Yana Gilbuena was born in the Philippines. She's a chef that educates others about Filipino food and culture through pop-up dinners, recipes, and cookbooks. She published her own cookbook in 2019,Cream of tartar stabilizes the meringue.
Based on the title alone, I personally wouldn’t eat a dish called the “arm of Mercedes,” named after Our Lady of Mercy, even if it promises some divine gift. But this pillowy meringue roll filled with a rich citrus-scented custard is irresistible. It is a true celebration of eggs: A dozen egg whites are whipped up to make the baked meringue and a dozen egg yolks enrich the custard.
It’s believed that yema originated in the Philippines during the Spanish colonization. Egg whites and egg shells were mixed with limestone and crushed coral and used as construction material to build churches. The eggs’ albumen proved to be such a strong adhesive that a lot of these colonial churches are still standing today. To use the surplus of discarded egg yolks, Filipinos incorporated them into custard confections such as yema.