Like other egg yolk-based Filipino desserts, it is believed that yema originated from early Spanish construction materials.

During the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, egg whites mixed with quicklime and eggshells were used as a type of mortar to hold stone walls together.

[1][2] Yemas were originally made with only egg yolks and sugar, heated and stirred until the consistency is thick.

They are then shaped into small balls or pyramids and covered in white sugar.

[citation needed] Modern variations also usually include chopped nuts.