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. Saint Michael Parish Church, Argao.jpg|St Michael Parish Church Rizal statue in Argao.JPG|Rizal statue at Municipal plaza Argao Public Market.JPG|Argao Public Market == Education ==