Baguio’s sweet pasalubong: ube jam, lengua de gato, and strawberry jam delight my kids and make every trip unforgettable.

I love the pasalubong items from Baguio City, especially the sweet desserts and pastries, because they are really delicious. In fact, my kids love them, too, especially Lengua de Gato. Aside from the food, Baguio City’s chilly air and laid-back vibe also make it a favorite destination among travelers. The Summer Capital of the Philippines is also best-known for its strawberries, Baguio Cathedral, Diplomat Hotel, Camp John Hay, Panagbenga Festival, and being a haven for visual artists.

Baguio City’s classic sweet pasalubong products

Aside from these, Baguio City is also known for sweet delicacies that are famous among tourists as pasalubong or gifts for their friends and loved ones. Here are 5 of the most popular sweets from Baguio City:

1. Baguio City's Ube Jam

Ube jam is perhaps the most recognizable among the pasalubong produced in Baguio City. This is made of boiled and mashed purple yams that are cooked with butter or margarine and condensed milk. The result is a thick preserve that is milky with just the right amount of sweetness. This is good on its own or when added to halo-halo and as bread filling.

2. Lengua de Gato

Lengua de Gato, literally translated as cat’s tongue, are small elongated biscuits that are, well, shaped like a cat’s tongue. They are actually rich butter cookies characterized by a mild milky taste and a soft crunch. To achieve the delightful crunch that typifies Lengua de Gato, it has to be piped as thinly as possible. Lengua de Gato is perfect on its own and when paired with coffee or tea.

3. Strawberry Jam

Most people would agree that the strawberry is possibly the single fruit for which Baguio City is best known. As such, it is but natural to find a lot of products made out of strawberries, like wine, whole fruit preserves, and jam. However, strawberry jam stands out among these products because it is versatile. Strawberry jam uses ripe fruits cooked and mashed in sugar and a small amount of water. The sweet and slightly sour tones of strawberry jam go well with toast, regular bread, or as an ice cream drizzle.

4. Peanut Brittle

This is another classic and much-loved pasalubong from Baguio City. Peanut brittle is hard sugar candy with peanuts served as broken pieces of confection. Sweet and slightly buttery, peanut brittle can be addicting to munch on but go easy on this unless you want your blood sugar level to shoot up.

5. Chocolate Crinkles and Corn Flakes

Baguio City pasalubong chocolate crinkles and corn flakes

Chocolate crinkles are another timeless favorite from Baguio City. These are soft chocolate cookies rolled in powdered sugar. The soft and slightly gooey texture of chocolate crinkles makes them delightful to eat.

Meanwhile, another well-loved product from the City of Pines is chocolate-covered cornflakes. These are regular crunchy cornflakes that are coated with rich milk chocolate. I think the crunch from the cornflakes that is enhanced by chocolate is what makes this simple dessert snack quite enjoyable to buyers.

Where to buy pasalubong in Baguio City

Since Baguio City is a popular tourist destination, it's fairly easy to find a store selling local products and handicrafts. However, some of the more popular places that you might want to check are the following:

1. Pasalubong Center
Address: 30 Gov. Pack Rd, Baguio, 2602 Benguet

2. Good Shepherd Convent
Address: Gibraltar Rd, Baguio, 2600 Benguet
Closes at 5:00 PM
Telephone number: (074) 424 2496

3. Mines View Park
Address: Mines View Observation Deck, Mines View, Baguio, Benguet
Closes at 8:00 PM

4. Baguio City (Wet & Dry) Public Market
Address: Magsaysay Ave, Baguio, 2600 Benguet
Open 24 hours
Contact number: 0923 354 3888

5. Burnham Park
Address: Jose Abad Santos Dr, Baguio, 2600 Benguet
Open 24 hours
Telephone number: (074) 442 7014

6. Saira Mae Pasalubong
Address: Baguio, Benguet

7. Mika' san Sweetshop
Address: Baguio, Benguet
Telephone number: (074) 443 3942

List of affordable hotels in Baguio City

Of course, it is much better if you could visit Baguio City even for just a weekend. Though popular, Baguio City is quite an affordable destination. If you are planning a quick getaway to Baguio, here is a list of budget hotels that you might want to consider for your trip:

1. Travelite Express Hotel
Address: Shuntug St. cor F. Bautista Drive, Baguio City
Price per night is as low as Php1,224