nor experience every little things we had in a day, at least, they would also experience the product unique to a certain place.
For years, I only knew two products that are locally made which I could buy as pasalubong from Iligan City. I bet that you guys know that I'm referring to Cheding's Peanuts and Sukang Pinakurat as these are widely available in the market. Apparently, there are other 'tatak-Iligan' pasalubong items that we can take home for our loved ones.
Heaven's Bakehaus. This humble company started with baking and selling made-to-order piaya, known now as Piaya de Iligan. Later as the company started to grow, they expand to making other Filipino delicacies such as Pastel, ube kisses and butter cookies. It's also worth to note that these locally-made products are efforts of out-of-school youth and single moms who are trained under the umbrella of Heaven's Bakehaus.
Piaya de Iligan. What differs this one from that of Bacolod's is the packaging. One box contains 8 packs with two piaya each. This is in order to avoid contamination since the product has no added preservatives. As for the taste, their piaya comes in a crispy dough filled with different flavors like muscovado, durian and purple yam.
Mabuhay Pastel. Reminiscent to that of Camiguin's but all of the ingredients in baking this are all sourced out from Iligan.
Ube Kisses. This is a special purple yam hopia and is the only ube kisses that we have in the Philippines.
Peanut Cookies. Inspired from Lola Cheding's Peanuts, this small oval-shaped cookie is baked to melt in your mouth. As my blogger bestie puts it, "It's very tasty, like the taste is something to remember."
Purok 2, Canaway Rd, Tibanga.
Panyang's Delicacies. Original Filipino delicacies are what Panyang's is proud of. And for that, they innovate old flavors to create unique products out of organic ingredients.
Puto Flan. Our traditional puto and favorite leche flan are infused into one. Also, aside from its delightful taste, the product is well-packaged. As you can see in the photo below, each puto flan has individual cupcake wrapper and all of it are placed in a plastic food tray, sealed with plastic wrap then secured in a box.
* Products are available in all Tita Fannies branch.
Pater Al-Kuwait. A halal food establishment run by a Christian owner, Pater Al-Kuwait not only sell a variety of delectable pater but they also sell special Maranao appetizer, called Palapa.
Palapa. Consist of shallots and other spices; very spicy yet adds more flavor to different dishes. This product comes in a bottle of two different sizes which you can buy at affordable price.
Keepsakes Iligan Souvenirs and Crafts. Promoting cultural diversity that is evident in the city, this homegrown establishment sells handmade souvenir items with accents inspired from Higaonon and Maranao designs. Their products are made of abaca and bamboo which are sourced from local partners who are mostly survivors of Typhoon Sendong that badly hit Iligan in 2011.
House of Pasalubong. Run by Heaven's Bakehaus Enterprise, this store houses pasalubong products from 22 micro entrepreneurs in Iligan City. It is conveniently located inside the mall so if you are pressed for time to go elsewhere and look for the items I've mentioned above, you can find them all in one place excluding Panyang's delicacies.
Photo source (cover photo): Tote bags, Shawn Catipay; Palapa, Miss Lovette Jam Jacosalem; Piaya, Heaven's Bakehaus FB Page; Puto Flan, Panyang's Delicacies FB Page.