Maria Orosa
| Maria Orosa | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 29, 1893 Taal, Batangas, Philippines |
| Died |
February 13, 1945 (aged 51) Malate, Manila, Philippines |
| Education | University of the Philippines, University of Seattle |
Maria Orosa e Ylagan (1893–1945) was a Filipino food technologist, pharmaceutical chemist, humanitarian and war heroine.[1] She experimented with foods native to the Philippines and formulated food products like calamansi nip, a desiccated and powdered form of calamansi that could be used to make calamansi juice, banana ketchup, and a powdered preparation of soybeans called Soyalac, a "magic food" preparation which helped save the lives of thousands of Filipinos, Americans, and other nationals who were held prisoner in different Japanese concentration camps during World War II.
With her knowledge of local food properties, Orosa also made contributions in the culinary realm and taught proper preservation methods for native dishes such as adobo, dinuguan, kilawin and escabeche.
Facts
Born on November 29, 1893 in Taal, Batangas and died on February 13, 1945, Maria Orosa was the fourth child among eight of Simplicio Orosa y Agoncillo and Juliana Ylagan. She was also the sister of pioneer doctor Sixto Y. Orosa and aunt to famous Filipino banker Sixto L. Orosa jr, Philippine National Artist in Dance, Leonor Orosa Goquingco, successful businessman Jose R. L. Orosa and celebrated cultural journalist Rosalinda L. Orosa.
Tribute
In commemoration, a street in Ermita, Manila (where the Philippine Court of Appeals is located), as well as a building in the Bureau of Plants and Industry has been named after her. As part of celebrations marking the 65th anniversary of the Institute of Science and Technology, she was one of the 19 scientists conferred an award. On November 29, 1983, the National Historical Institute installed a marker in her honor at the Bureau of Plant Industry in San Andres, Manila. In commemoration of her centennial anniversary, a postage stamp was issued by the Philippine Postal Corporation.
Works by Maria Y. Orosa
- The history and chemistry of neoarsphenamine (1921)
- Preservation of Philippine foods (1926)
- Rice bran: a health food and how to cook it (1932)
- Roselle recipes (1931)
- Soy beans as a component of a balanced diet and how to prepare them (1932)
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
References
- ↑ MARIA Y. OROSA (1893–1945). Pioneering Food Technologist and Inventor. Retrieved October 11, 2010
Further reading
- Davidson, Alan. (2003). Seafood of South-East Asia: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes (2nd ed.). Ten Speed Press. pp. 279–295. ISBN 1-58008-452-4.
- Orosa, Maria Y. and Helen Orosa del Rosario. (1970). Maria Y. Orosa, Her Life and Work (Helen Orosa del Rosario, Ed.). [Quezon City:] R. P. Garcia Pub. Co.
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