Debunked Myths
Myth:
Fortune cookies come from China.
The Truth Is:
They're American! Japanese immigrants invented them, and Chinese restaurants popularized them in the U.S.
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What We Know Now:
The fortune cookie is as American as apple pie, despite its universal association with Chinese restaurants. Its true origins trace to Japanese immigrants in early 20th-century California, who sold crescent-shaped 'tsujiura senbei' cookies containing paper fortunes.
During World War II, when Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps, Chinese entrepreneurs adopted and reshaped the cookies into their current form. They began serving them with bills at restaurant endings, creating the tradition we know today. Ironically, fortune cookies remain virtually unknown in China itself.
This culinary switcheroo represents a fascinating story of cultural adaptation and entrepreneurship. One immigrant community's creation was seamlessly absorbed and rebranded by another, eventually becoming an iconic symbol of Chinese-American cuisine. The fortune cookie stands as a testament to America's melting pot nature—a hybrid creation that now defines a foreign culinary tradition for many Americans.
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