Fortune Cookies in America

It is thought that fortune cookies gained popularity as a sweet ending to a Chinese meal when Chinese restaurant owners decided to include them in order to attract Americans who had come to expect dessert after dinner. The history of the contemporary fortune cookie’s American origin is a hotly debated topic, with several people laying claim to its invention. Recipes and techniques are closely-guarded secrets and it would take an espionage agent to crack the cookie baking information vault. Several men lay claim to introducing the typical Chinese fortune cookie to America. Some food historians say that these cookies were first introduced in San Francisco by Makota Hagiwara in his Japanese Tea Garden. Hagiwara introduced the cookies to the general public at the 1915 San Francisco World Fair. Other experts contend that in 1918 David Jung, a Chinese American and founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company began offering the tasty treats to the post World War I unemployed men who congregated in the streets outside of his bakery. The first well-recognized fortune cookie factory that mass-produced fortune cookies was the Lotus Fortune Cookie Company and was opened by Edward Louie in 1964. Strangely enough, the first fortune cookie factory in China opened in 1993, but soon afterwards was closed due to poor sales and lack of interest in the product.

For more information on the history of fortune cookies or for a free fortune cookie recipe, please visit the Ultimate Gourmet Fortune Cookie website where you can find a display of big fortune cookies, giant gourmet fortune cookies or just the plain old traditional fortune cookie.