What part of China do fortune cookies come from?

Category: Society
Published: November 15, 2012

By: Christopher S. Baird, author of The Top 50 Science Questions with Surprising Answers and physics professor at West Texas A&M University

Fortune cookies do not come from China. Fortune cookies have never been made in China, except for a short-lived attempt in 1992 by American businessman. In a short-lived venture, these businessmen attempted to sell fortune cookies to the Chinese under the name "American cookies". Other than this failed attempt, Fortune cookies have never been made or sold in China. According to the book "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" by Jennifer 8. Lee, the cookies were invented by Japanese-American restaurant owners in San Francisco who drew on a Japanese tradition of writing fortunes and attaching them to cookies.

Topics: China, food, fortune cookies