Banana Ketchup And 4 Other Food Innovations That Helped Feed Filipinos During WWII

Filipinos had to get creative in the 1930s and 1940s when World War II, Japanese occupation, and very few stockpiled agriculture resources led to food shortages. It was a time of depression that hit rural areas of the Philippines especially hard, one that was complicated by foreign occupation and a disastrous typhoon that struck Manila in 1943. As everyday people struggled to find enough to eat, at a reasonable price no less, culinary innovation saved lives. Some of these food inventions included banana ketchup, non-wheat flour, calamansi juice powder, and an oven that allowed rural families to cook without using electricity.

One food nerd in particular was behind many of these new inventions. Maria Orosa was a woman that believed the key to Filipino food independence was preparation and preservation of local ingredients. Born and raised in the Philippines, Orosa went to America for her undergraduate and master's degrees in chemistry and pharmaceutical science. She graduated in 1921 and promptly returned to her home country, where she put to use everything she'd learned during her years in America. Though she died in the Battle of Manila in 1945, Orosa had forever changed the culinary landscape of her home country. The following list of food items and inventions can all trace their lineage back to Orosa and her pioneering science. 

In the Philippines, ketchup is made with bananas rather than tomatoes, a switch triggered by a 1940s tomato shortage. Tomatoes and ketchup were in short supply thanks to the shipping and exporting clog caused by World War 2 and the Japanese occupation. So, food scientist Maria Orosa decided to use locally produced bananas instead of tomatoes to make a condiment that would work on everything. She combined bananas with vinegar, sugar, and spices to create a condiment you can still buy online and in stores, today. It is tart and sweet, savory and pungent, and it goes great on anything from French fries to stuffed and fried traditional lumpia.

Soyalac is a protein-dense drink mix made of powdered soybeans that Maria Orosa invented to fight starvation. It became particularly useful during World War 2 when Orosa used Soyalac to secretly feed Filipino and American prisoners of war. Maria joined guerilla fighters working against Japanese occupying forces and smuggled Soyalac into prison camps, saving many from starvation. Soyalac drink powders are still sold in many flavors at select retailers, but the powdered soy market has expanded far beyond Maria's first invention. Protein powders like the soy protein powder from Birdman, soy protein isolate from Bulk Supplements, and Naked Mass's double chocolate weight gain powder all hinge on soy, the same ingredient in Maria's original Soyalac powder.

Calamansi is a citrus fruit native to the Philippines. Technically a mandarin orange and kumquat hybrid, this tart fruit has a taste that is akin to a lime. As part of her mission to create Filipino food stability, food scientist Maria Orosa popularized calamansi juice, now known as a Filipino lemonade. She also created a dehydrated and pulverized version — essentially calamansi powder — to use to season all sorts of things, including banana ketchup. Swap calamansi fruit for the lemons in your next pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade, and you'll discover why the bright, lively Filipino lemonade is so popular. You can buy pure calamansi juice online, as well as calamansi sparkling water, calamansi packets, and even calamansi extract.

Wheat isn't the only material that can make a suitable base for flour, a fact evidenced by the dozens of non-wheat flours on the market. Today casava flour, almond flour, and non-wheat flour blends are just a click away, but that wasn't the case in the 1930s Philippines. With her people facing starvation, Maria Orosa popularized making bread and other dishes from local plant sources that were more readily available than wheat, like cassava, corn, rice, green bananas, and coconuts. This increased the availability of food for people in the Philippines, particularly when paired with technological innovation like her palayok oven.

The palayok oven was one of Maria Orosa's first inventions. Essentially a twist on a clay cooking vessel that Filipinos had been using for generations, Orosa added a rack to the bottom and a metal lid to the top. With these adaptations, the palayok oven could work as a proper heat conductor even if it wasn't heated on an electric or gas-powered stove. Thus even Filipinos in rural areas could effectively heat and cook their food, sans power. You can still buy a palayok oven to this day, and cook some chicken adobo, with chili peppers for some extra heat, on the stovetop or over an open flame.