3 Things You Didn't Know About Fortune Cookies (Fortuna)

3 Things You Didn't Know About Fortune Cookies （Fortuna）

Fortune cookies have become the face of Chinese cuisine, but how much do we really know about fortune cookies? What are they made of? What was the county of origin and when were they invented?

After doing some research on this topic, I can tell you that there is a whole story behind it. There are many facts that you may not know about fortune cookies. Here are 3 of them that will change your whole view on this crunchy, sugary cookie.

1. You won't find them in China

While Chinese restaurants around the world serve fortune cookies, those in China do not. In fact, the concept is so foreign, says THE NEW YORK TIME, that when Wonton Food Inc., one of the biggest purveyors of fortune cookies, tried to do business in China in the 1990s.

In the end, the company decided it was too difficult to explain the concept, let alone get people to adopt it.

2. Fortune cookies are not of Chinese origin, but Japanese.

Let's get the most important point out first: the historical roots of fortune cookies are not Chinese at all. Research points to Japan as the source of what would become fortune cookies as they are known today.

According to researcher Yasuko Nakamachi, interviewed by Jennifer 8. Lee, author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, fortune cookies can trace their origins to bakeries outside of Kyoto, Japan. Nakamachi's proof is in the family-owned bakeries surrounding Kyoto and the fact that they made fortune cookies in the shape of a cookie. Additionally, there is visual evidence (an image from the 1870s) showing a baker preparing them in his bakery.

Nakamachi first saw fortune cookies while at a Chinese restaurant in New York City, but after seeing someone making them at a bakery in Japan, with a piece of paper stuffed inside, he set off on a search. to find the true origins of the fortune cookie. He found that the main differences between Japanese and American fortune cookies were in the size, taste, and position of the fortune. These Japanese cookies were larger, used sesame and miso (not vanilla or butter), and had the fortunes not folded inside.

While the idea of a fortune cookie is not of Chinese origin, when it comes to the actual fortune part of the cookie, there is some evidence to suggest that it did indeed come from China. Sources point to the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. On this day, mooncakes were widely distributed.

The Mongol lords avoided the cakes, which were made with a paste of lotus nuts, because they did not like the taste. The Chinese used this to their advantage, hiding instructions for the rebellion inside the mooncakes and sending priests inside the occupied city walls to distribute them. Once the instructions were distributed, the rebels were able to surprise the Mongols and overthrow them. This well-thought-out plan and hard-fought victory led to the establishment of the historic Ming Dynasty, which ruled from 1368 to 1644 CE, when the Qing dynasty took over after the suicide of the last Ming emperor Chóngzhēn.

3. Every year three billion fortune cookies are produced.

The world of fortune cookie production has come a long way since the early 1900s, when they were made by hand. Even with the advent of fortune cookie automation, which boosted production to 90,000 cookies a day, that's nothing compared to the number of cookies being produced today. In total, about 3 billion fortune cookies are produced each year.

Now these are not only intended for Chinese restaurants. In fact, fortune cookies have been used as a promotional device for a variety of things for years. The movie Kung Fu Panda 3, for example, created a large number of fortune cookies with quotes from the film's protagonist, Po (voiced by Jack Black). Before Kung Fu Panda, other films such as Billy Wilder's 1966 comedy The Fortune Cookie (starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon in their first on-screen collaboration) also used fortune cookies as promotional items.