**Freeman Book Awards - Honorable Mention - Children's and Young Adult's Literature on East and Southeast Asia"As a food scientist, she sought to reduce the Philippines' dependence on imported food, pioneering new ways to use local products. And that was before she became a war hero." —New York TimesThis delightful children's book follows the life of Maria Orosa—a pioneering woman scientist who studied food science in the United States then returned to a war-torn Philippines and created super-nutritious foods to help her nation in a time of crisis.
A champion of native products from her homeland, Orosa is celebrated for her daring war exploits as well as her scientific inventions. Today she is honored and remembered for:- Sneaking food into World War II internment camps concealed in hollow tubes of bamboo
- Working as an undercover agent in the underground forces fighting the Japanese occupation
- Developing new ways to preserve seasonal products in a time of grave food shortages, including making vinegar from pineapples, flour from cassava and ketchup from bananas— all now staples on Filipino tables
- Transforming vitamin-rich rice bran, previously a waste product, into tasty disease-preventing desserts
- Organizing rural-improvement clubs, inventing the palayok or clay oven and developing delicious recipes for coconuts, soybeans and a range of native plants, vegetables and herbs
This book celebrates the life and achievements of a daring daughter of the Philippines, war heroine, culinary scientist and bold freedom fighter who helped to feed the nation!
