The History of the Fortune Cookie
Source of Recipe
Michael J. Weiss, A Pleasant Surprise about Fortune Cookies.
According to Chinese legend, the fortune cookie began as a way of sending secret messages. During the 13th and 14th centuries, China was occupied by the Mongols. Leaders in Peking were planning a rebellion against the Mongols, and wondered how to send news of the uprising without letting enemies find out.
They decided to hide messages inside moon cakes, traditionally used for celebrating the New Year. Apparently, the Mongols hated the taste of them.
The moon cakes were passed out. The uprising was a success. And thus the Ming Dynasty was formed. Sending messages inside the cakes became a popular way of expressing goodwill on special occasions.
The tradition was carried on by Chinese railway workers in America. During the Moon Festival, the workers didn't have real moon cakes. All they could do was put happy messages inside biscuits.
The cookie idea caught on. By the 1960s, the Lotus Fortune Cookie Co. had invented a machine that could fold the cookies in half much faster than by hand or chopsticks. Finally, the plastic-wrapped fortune cookie as we know it was born.
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