María Ylagan Orosa: Google doodle on 126th birthday of a legendary Filipina

Happy Birthday María Ylagan Orosa!!!

Google celebrates the 126^th birthday of the great Filipina food technologist, pharmaceutical chemist, humanitarian and war heroine, María Ylagan Orosa with a beautiful doodle on November 29.

María Ylagan Orosa, popularly called María Orosa is credited with over 700 recipes. She was born in the municipality of Taal within the Batangas province in the Philippines. She was the fourth child among eight of Simplicio A Orosa and Juliana Ylagan-Orosa.

María Orosa went on to become an outstanding student, winning a partial government scholarship in 1916 to attend the University of Seattle. While living in a YMCA and working odd jobs, Orosa completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in pharmaceutical chemistry, as well as an additional degree in food chemistry.

María Orosa was then offered a position as an assistant chemist for the State of Washington before returning to the Philippines in 1922 to focus on addressing the problem of malnutrition in her homeland. Her knowledge of chemistry led to numerous culinary innovations. For instance, by fitting a traditional earthenware pot with two sheets of metal, she invented the Palayok Oven, providing remote villages lacking access to electricity with a more effective means of cooking over an open fire.

During World War II, María Orosa used her food science background to invent Soyalac (a protein-rich powdered soybean product) and Darak (a rice bran powder rich in thiamine and other vitamins which could also treat beri-beri). She also became a captain in Marking's Guerillas, local Filipino forces organized by Marcos V. Augustin Marking[5] which helped U.S. forces fight the occupying Japanese troops, including by using carpenters who had inserted Soyalac and Darak into hollowed bamboo sticks which they took to the civilians imprisoned at the University of Santo Tomas in the capital as well as Japanese-run prisoner of war camps in Capas and Corregigor. The powders saved the lives of many starving imprisoned guerillas and U.S. soldiers. Her "Tiki-Tiki" cookies (made using Darak) also saved many civilian lives during wartime food shortages.

Although adobo and lumpia are synonymous with Filipino cuisine, María  Orosa’s banana ketchup is not far behind. Using mashed bananas as a base instead of tomatoes, she made the sauce a long-lasting hit. Two other inventions made her a war hero: Soyalac (a nutrient rich drink derived from soya beans) and Darak (rice cookies packed with vitamin B-1, which could also prevent beriberi disease) saved countless lives during World War II.

In recognition of María  Orosa contributions to Filipino society, the National Historical Institute installed a marker in her honor at the Bureau of Plant Industry in Manila in 1983. The Philippines have officially recognized her contributions. A street in Ermita, Manila (where the Philippine Court of Appeals is located), is named after her, as is a building in the Bureau of Plants and Industry. During the 65^th anniversary of the Institute of Science and Technology, she became one of 19 scientists receiving special recognition.

On November 29, 1983, the National Historical Institute installed a marker in her honor at the Bureau of Plant Industry in San Andrés, Manila. In commemoration of her centennial anniversary, the Philippine Postal Corporation issued a postage stamp in her honor. Her hometown of Taal, Batangas also celebrated the 125^th anniversary of her birth on November 29, 2018. Google celebrates her 126^th birthday on November 29 with a stunning doodle.