Argao, officially the Municipality of Argao (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Argao; Tagalog: Bayan ng Argao), is a

1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a
population of 78,187 people. [3]

The municipality of Argao is located in the southeast of the province of Cebu, 67 kilometres (42 mi) from
Cebu City.

Argao is bordered to the north by the municipality of Sibonga, to the west are the municipalities of
Ronda, Alcantara and Moalboal, to the east is the Cebu Strait, and to the south is the municipality of
Dalaguete.

The economy of the town of Argao heavily revolves around farming, baking, and tourism. Argao is
renowned in Cebu as the "Torta Capital of the Province" because of its local delicacy, the Torta, a
Cebuano tart that is inspired from the Spanish tart, but differs in its recipe by using tubâ or palm wine as
the rising agent instead of the usual yeast. There are three Cebuano baking towns, the others are Liloan
and Santander.

The La Torta Festival, which replaced the Pitlagong Festival in 2011, is the municipality's local food
festival in honor of St Michael the Archangel, the patron saint of Argao. La Torta Festival happens every
28–29 September to celebrate Argao's Tart Economy and the torta as an Argaoanon delicacy, as well as
cultural heritage from the Spanish period, which includes the tradition of making the torta.

Argao is also a producer of Cebuano tsokolate (chocolate). Much of the cocoa production originates
from Argao. The raw cacao, once harvested, is molded, while melted, into disk-shaped tablets called
tablea. These are often used in sikwate, a Cebuano version of hot chocolate. The production of
chocolate in Argao is said to have been pre-colonial. Maria Cacao, a goddess of the Lantoy Mountain, is
said to have been the giver of the cacao tree to the natives of Argao, according to legend. It is said that
she and her husband Mangao reside in a cave in that area, surrounded by cacao trees.

Argao is, additionally, a producer of vinegar in the province. When the tubâ ferments or when it is aged
too long, it becomes sour. It eventually turns into vinegar which is used as sauce or as component for a
sauce in main courses. The palm vinegar is referred to as sukang tubâ. It is often accompanied with
spices such as garlic and chili peppers and usually comes by the bottle.