Who Really Invented the Fortune Cookie?
Today I Found Out・7 minutes read
Fortune cookies were invented by Japanese immigrants in America, not in China, and originated as Tsujiura Senbei in Japan. They spread in America after World War II, primarily through Chinese restaurants in California, and were popularized by soldiers returning from the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Insights
- Fortune Cookies were actually invented in Japan, not China, by Japanese immigrants in America, and were initially known as Tsujiura Senbei, a traditional cracker with a fortune inside, sold at shrines and temples.
- The spread of fortune cookies in America was catalyzed by soldiers returning from the Pacific Theater of Operations after World War II, with the first fortune cookie folding machine invented by Edward Louie facilitating mass production, later evolving into fully automated machines by Dr. Yongsik Lee in the 1980s.
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Recent questions
Where were fortune cookies invented?
Fortune cookies were actually invented in Japan by Japanese immigrants in America, not in China.
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Summary
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Origins and History of Fortune Cookies
- Fortune Cookies were not invented in China, but in Japan, by Japanese immigrants in America.
- The largest manufacturer of fortune cookies, Wonton Food, based in New York, tried introducing them to the Chinese in the late 1980s, but they weren't popular.
- Fortune cookies were proven to have originated in Japan as Tsujiura Senbei, a cracker with a fortune inside, traditionally sold in shrines and temples.
- The earliest documented reference to fortune cookies dates back to an 1878 image of an apprentice baker making them in a bakery outside Kyoto, Japan.
- Fortune cookies spread in America after World War II, primarily through Chinese restaurants in California, and were popularized by soldiers returning from the Pacific Theater of Operations.
- The first fortune cookie folding machine was invented by Edward Louie, enabling mass production, and later, in the 1980s, Dr. Yongsik Lee created the first fully automated fortune cookie machine.
