A SHORT FORTUNE COOKIE HISTORY

A Fortune Cookie is a crispy cookie. They are often known as the cookies that you get at the end of your dinner in Chinese restaurants. A small piece of paper is hidden in the cookie, usually with a spell, prophecy or future prediction written upon it. They may also be filled with series of lucky numbers for a lottery or Chinese statements with a translation. Contrary to what many people think, the Fortune Cookie comes from California. Japanese immigrants introduced the phenomenon there in the 20th century.

 

Where the origin of the cookie lies is disputed. A plausible theory about the origin of the cookies concerns that of Makoto Hagiwara. Makoto Hagiwara was a Japanese American immigrant who worked from 1895 to 1925 as a landscape architect in his Japanese Tea Garden and Teahouse in San Francisco (California). He made cookies inspired by Japanese traditional crackers to which he added a "thank you" message on a piece of paper. In 1915 this cookie was officially introduced in collaboration with the Benkyodo Bakery and Benkyodo Co. is still one of the best known suppliers of Fortune Cookies.

 

Thanks to the introduction of the Fortune Cookies machine, cookies were served in more and more Chinese restaurants after the Second World War. The popularity grew rapidly and spread to other Western countries. Nowadays the cookies are offered in many varieties. For example for festive occasions, as promotional material or promotional gifts in luxury gift packaging. This latest development is not so common here in the Netherlands, but has been a phenomenon in America for years.

 

No miracle the largest producer of fortune cookies, Wonton Food, is located in New York. The company produces approximately 4.5 million cookies per day.

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