The History of Fortune Cookies

As fortune cookies featured in our Chinese New Year box last month, we wanted to give you more information about these cookies and the history behind them. You may only know these cookies from your local Chinese takeaway or supermarket but there is more to learn about them than you think!

The famous cookie’s origin is unknown, however it is said to have first came amount in San Francisco, America. Nobody knows who invented the iconic fortune cookie idea. Although certain people such as David Jung and Seiichi Koto claim to have created them – it is not known for sure.

The fortune cookies were named as ‘fortune tea cakes’ until World War 2. The ‘tea cake’ brand can relate back to the cookie’s Japanese history as these were traditionally consumed with tea. Unexpectedly, they didn’t come to China until 1989 and were commonly known for being ‘American cookies.’

Each year, 3 billion fortune cookies are made. The largest manufacturer is located in NYC by Wonton Food Inc who produce around 4.5 million cookies per day. They start as round cookies and are folded round the paper fortune whilst they are still soft. Here is a video to show exactly how they are made in bulk.

The vice president of Wonton Food writes most fortunes and has a database and limited number for each. This company has around 15,000 fortunes sent in the biscuits to ensure there is variety and aren’t the same.

We hope you have learned more about background of fortune cookies and enjoyed them in your box last month!

Original Article found here.

More content from The Biscuit Baron found here.