Banana ketchup. A red-orange condiment with a sweet and sour flavor, sometimes challenging to coax out of the bottle but a satisfying companion to fried chicken. It’s one of the unique items you’ll find in a Filipino pantry. Developed as an alternative to tomato ketchup introduced by the Americans, banana ketchup makes clever use of local ingredients like saba bananas, vinegar, sugar, spices, and red food coloring. While it has been manufactured commercially and reaches all corners of the globe, it is Maria Orosa who is credited with inventing banana ketchup. This feat alone is enough to make her a hero. But she did more than that.

In Maria Orosa Freedom Fighter, Scientist and Inventor from the Philippines, a children’s book written by Norma Olizon-Chikiamco and illustrated by Mark Salvatus, we learn how one woman’s ordinary acts resulted in extraordinary impact.

*Maria Orosa Freedom Fighter, Scientist and Inventor from the Philippines* by Norma Olizon-Chikiamco is a biography of a pioneering woman scientist and war heroine from the Philippines. (Photo by Claire Mercado-Obias)

Maria Orosa’s story begins just as the Philippines was transitioning from Spanish to American occupation. At an early age she learned to put others first. She had the opportunity to study in the United States where she obtained two degrees -- food science and a master’s in pharmacy. She returned to the Philippines and used her knowledge to address the country’s food insecurity and to promote good nutrition. She turned the palayok clay pot into a native oven, allowing households a healthy way to cook without electricity. She found potential in taken-for-granted resources. Just as she turned bananas into ketchup, she made cassava (a root vegetable) into flour, pineapples into vinegar, soybeans into Soyalac (a powdered drink rich in protein) and used rice bran as an ingredient for cookies (the recipe for Maria Orosa’s Freedom Cookies is in today’s Happy Home Cook section). During the Japanese occupation, these same humble but nutrient-dense foods, secretly hidden in the hollow tubes of bamboo, helped her feed prisoners of war.

Maria Orosa was an inventor, chemist, and war hero who saved many lives. (Photo courtesy of Norma Olizon-Chikiamco)

Banana ketchup was invented by Maria Orosa. (Photo by Claire Mercado-Obias)

The book also includes memories of Maria Orosa (November 29, 1893 – February 13, 1945) shared by her family members and the ways she is remembered in the Philippines.

“I had known about Maria Orosa for years now,” says author Norma Olizon-Chikiamco, “because I am acquainted with some of her relatives. And because I am a food writer, I am familiar with some of her works on food and recipe development. The idea of writing a children's book about her came to mind during an event celebrating her birthday in Batangas, which I attended. I pitched the story to Tuttle Publishing, which had published my other children's book, Pan de Sal Saves the Day (a first prize winner in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature). They liked the idea, so I started working on the book.”

Norma Olizon-Chikiamco is the author of *Maria Orosa Freedom Fighter, Scientist and Inventor from the Philippines.* She says, “All writers want to express themselves in words and stories. When this expression jibes with stories of virtues and heroism, then there’s a feeling of joy and fulfillment.” (Photo courtesy of Norma Olizon-Chikiamco)

Tuttle Publishing, based in Vermont, USA, is a leader in publishing English-language books about the arts, languages, and cultures of Asia that help bring people of diverse backgrounds together one page at a time. Miss Chikiamco’s books are just some of the many Filipino titles they have published.

Miss Chikiamco feels strongly about telling these stories about our Filipino heritage. “These stories are part of our history as a nation. They provide important glimpses into the past and give the younger generation a better understanding of their history and the lives of their ancestors,” she asserts.

“I believe Maria Orosa is an excellent role model for young and old alike, not just for Filipinos but for all nationalities. While studying in the USA, she was not afraid to take on menial jobs, just to survive and finish her studies, thereby showing us that there is dignity in labor.

“She also persevered in pursuing her degrees, which she did even while working at various jobs. Back in the Philippines, she used her talent and creativity to develop recipes and invent new ways of utilizing food. As head of the Food Preservation Division, she treated her staff with kindness and consideration, while also inspiring them to pursue excellence in their work.

“Above all, she was patriotic, and she had the courage to help her countrymen during a time of war. These are all qualities and virtues that should inspire us,” Miss Chikiamco states.

Maria Orosa’s patriotic contributions fly under the radar. She is not the first woman we think of when we talk about Philippine heroes. She joined a guerrilla group fighting against the Japanese occupation. Unfortunately, she died on February 13, 1945, during the bombing of Manila by returning U.S. forces. But she is slowly being recognized. In 2019, she was the day’s Google Doodle as a model for innovation and to celebrate her 126th birthday. In 2022, The New York Times featured her story in their section “Overlooked No More” (a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths went unreported in the newspaper).

To honor our heroes, we should make their stories known. Write them, publish them, distribute them, and read them. Make stories easy to digest for children and expose them to books about real life heroes, not just the ones in costumes. May we all be inspired by them, the same way Maria Orosa showed us that with resourcefulness and in rising to the occasion, you can be a hero whatever age or gender you are.

To purchase Maria Orosa on Amazon, click on the image below.